We love police cars. There is no doubt about that considering how popular they are in diecast. Name the brand in 1:64, and you will find police cars. They can be straight-up replicas, a bit of fantasy, you name it. Just slap the word “Police” on the side and we are in.
While a lot of collectors prefer the standard replicas, we at Lamley enjoy a little creativity. A couple of years ago, Matchbox released a Corvette ZR1 in police livery, and we loved it. Other didn’t. That is totally fine, as we all have our preferences.
But the ZR1 made us think about something. Considering Matchbox is moving in that “Unstoppable Vehicles” direction brand-wise, wouldn’t using police liveries make good use of some of their current sports and classic car castings? Yes, I know some would not like to see an Audi R8 or Morgan Aeromax Police car, but we would!!
So let’s give the folks at Matchbox some ideas. Any current Matchbox castings you would like to see in Police livery? (And in case you are wondering, the mind is definitely turning for what the next custom contest will be…)
In the meantime, Matchbox has some current police cars that we are pretty thrilled about, and it keeps getting better and better. There are the old (Buick Century, Dodge Monaco), current (Ford Interceptor, upcoming Dodge Charger), and the fantastic (Mitsu Evo and these two, the WRX and Gallardo). And there are plenty more to come.
So let’s focus on two that are just hitting the pegs, the Subaru WRX and Lamborghini Gallardo, which makes its basic debut. Both of these sport generic liveries, but both look realistic. I am especially excited about the direction of the Gallardo. The 60th Anniversary edition was perfect in the Italia police livery, but now Matchbox can get creative. It will be cool to see what ideas they come up with. The first is definitely sharp in black.
Same goes for the Subaru. Last year’s “snow” model got a mixed response, but folks should be happy with this one, especially with the WRX’s signature gold rims. A definite looker…
(You can find these and many other Matchbox models for sale at the store of our Matchbox Monday partner, MVE Collectibles. Their prices are better than almost anything you will find elsewhere. Remember to look into their “One-of-Each” subscription program, where you can have one of each model released sent to you, instead of having to buy a whole case…)
Hot Wheels Lamborghini Gallardo Police (2013 Basic):
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Police (2013 Basic):
I was lucky to find these two a few weeks ago.
I would like to see the Ford Crown Victoria reintroduced, just because it's a classic police car. The Ford Explorer in actual police livery would be stunning, in my opinion. Also, a Porsche police car would be nice.
Stampede, Swifty's Garage.
would like to see german police cars. The Audi as illustrated and maybe the benz or BMW castings.
I go to germany and hit the toy stores. There is usually (matchbox) 1 police and 1 fire truck with german markings made for the german market.
I just bought the blue Gallardo last night. I could not be any happier.
I also agree that a Porsche would be pretty cool. And how about a police Beetle? I'd also like to see the 90s Police Camaro Z28 make a return.
I've also seen Prius police cars, but I think that a Prius in Taxi livery would probably be a better seller (in fact, I'm kind of surprised that MB has yet to release a Prius Taxi).
-ThisDudeAbides
I hope Matchbox will produce a taxi version of the Toyota Prius.