Lamley Readers, here is your chance, once again, to help in the development of Matchbox.
I have said before that this new team at Matchbox has thrown the rulebook away, and is looking at all possible ways to bring collectors back to the brand. Of course, it starts with better models and better distribution, but there are other ways as well.
One of those ways to become more collector-friendly is to introduce chase models to the Matchbox range. The team is toying with the idea, but they want your feedback.
1. Should Matchbox introduce chase models – aka Treasure Hunts – to the basic range?
2. If so, how should they go about doing them?
There are many ways to do chase models. There is of course the Treasure Hunt way of adding one unique model in slightly smaller numbers to each batch, or the Super TH way of enhancing one standard model per batch with Real Riders, enhanced paint, and more deco. Or there is what Greenlight and Auto World are doing. Create special versions of existing models, always in the same color. There are raw chases as well. A model has the same deco as the standard issue, only it is unpainted.
We want your comments too. Let us know what you think, and please share your ideas. And be creative! I promise the Matchbox Team will be reading them. They are looking for ideas, and no better group to ask than the collectors.
This should be fun…
introduce metal parts to otherwise plastic parts, maybe the base plate? this will improve the overall “feel” to the diecast. and it's hard to notice unless you have a regular sample as comparison.
slight change to tampo is optional.. just my 2 cents
I say stick with what works well with the big brothers in blue, real riders, spectra flame with added tampos per batch. This would be very acceptable for the collectors in mind since it is a tried and true formula for Mattel already and will bring the same interest and excitement everytime the new batch comes out. Besides I wouldn't want to see all cars in the same color inside my garage. Jkho
I would like to see more police but maybe suv and truck form. Like maybe a 4 door f-150 and a Ford Explore. Bring back buses, like school buses and maybe some police buses as well. Also make more road construction vehicles.
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The decals in chrome. And one Person or animal sit in the car. Policeofficer or one policedog.
depends on the casting
Greetz from Germany 🙂
Also maybe some more forestry trucks kinda like what green light just did.
Funny because i just brought up the question “why doesn't Matchbox do Treasure Hunts or an equivalent of a Super?” up to my friend that is an avid collector.
Imo although Matchboxes card art is nice, focus the money into the castings and paints. Blow Hot Wheels away by providing slightly higher availability or quantity of equivalent “supers”
Design a tampo that is an stylized “M” or “SM” (super matchbox). Or a synonym of super: matchless! Treasure : Gem(s)
Looking forward to hear updates on this subject!
I say NO to Treasure hunts. With Treasure hunts you'll get more models that you can't get but want so badly. Special series are a good thing, maybe special 5-packs with a theme. Once again, the new branded models are wonderful, just keep them comming in bigger numbers. And bring them to Western Europe. Also I think that older casting could be used for a second time. Lets say the Volvo 480 ES and some others as a vintage line. I'm sure that collectors would love that and pay extra fot it. So I say to Matchbox hold on to what your doing now and make sure that what you show on the net makes it's way to the retailers!
Agree with Paul, no TH needed. If I was MB, I would look for a lots of cheap licenced cars, old forgotten classics, todays underrated treasures, such as Suzuki swift sport. Put them in collector box and let people know about their story written on the back of the box, or on a collector card. Also good idea to renew old castings like GTI golf, Mercedes 500 sec, and make them as special editions.
Old japanese treasures are still undiscovered by MB, small torbo shopping trolleys for example. Best of Japan line.
Please do not follow HW. We like HW's way, but MB is liked by collectors for different kind of things. MB collectors want no spectra flame, and all that “doin well on HW” things. We want real castings, lots of details, even on the car, or on the blister such as specifications, history. As much you can give from real cars real value, but do not increase the price too much. So cheap ideas are the most welcome which adds value to the car for a collector.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING TREASURE HUNT TO MB
we dont need more scalper in already less stcok matchbox world, what they need is more real car casting than all those fantasy junk
Or if the price is significantly increased, then we should strongly feel the added value, like original wheels instead of the mass produced uniform ones. Car on Plinth, like toy fair promo cars, etc.
As Remy Ho says, add or replace the plastic base with metal. To me the metal base add some more premium feel to the diecast and add some authenticity – just look at ” Matchbox Lesney Edition”. Also give the car “real rider” rubber wheels. This as well give the car some authenticity. Use different tampos maybe and add different colors. Maybe some painted interior details. I think MB would capitalize big on special lines i.g. Vintage or Classic lines with American muscle cars or British sports cars. Or more modern Lesney edition with modern cars like the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, 2016 Chevy Cruze, 2015 Chrysler 300, 2015 Volvo V60 wagon or the BMW M1. Japanese vintage car line with Datsun 510 (wagons) Nissan Skyline etc. just make the cars more realistic or true the originals. Or maybe an all black edition like Greenlight's Black Bandit – yeah what can I say I LOVE black cars as well S wagons. All the collector lines should have metal base, different colors (maybe actual colors you can buy or choose from a real car dealership) added or different tampos, painted license/number plate and of course “real rider” rubber wheels. As mentioned make the collector lines more true and realistic to the original cars regarding metal base, color, rubber wheels and art tampos, painted head and rear lights and license plate, something that Hot Wheels not always is good at with their bigger wheels and more crazier design. Hot wheels are not always as true and authentic to the original cars as they could. These are just some of my thoughts on Matchbox collecting. Let me just say I'm also an avid collector of Hot Wheels.
I don't normally enter the fray but on this occasion I'll give it a go . Distribution seems to be the Matchbox Brands biggest issue . Set up a Matchbox collectors website so middle aged men like myself don't have to go hunting in the toy isle feeling a little guilty ….Have online only models and charge what you have to for them . I , like my kids love anything military or with a siren on it .. Not to mention moving parts ( cement mixer , bulldozers etc ) and accessories , think twin packs and ponies etc ,, and yes , RETRO , remake the rolamatics with a modern theme perhaps .Lastly , I think putting the cars back in the box is a brilliant idea ,
They should totally do super treasure hunts
no…No…NO!!! Please, no. Treasure Hunts have been the death knell for so many collectors who just enjoy finding new toy cars. The competition, rudeness, chaos, and greed from scalpers and those just looking to resell what they find in my area, as well as in the areas where my extended family live, is just ridiculous. Matchbox…please, no Treasure Hunts.
Thank´s but no thank´s to TH´s.
Take 5 licensed vehicles, give them a “Lesney Edition” series treatment, put them in a 5 pack as often as you wish and make them available world wide.
That´s treasure!
No to treasure hunts. Yes to premiere or deluxe models even at a higher price. Matchbox are hard enough to find. Thank you for being a spokesman for collectors. Matters customer service is great. I wish I had the same results with several big accounts at work. They had great follow through on a minor issue.
Please no hunts. Please no unrealistic colors & prints. Please no plastic body's (unless it's a Corvette ;-).
Please metal bases, licenced vehicles and re issues of older castings. But above all make them available…….
“Ultra Orange” paint on all chase cars and an even rarer “Raw” model.
Absolutely NOT, what would be the point, no one outside of America can get the full range, surely anyone with a brain cell can tell you that you need to get the distribution sorted first, increase your base sales, THEN maybe do specials, not TH, especially if the wheels used are like those awful ones on the BMW 1M, they just do not work at all, ever.
I would rather see a range of cars at 75 models, made with metal, and opening parts, rather than getting aft paint jobs, leave that to HW, some i have seen lately have been so bad, i just laughed at them.
NO Treasure Hunts for MBX – get what you have out there in the world – after all, there is a world OUTSIDE of the USA, bigger, better and with a lot of money to spend on model cars…
I'm sure distribution will become better in a natural way if retailers are not suck-up with generics filling the pegs after the nice models are gone after a few hours after a re-fill.
Okay. Treasure Hunts is a great idea but NOT the same way as Hot Wheels! Why not release a vehicle in the batch that is NOT released in the same batch. Don't have a GT-40 regular along with a THunt. Just have a super cool GT-40 with metal on metal, real riders with great paint and decals. That would make it a great “Chase” vehicle to hunt. NO FANTASY VEHICLES!!! Keep it all real and make cement trucks, ambulances, buses and other “ordinary” vehicles into something special. Steer clear of the HW way of specials. Matchbox should always be special… Keep it that way!
I like the idea of treasure hunts for Matchbox, but as it is, especially in NYC, where I'm from, the mainline Matchbox cars are very hard to come by. And the problem goes down to shelf space. Most places I go to just carry Hot Wheels. Matchbox needs to ramp up its distribution and give us more cars. I feel like models like the red Tesla have in essence become “treasure hunts” because you can't find them anywhere.
I think that THs should be like this: every case or so they should bring back a model and do the first re-release as a special edition?!
I like the idea of a raw version of another car in the line, make them cool, not super rare.
First, huge thanks to Lamley and Matchbox for going to the readers/collectors for their feedback! Reminds me of the Nitto comic about their beginnings (which I also found out about thanks to Lamley). This is what will catapult you to the top of the diecast game for sure!
About doing treasure hunts, of course that would be sweet! Finding special rare pieces is one of the most exciting parts about collecting. Spend any amount of time on Instagram and you'll quickly find out people love Exotics, JDMs, and Muscle cars. If Matchbox did a treasure hunt version of each of those every year they would do very well in my opinion. Also they might want to design some new rubber tires to go with the basic cars. But seriously who WOULDN'T want some more matchbox cars with real riders?! Also, a black version of the Tesla Model S would be an absolute DREAM COME TRUE! I'd buy every single one without even thinking about it! lol.
Thanks again for reading, I hope to see some treasure hunt matchboxes in the near future! 🙂
Who would anyone want a forklift TH ? Say what you want a about hot wheels fantasy model TH's but at least they are coming up with stuff and not just all terrain and construction vehicles. Matchbox has a few good things some time but if its any good it will end up in the hot wheels line like the Tesla model s. Matchbox should worry about getting cars in the stores and not TH or chase pieces
I like the idea of 'chase' cars. Maybe just rubber wheels and the 'matchbox' logo on the vehicle somewhere. But make the numbers a bit more like the Matchbox 2000 logos which were pretty easy to find. For realistic cars and SUVs, put the Matchbox logo as the license plate. For trucks such as gas tankers, construction etc, use the Matchbox logo as the 'firm' on the sides. Same for the smaller delivery vehicles such as the VW Caddy or Ford Transit, put the Matchbox Delivers message or something like that on the panel.
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You are in NYC and cant find Matchbox how said is that
I don't agree, because that “more deco”. I don't like one of the non-TH castings have the 'uncompleted' livery, meanwhile the TH version have the fully-completed livery.
I don't agree, because that “more deco”. I don't like one of the non-TH castings have the 'uncompleted' livery, meanwhile the TH version have the fully-completed livery.
You're correct about distribution issues that need to be sorted out but however in my hometown (Fredericton,New Brunswick,Canada) some department stores and a toy store that specialize in Matchbox did receive some up to date models where I purchased a 2015 Ford F-150 or something like that, a blue colored Matchbox State Trooper Dodge Charger, a black & white St Ursula or is it Mt Ursula County Police car in the form of a die cast Dodge Charger and I also recall that a nearby grocery store I purchased an MB 2014 Chevrolet Silverado truck.But you know the other models for the Matchbox 2015 line up that I have yet to purchase are the Alfa Romeo 4C,Cadillac One Limo,beige colored Dodge Monaco sheriff car,perhaps a grey colored Dodge Monaco police car featuring the U.S. flag and perhaps still the GHEO rescue vehicle. I've mentioned this before and I'll mention it again and that is it would be swell if Matchbox 2016 models were to be released this year (especially the models which personally appeal to me) but unfortunately (sorry for the pessimism) that may be an unlikely scenario especially for retailers outside U.S.A.
Sorry I meant a grey colored Dodge Charger not a grey colored Dodge Monaco police car that features the U.S. flag.
Make the fantasy cars the mbx th… That way kids should get
I actually find 'chase' cars gimmicky and frustrating – you will never build brand loyalty or attract new collectors to the hobby by offering something that may never be attained, especially for children.
I am however a fan of 'elevated quality' offers such as the 'Lesney Edition' cars a few years ago with metal bases and better detail.
The amount of cars per MBX case don't justify something like a chase model being introduced, in my opinion.
Now that's an idea. What brings people to the aisle? hoping to find something interesting is what I'm guessing. Matchbox has always been different for me, it had a European flare I felt growing up with models with realistic decoys unlike hot wheels, that were close but got changed up by making them with big wheels in the back and crazy decoys. They need to keep this feeling to set themselves apart. I think making a treasure hunt is only right to increase sales. What I would like to see though is a new model released with really good detail and tampons and make it with real rider like tires. What that means is no models with crazy large wheels even if there released that way in the regular line, and most of them need to be a real car or truck, the Tesla is a great example, and yes make one for every new batch released. Also make them one per box of 36, which will make them still hard to find but not crazy. The idea is to increase interest not the frenzy of the hot wheel treasure hunts(supers), as you can find regular treasure hunts sitting on shelves for weeks. Then to make things really cool offer the same car in a different color in the premium line like supreme heroes, this will increase interest and cut down costs and still allow people to get the car in some version that is still unique.
P.S. There are some really cool military vehicles out there love to see more of them, also re release the Oshkosh m-atv in tan again, really hard issue to find.
With all the problems the brand has been having with distribution, model selection, and completing the annual series, I am grossly disappointed that Mattel management is focusing on this issue. Time tested Matchbox collectors know we don't need these backroom gimmicks and door warmer tactics to sell the brand. These chase tactics won'the increase the collectibility of the brand, it only goes to serve parties who are interested in short term profit and not the long term interest in the brand. First, fix distribution. Second, change the model selection to attract natural long term interest. If needed, reposition the brand at a different price point to offer a better grade of model with with extra deco, more metal, rubber tires, and more licensed makes. Do not reward parties who hover the aisle to make a quick buck because of short supply. Reward continued collectors by making any bonus models available after proving they have been supportive followers with some proof – perhaps mail in proofs of purchase in order to obtain a chase model. Don't support non-Matchbox enthusiasts from grabbing rarer models and selling them at a higher amount on ebay! Focus on the Matchbox collectors here.
As a young collector, I have always been intrigued by the concept of Treasure Hunts/Chase Models. I think they are an inspiration for many people to go out and keep looking for certain models, and even if people don't like them they are not obliged to search for them and that is fine. I think it is overall just an exciting deal in the end. That being said, I am also highly critical of the process by which they are delivered, packaged, etc., like what many other people have commented about on this blog. The primary reason I am not an enthusiast MBX collector is because they rarely make realistic or common cars anymore, like the ones that have been featured here recently. There is an overabundance of construction and rescue vehicles as well as strange unrealistic cars that I simply am not a fan of. Of course, there obviously are people who enjoy these things, but some cases recently have been exclusively comprised of these, and I would just like to see more general “cool” cars. For example, I like pickups, supercars, and racing vehicles, and HW regularly produces these in their cases. I am also a HW fan because they provide a nice mix of vehicles that anyone can appreciate, and I wish MBX would do the same, regardless of if there are chase models present or not.
There is also the ftoys way of chase/secret version. Same car/design, just a simple recolor. Two or three per case will probably work.
When I find a good matchbox casting such as the dodge a 100 Firestone.. I feel like it's already unique enough with what seems to be a shortage already. As it has been said, scalpers are not Making hotwheels fun at all to find. When I come into a fresh dump bin and sort through the entire thing to simply notice an empty Mattel box in the bottom, I know that the supers and regular hunts are already gone, not to mention the harder to find or highly sought after mainlines. I get off work at 4 am… too late to get fresh shipments. If I see something highly collectible I pass it up if it is not something that I want in my personal collection. Scalpers and value collectors are wrecking hotwheels collecting. On top of that, those who show up before the new stock hits the floor are taking the fun/hunting thrills away from kids! If you were a kid right now, how badass would it be to run up to the pegs and see a one of the current supers staring you in the face? I'd be stoked!
When I find a good matchbox casting such as the dodge a 100 Firestone.. I feel like it's already unique enough with what seems to be a shortage already. As it has been said, scalpers are not Making hotwheels fun at all to find. When I come into a fresh dump bin and sort through the entire thing to simply notice an empty Mattel box in the bottom, I know that the supers and regular hunts are already gone, not to mention the harder to find or highly sought after mainlines. I get off work at 4 am… too late to get fresh shipments. If I see something highly collectible I pass it up if it is not something that I want in my personal collection. Scalpers and value collectors are wrecking hotwheels collecting. On top of that, those who show up before the new stock hits the floor are taking the fun/hunting thrills away from kids! If you were a kid right now, how badass would it be to run up to the pegs and see a one of the current supers staring you in the face? I'd be stoked!
MBX range is already a treasure hunt in a number of countries while a lost treasure in few others. No need to start new TH series MBX :p
Hard enough getting a treasure hunt WITHOUT scalpers. With MBX's horrible distribution, finding a treasure hunt would be like winning the lottery.
Hard enough getting a treasure hunt WITHOUT scalpers. With MBX's horrible distribution, finding a treasure hunt would be like winning the lottery.
MBX are already hard to find, no need to make it worse.
I see comment after comment pertaining to issues plaguing MBX which are lack of casting based on real vehicles (i.e. Jaguar, Cadillac, Porsche, Lamborghini, etc) and distribution. I agree, these particular problems should be addressed before another phase be implemented.
I can't STRESS enough when I look for the latest realistic vehicles, they are almost gone from shelves and if there are some available… not many left. Fantasy models always dominate the pegs and I don't know if it's because of the ratio of real models vs unrealistic models being manufactured or simply, no one likes fictional castings; plenty of those left behind. FIX THE PROBLEM!
As far as introducing a concept like chase models.. go for it. But it's funny, again, how rare would chase models be when it's hard enough trying to find the latest Range Rover SUV or a Ford GT40 or Porsche Cayman or Jag F Type?
Check out 2016 line there is a Dodge 1500 police p/u coming