Cool is Cool is Cool: Matchbox Land Rover Ninety & Toyota Land Cruiser in light blue...

I spend a couple of days in the Four Corners area of Utah every month.  If you are not familiar with that area, go look at a map of the US, and look for the only place in the country that four states meet.  Those states are Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.

Now focus on the Utah part of the Four Corners, and look slightly north.  You will see towns called Blanding, Monticello, and Moab.  You will see areas called Canyonlands and Arches, both cut by the Colorado River.  If you want to know what that area looks like, this will help:

Those photos were taken by me a couple of days ago at Dead Horse Point as the sun went down.  It makes returning home and writing about little cars a bit difficult. 

So to keep my head in Moab, why not focus on some Moab-esque vehicles?  Of course Moab might be the Jeep capitol of the world, so that is too obvious.  Instead, in keeping with the theme of our Cool is Cool is Cool series, I am showcasing a couple of off-roading classics that truly are driven by the cool folks of Moab and the surrounding towns.

The Land Rover Ninety and Toyota Land Cruiser don't need much by way of introduction.  The Ninety was introduced in 1983, and Matchbox followed with its version in 1987.  The Land Cruiser spans a longer time period.  The 40 Series debuted in 1960, and Matchbox created its version in 2009.

Nonetheless, both vehicles are iconic off-roaders, taking several shapes in areas like Moab.  We happen to like seeing them in interesting colors, none more than baby blue.  

And thankfully, Matchbox has baby blue versions of both castings.  The Land Rover in the 2006 All-Terrain 5-pack, and the Land Cruiser as a recolor on the 2009 New Model.

So, we will pay tribute to one of the most stunning places on earth by showcasing mini versions of two of the most iconic off-roaders around.  Superlative city, yes, but all deserving.

(Find the Land Rover and Land Cruiser on ebay...)

Matchbox Land Rover 90 (2006 5-pack) & Toyota Land Cruiser (2009 New Models):

June 17 Matchbox Ambassador Update: New Turn Tamer and other sneaks...

Greetings collectors...

I must say I did enjoy previewing the BMW 1M last week.  It was fun for me to show off a new Matchbox model that for the most part received stellar reviews from collectors.  While everyone is surely entitled to their opinion, pleasing the masses was a nice experience.  And that is from me, the Ambassador, who had nothing to do with the selection, design, or execution of this model.  Those that were behind it were surely happy to see the response.  Nonetheless, I am as excited as most of you are about the BMW and can't wait to see it on the pegs.

In other news we are now one month away from the Matchbox Collectors Gathering of Friends in Albuquerque.  I have reserved my room, planned the route with my daughters, blocked out some time to go see Walter White's house, and even made the arrangements with Jim Gallegos to photograph the Event Models early so I can release the images as soon as they hit collector's hands.  I have a hint as to what the models will be, and if I am correct, this event is a do-not-miss for sure.  Regardless of the models, the event has been well-planned, and there is a lot to look forward to.  I hope to see many of you there.

Now on with this week's sneaks.  No, no BMW or equivalent this week, but there they are in all their glory, shown as always with permission from Mattel.

We have one new model to show this week, the MB894 Turn Tamer.  This is what Mattel was referring to earlier as the MBX Sedan.  It is the team's own design, and meant to serve as an unlicensed option when a sedan/crossover is needed.  My guess is this won't be terribly popular with collectors, but it surely serves its purpose within the Matchbox line:

Next up are a few more recolors for 2013.  You will notice the trend of clean, realistic decos continues, and I think the Land Rover Defender 110 will be popular with collectors.  Here they are:

Land Rover Defender 110

Express Delivery

Aqua King

Dodge Ram SRT10

That is it for this week.  I don't have anything to tease this week, as my time in Dallas last week did not permit me to have my normal discussion with Mattel, but I am sure more sneaks will find their way to me this week.  So I look forward just as much as the rest of you to what we will see next Monday.

Until then...

First Look: Matchbox 60th Anniversary Land Rover Defender 110 & Urban Tow Truck...

After the Routemaster, Renault Ambulance, and Aston Martin DBS, we are to the last models of Matchbox 60th Batch C.  If you think you are detecting a pattern in how I am showing these, you are probably right.  The Aston is easily my favorite of the batch, the Routemaster is great, and the Renault is a very curious model.  While the Urban Tow Truck generates no interest from me, the Land Rover does, but not as much as the others.  

That being said, this Defender 110 is one of the best versions yet.  That is saying a lot, considering this model seems to be a go-to for the Matchbox team.  Since its debut in 2006, it has been used multiple times each year since.  It received a slight modification last year, moving to a part-plastic roof, and the air intake was switched to the proper side.  And now after all that it looks great.  It only took seven years, but the Defender 110 now sits in all its glory in G4 Challenge Livery.  Was it worth the wait?  I will let you answer that.

Oh, and there is an Urban Tow Truck, if you are into that sort of thing...

(Find the Matchbox 60th Anniversary Series at MVE Collectibles or Wheel Collectors...)

Matchbox Land Rover Defender 110 (60th Anniversary):

Matchbox Urban Tow Truck (60th Anniversary):

Matchbox Monday: Matchbox's Family of SUV's...

(Before we start, remember that Matchbox Monday is sponsored by or friends at MVE Collectibles.  I really do hope you are checking out their store.  Many of the items, including Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Greenlight, Johnny Lightning, and M2 are very fairly priced, and many times cheaper whan what you find on ebay.  Check them out here.)

I think the SUV era is over, at least for now.

But it was sure some gas-guzzling fun while it lasted.  There are still plenty of SUV's on the road, just a little different than those behemoths that were all over the place 5 years ago.

In the diecast world the SUV's still are on the pegs.  The Matchbox Ford Explorer is just hitting and later we will see the Range Rover Evoque.  And as usual, Matchbox is the maker.  If you compare the two Mattel brands, Matchbox seemed to be the SUV specialist.  They came from Hot Wheels, but it seemed that the models that transported both soccer moms and self-proclaimed outdoorzies from the city came from Matchbox.

When looking at the list of SUV's that Matchbox put out in the mid- to late-2000's, there are a handful that really stand out.  To me the European SUV's looked the best, so that is what I collected.  Tahoes, Suburbans, Expeditions, even Navigators looked clunky next to the sleek European trucks.

Here is a look at some of my favorites:

Range Rover Sport:

While there were some elements that Matchbox missed compared to the real thing, this was one of my favorite SUV castings.  The best version was the orange Superfast (pictured at the top of the page), but the last version released in black with 5-spoke wheels was pretty sleek.

Volvo XC90

The ultimate soccer mom car.  Maybe that is why it didn't come off the pegs very fast.  Still, this Superfast version is a great example to have.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

This was a casting that needed the right wheels to hit its peak.  And it did with the Superfast versions, all pictured here.  Later it was released in a 10-pack with the large 10-spokes, which also looked nice.  I just wish Matchbox had it in them to release one more with the large 5-spokes like on the black Range Rover.

Hummer H3

Ok, a full-on exception to the rule.  You want my opinion on Hummers?  I cannot stand them.  "Hate" might be an appropriate word.  They are ugly, useless, and represented the worst of 10 years ago.  Does that clearly state my opinion?

Yet, for some reason this yellow version appeals.  I think the blingy wheels paired with the bright yellow signify exactly what the Hummer was all about.  This was a very difficult model to find, as it was only available in ROW markets, and was hard to find even there.  So I am very happy to have it.

BMW X5 & X5 Police

A signature Euro SUV, and seen in Police form as recently as the 2011 Lesney line.

And for good measure, a couple of photos of the Range Rover customs.  Everything is how Matchbox intended except for the wheels.

So which is your favorite?  For me, I think the black Volvo takes it. 

Yours?

If you are looking to find some these, follow the links below:

Matchbox Range Rover Sport

Matchbox Volvo XC90

Matchbox Porsche Cayenne

Matchbox Hummer H3

Matchbox BMW X5