The first three are out – BMW 2002, Mercedes-Benz G63 6×6, and Chevy Camaro – and this one is still to come, but here is a quick preview of the BMW I8.
The six models in this set celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Superfast line. All the cars are gold, all are coming to Target, and all but one are counterparts of mainline models. This is the only one that isn’t showing up in the basic range in another color, at least as far as I know.
And Matchbox went all out. This model was not easy to develop. There are some small details that are hard to replicate in small scale, and BMW demanded that the blue trim on the front and sides be replicated, just like is done on the I3. Matchbox did that on the first release in black, and goes even further on this model. Detail is included on the front, sides, and yes, the back.
It makes for a phenomenal model, especially sitting on the 5-spokes. Matchbox has released a ton of great new models the last couple of years, and this one is among them. These exclusives celebrating an anniversary can sometimes be fun to have only because they exist, not because of how they look. That is certainly not the case here.
I did find the Chevy Camaro Convertible a couple weeks ago. I was disappointed it didn’t get the same treatment as the i8. No rear detailing! The taillights look so good on this car on both the Matchbox and the real life car! But I still like the casting anyway. Although I think it’s getting used a little too much lately.
Once again, no Target anywhere near me stocks singles anymore, and barely even does 5-packs. I will never see this or any of the other anniversary exclusives.
Same here. I might buy some of these, if any retailer would sell them to me.
It’s a nice enough looking model, but I have no plans to add any of these anniversary models to my collection. I honestly expect I will never see any of them.
Went on vacation last weekend and in three target runs in two states had all three gold cars. The bmw is fantastic, as well as several of the new models in the case. Will be on the lookout for the i8 when it comes too. Not my favorite car but I will admit they have done a good job on this one. Love collecting matchbox, some years better than others, will continue as long as they bring out cool models. Those complaining again about not finding are not trying. If you cant find them find someone who has and work something out.
Did the beemer people know it was gonna be gold when they requested that blue stripe? I think that looks really bad. It looks like my kid went at it with some crest toothpaste. Oh well I guess that’s what makes the world go around. Not that it matters bc in the state of Colorado none of the targets stock MB.
And this comes just on the heels of the latest news, as BMW said today that the i8 is going to be discontinued in a year or so. I really hope this won’t affect the prices of the Matchbox version as I am yet to find one.
So, the second/final delivery of the Target exclusive line will have two emergency vehicles (Seagrave and Hudson Hornet) and this i8? And the first release is hard-to-find? I found the first batch between the two Targets nearest me, but after the local experience with the “Sapphire Gems” series, I doubt it will be possible to complete the gold set without literally camping on Targets’ doorstep to be the first person to the pegs after they’re restocked–IF they’re restocked. (I bought the only two Sapphire Gems I found [VW Golf and Raptor]–between three Targets–and have never seen another one. Great plan, Matchbox.)
In an effort to be optimistic, I’ll set myself to hoping this time is the ‘charm’, and I can complete this ‘exclusive’ series at the MSRP rather than the ebay/Amazon markup.
i did not find any of the sapphire cars last year but i walked into one target and found 2 sets of these and i little F.Y.I. the mercedes G63 AMG has an interior…didnt see your post on it hope im not repeating that little tid bit …
Several months after my previous post, I have managed to find the entire Gold series between the two (three if you like the 20 mile drive each way) Targets in my area. The kicker: just found the i8 yesterday. And the two emergency vehicles joined my fire dept back in October/November (Seagrave and Hudson, though only ONE of the Hudson so far, but 3 of the Seagrave so I was able to be a Seagrave Santa to a couple of other collectors…)
So this time, the “exclusive” Target series actually made it to my area complete, if only at a trickle. What were the models in that “Sapphire Gems” series again? I don’t think I care any more….was a “fail accompli” in my book.