January went by faster than a freshly cracked Frontrunnin’ Fairmont chugging down some orange track because it’s time for the first February edition of the Weekly 5-Pack. So tie-on that bib and get ready to snack on some fresh, delish zamac news. Chomp chomp!
- Das Toy Show Vorschau
The Spielwarenmesse 2025 (toy fair 2025), internationally known as the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, was held this past week and was absolutely jam-packed full of teasers from brands both far and near.
The annual event that kicked-off in 1950, is the largest international trade fair for toys/games and featured sneaks from IXO, Greenlight, Majorette, Kyosho, Mini GT, Solido, and AUTOart just to name a few.
There are SO MANY SNEAKS that I couldn’t possibly talk about them all, but some notables are:
- The new line of Mini GT 007 cars are in production with more new castings previewed, showing incredible detail and features that have never before been done in 1/64th scale. While we’ve gotten 007 cars from over half a dozen manufactures already, the Mini GT cars look to set the new standard for detail and moving parts. Mini GT also previewed some heavy duty rig castings that really sparked my attention and I can’t wait to see more of those as they get closer to production.
- Greenlight dropped some clay model versions of their new Ford trucks and Mustang castings, along with their new import castings of the bug-eyed STI, the always amazing 22B, and two new R34 GTR castings. They also previewed some great looking new American cars like the C7 ZR1, C8 ZR1, and a 2020 widebody Charger Hellcat.
- IXO reveals their first INDYCAR casting. They announced their newly acquired INDYCAR license back in September, but now we are getting our first look at some of what the new license will bring. We have several open-wheeled racing fans within the Lamley writers group, so we’re especially excited to see what this new license brings.
You can search IG for Spielwarenmesse 2025 to see more, or you can hit up @future_diecast_bros page to see a TON of the show’s coverage all in one place.
2. Majorette Unveils Major Changes
We touched on some of Majorette’s updates in the last 5-Pack, but last week they revealed even more beyond the logo refresh. They dropped a preview of a new line of true 1/64th scale cars that feature realistic detail like rubber tires, side mirrors, accurate lights, and crisp tampos. The packaging also gets a designer update and now includes an acrylic display case that car the car comes secured to.
According to @Alex_the_hoarder’s post of a break-down of Johnny’s Diecast’s Majorette unboxing video, the line will feature 18 new castings with the Honda NSX-R GT being the first one to drop.
The NSX looks pretty good in the preview video, almost reminding me of some of the Kyosho or Aoshima releases — and that’s not a bad thing.
3. IXO Diecast in MMXXV
In my best Jersey Shore voice: CATALOGS ARE HERRRRE!!!
IXO released their 2025 preview catalog last week and while it’s short on pages, it’s big on freedom — that’s because they are featuring castings of some iconic American cars from different decades. Among the beloved muscle car castings are new semi trucks, pickup trucks, and sedans.
The castings are cool, but check out that cover art! Absolutely love the design work they put into it.
You can check out the IXO catalog here and read more about the brand in @willdiecast’s French blog here
4. February is for (Diecast) Lovers
Mattel updated the February Creations drop calendar and there’s plenty to love.
There are three Hot Wheels and one Matchbox dropping — the first of which is Thursday and features Matchbox’s 1975 Range Rover in the beloved National Parks livery.
But the star of the month maybe the new RLC Quattro S1 — or perhaps the new Elite Valkyrie? Only time will tell, but be sure to add the drops to your calendar so you don’t miss out on any if they do end up being quick sellers.
5. Mattel’s MC Revealed revealed for Year Two
Hot Wheels recently announced that they will be holding their second annual MC Revealed event this March. The live event lets collectors and fans of the various Mattel brands (Hot Wheels included) hear directly from brand designers, get behind-the-scenes access to the brands inner-workings, and get the chance to buy the exclusive brand-themed drops via the Creations website. Details are scarce now, but more will be revealed (see what I did there?) soon.
In-House Excitement: the Weekly Lamley Drops
It has been a busy week here for the Lamley team as well. @LamleyGroup dropped a few fantastic Youtube videos featuring Hot Wheels’ newest Target Two-Pack releases (linked below), new Kaido castings, and the latest 2025 HWs F&F premium cars.
I (@64wheels) dropped a few new videos as well, but I’m most excited about the new Matchbox playsets for 2025 that I featured recently. They have seemingly dropped the Action Drivers name (more on that later) but have kept the high-quality interlocking playset styles as before. The new Airport Takeoff Adventure is pretty rad and goes great with the larger existing Action Drivers Airport Adventure set.
@championdjk also dropped some new content as well and his newest vid featuring the latest 2025 Johnny Lightning releases is definitely a banger you need to check out:
@doomusrlc released a few new videos too, so be sure to give his very knowledgeable unboxings some love also.
And as always thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates in next week’s 5-Pack!