They are easily two of the most talked-about new Matchbox castings from last year. The 1971 Nissan Skyline and 1990 VW Transporter Crew Cab were must-haves the second they hit the pegs.
Well fast-forward a year, and the two are coming together to form one heck of a pair as the two Exclusive Models at this year’s Matchbox International Gathering of Friends.
Jim Gallegos, who runs the event, just received the models from the Matchbox factory, and is letting the cat out of the bag today. The Skyline will be the Dinner Model, and the VW the Dealer Model. And with the event TOTALLY sold out, every one of these limited run models is already accounted for.
Here are a few details on each:
1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-X Dinner Model
There will only be 250 total, with 75 of those featuring an extra logo on the trunk for early registrants, and 175 without. 
It was designed by Michael Heralda – nice to know Michael is still scratching that design itch after retirement – and features his classic moniker ADLAR58, his wife Sandy, auctioneer extraordinaire Dan Bush, and of course Jim, his wife Vicki and son Shaun. You will also notice the blue ribbon signifying Ovarian Cancer Awareness, which has a special significance this year.
And yes, those wheels are Real Riders, following the lead of the 2017 Best of line.
1990 Volkswagen Transporter Crew Cab Dealer Model
Also sold out, this model was made for dealers at the event. This was designed by current Matchbox Designer Abe Lugo, hence he and his wife Melissa join the other existing sponsors. You may notice the one photographed above is the “full bed” variant. The “empty bed” variant is there too, and will be handed out at random.
It is cool to see the matching deco, which is a first for the Gathering. If you are coming, these are the models you get to look forward to. If you aren’t, Jim hopes you can start planning for 2018. Models aside, this is always a must-attend. This will be my 9th in a row.
Looking forward to seeing you all there.
(All photos by Jim Gallegos)
Wow, what fantastic work. Was just looking these both up on eBay and what a difference between these specially made for the dinners and the mainline models
These are purty…
I’m probably in the minority here, but I could take or leave the Skyline. The Transporter, on the other hand…that one is something else. Yes please
Ya know, if the even t is sold out all of these are spoken for, I would almost rather not know about their existence.
But, they both look ooh so good.