It was a prolific year for the orange brand. Moving Parts continues to expand, licensed models dominate, and the line is as diverse as ever. Chases popped into more lines as well. So why does it seem that the collector world has given Matchbox a collective shrug?
Honestly it probably all comes back to distribution. Matchbox has been DIFFICULT to find. The pegs are there, and they are full, but it seems they are always loaded with the same peg warmers week after week, month after month, with little to nothing new. When that is the case, collectors tend to pass right by looking for other brands, and interest slowly wanes.
The other part might be our fault. We clamored for realistic/real world models from Matchbox. Factory models like the cars we see on the streets. That always sounds good, but we tend to forget that many of those models are just plain boring. You don’t notice a 2017 Sentra on the street next to you, so why would you spend money to buy a replica?
And that is where we are. When Matchbox makes a banger – like the Acura Integra this year – collectors want it. But when they put in one per case, and try and get them onto pegs already stuffed with boring peg warmers, we have a problem. One collector might have been lucky enough to the find the Integra, but no one else will get the chance.
So let’s see where this goes. 2026 appears to be loaded. Will those models find their way to us, or will we need to find our way to them, via hobby dealers and other means? Let’s see how it plays out. For now, check out the videos (posting soon) and photos of the new stuff this year, and vote away. The polls are below. Pick two in each poll.
Mainline New Models:
Moving Parts New Models
I think people need to face facts, Mattel have no desire to continue to sell Matchbox in the U.K. There is no desire from retailers to sell them either. I would expect them to stop distributing them altogether in the U.K. in 2026 given the current trajectory.
Matchbox 2026 Case A, B and now C have already been found in the UK so I’d say the opposite was true. Though I certainly agree we still need more retailers on board and more than just basics and 5 packs.