David Tilley
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Posts: 42
(9/2/08 4:08)
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February Ambassador Report
What's up Matchbox Fans,
Well, it's the shortest month of the year, but by no means the shortest Ambassador report. I hope you like what I have lined up for you this month.
So let's start off with some quick basic range news. I can now confirm two slight unknowns in the range. MB9 for 2008 is now confirmed as being an MB749 2008 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 Hardtop, and MB26 is now confirmed to be an MB753 Honda Civic Type R. The MB10 (MB750) new 2008 Lotus' name is still to be confirmed at this present moment in time. More news will come on this in the near future. Also, as has started to show up in the latest batch of new models, a small elephant is now being depicted on the base of new castings (the MB736 1975 Chevy Stepside and MB738 VW Type 181 both depict a small elephant on their bases). The elephant is a national icon in Thailand, and Mattel felt that they wanted to show their appreciation to the hard workers in the manufacturing facilities. So this is their little way of saying thanks to the people who actually build the little models for us.
Expect to see batch D arriving in March. Included with this batch will be the final 2007 recolor, the MB46 Mercedes Benz Unimog U300. Also, we will get these new additions to the 2008 range. First off will be a single brand new casting MB2 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille (MB739). Then we will see a new MB7 1965 Austin Mini Van, MB23 Nissan 350Z, MB24(US/LAAM only) Dodge Viper GTSR, MB35 Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG, MB42 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, MB63 (US/ROW only) Dirt Hauler (Earth Mover), MB67 Guzzler, MB70 (US only) Ford Crown Victoria Police and MB97 (US only) Chevy K-1500 4x4. We will also see the first 2 of the 2008 recolors arriving this time. The MB3 1968 Mercury Cougar will see a new color and the MB49 Chevy Van will see a new livery. In total we will see 13 new additions for the US range and 10 new additions for both the LAAM and ROW ranges.
Okay, now I like my lists. In December I laid out a full basic range listing. This time, I am listing down the contents of 5-packs, 10-pack exclusive sets and TV Heroes. Of course as always, things are subject to change.
5-packs.
The first 2 packs, Dino Mountain and VIP have already been released, so we move on to the other 10 packs that are due throughout the year.
Modern Rides
MB630 Chevy Corvette C6
MB726 Audi R8
MB671 Ford GT
MB711 Volvo C30
MB680 Dodge Magnum (without light bar)
Classic Cars
MB713 1965 Austin Mini Van
MB688 1961 Jaguar E-type
MB390 VW Transporter
MB629 1969 Chevy Camaro
MB709 Chevy Van
Farm
MB703 Tractor
MB686 Tractor Plow
MB652 Highway Maintenance Truck w/o plow
MB564 Exterminator Truck
MB398 Chevy Silverado
Vacation
MB417 Truck Camper
MB581 Ford F-series with raft
MB436 Chevy suburban
MB406 Land Rover Freelander
MB526 Hummer H2 SUV Concept
Fire Fighters
MB698 Flame Tamer
MB420 Chevy Impala Police
MB679 Ambulance
MB379 international Fire Pumper
MB324 Chevy Tahoe
Construction
MB492 Road Roller
MB707 Groundbreaker
MB710 Earth Mover
MB686 Tractor Plow
MB605 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Police
MB606 Armored Response Vehicle
MB541 Rescue Helicopter
MB489 Ford Expedition Police
MB693 Ford Transit
MB459 Ford Crown Victoria Police
Off Road
MB716 Ridge Raider
MB712 Desert Thunder V16
MB699 Off Road Rider
MB666 Hummer H3
MB720 1972 Ford Bronco 4x4
Ocean Research
MB519 Hovercraft
MB429 Dune Buggy
MB442 Jeep Grand Cherokee with raft
MB373 Watercraft with trailer
MB677 Jeep Rescue
Haunted House
MB700 1963 Cadillac Hearse
MB667 Austin FX4 Taxi
MB444 Ford Panel Van
MB537 Limousine
MB598 Ambulance
10-packs.
The first pack, "Real", has already been released, so here are the contents of the other 3 all exclusive packs.
Action
MB686 Tractor Plow
MB707 Ground Breaker
MB728 Mercedes Benz Unimog U300
MB704 Power Lift
MB703 Tractor
MB662 City Bus
MB695 Guzzler
MB698 Flame Tamer
MB689 Ford Crown Victoria Police
MB664 Tractor Cab
Adventure
MB716 Ridge Raider
MB369 Jeep Wrangler
MB731 Baja Bandit
MB685 2006 Dune Buggy
MB705 Honda Ridgeline
MB723 VW 4x4
MB699 Off Road Rider
MB524 Land Rover Discovery
MB526 Hummer H2 SUV Concept
MB712 Desert Thunder V16
2008 First Editions
MB735 1968 Citroen DS
MB736 1975 Chevy Stepside
MB737 Quarry King
MB741 VW Caddy
MB738 1974 VW Type 181 Thing
MB749 2008 Chevy Corvette ZR-1
MB745 Scraper
MB744 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500 Convertible
MBxxx Toy Box Motor Home
MB742 Garbage Truck
TV Heroes
Okay so far a few sets have already surfaced, but here are what to expect for the remainder of the year.
Nick Jr #1
MB360 Ford Expedition
MB390 VW Transporter
MB723 VW 4x4
MB712 Desert Thunder V16
MB568 Sport SUV
Kung Fu Panda
MB665 Scion xB
MB592 City Police Car
MB444 Ford Panel Van
MB685 2006 Dune Buggy
MB589 Dodge Ram SRT-10
Superheroes/Batman
MB304 Ford Crown Victoria
MB153 Mission Helicopter
MB606 Armored Response Vehicle
MB409 Hydroplane
MB556 Pontiac Piranha
Nickelodeon #2
MB326 Ford F-150
MB433 Audi TT
MB362 1957 Chevy Corvette
MB370 Postal Delivery Truck
MB205 TV News Truck
Scooby Doo
MB281 Ford Transit
MB667 Austin FX4 Taxi
MB516 Chrysler PT Panel Cruiser
MB537 Limousine
MB512 Robot Truck
Nick Jr #2
MB699 Off Road Rider
MB328 1970 Chevy El Camino
MB463 Ford Focus
MB541 Rescue Helicopter
MB211 Bucket Utility Truck
There is also another set in the pipeline for 2008, but final licence and model choices have not been made yet. Details will be passed on once they are available.
Now on to a different subject entirely. Easter. As has already started turning up in stores we have seen a pack called Sticker Fun Egg Mobiles. Inside are 3 eggs and a selection of stickers. Included with this pack is an MB029 Tractor shovel that has not been seen before. However, I must point out that it sadly is not an exclusive. It is from a forthcoming project that I will get to in a minute. But first, let me just say that there will also be two further styles of Target Easter packs. There will be a Nickelodeon 3-pack of eggs, and a basic 6-pack package.
So where is this Tractor Shovel from? It will be appearing in a brand new project that Matchbox has undertaken. Matchbox has created a selection of DVDs promoting different areas of the real world. Each DVD features footage and discussion of real vehicles in action from 4 different areas of the real world. We get a Construction DVD, a Fire DVD, a Garbage DVD and a Junkyard DVD. Included with each DVD are two Matchbox vehicles in exclusive liveries. The Tractor Shovel is one of the two Construction models. These DVDs should be available at any point now. Dealers in USA are more than welcome to order these. Please refer to your usual channels when ordering and quote reference M0174 for North/South America and M5779 for other areas (the DVD toy number).
So who has been reading this and thinking "where is the news on Superfast America?" Well, here it is. The last 5 models have been produced, but Wal-Mart has decided to not take them. Therefore Mattel are now going to open these up to other avenues. If you are a dealer and wish to get these, please refer to your usual channels and quote the toy number L1843.
There has been talk of ideas for creating more dealer exclusive material. Ideas have been bounced around lately for things that could be done. Sadly, although the ideas themselves are good, Mattel cannot see such a limited quantity as being justified. We were struggling to see more than 5,000 pieces of anything being produced, but Mattel have been number crunching and sadly it is not justifiable at those lower production runs. Even at 10,000 it would be a struggle. So for the time being there is going to be no plans for planned dealer exclusives. A question was also raised about the lack of Matchbox products from Avon. Avon used to do a number of collectible Matchbox items. But as it stands at the moment, although the Mattel reps are actively pursuing opportunities, there just are not any with Avon at this present time. Mattel are hoping it will change in the future, but for now, do not expect to see anything Matchbox related in your Avon catalog.
Speaking of dealers, it was pointed out that some dealers were receiving stocks of Best of British that contained 2x Jaguar XKs per case and no Dennis Sabres. This was an error at the factory and has been rectified now for future assortments. It must be noted that there will not be an abundance of Dennis Sabres in future assortments to compensate, and each box in the future will contain one of each model. It was also pointed out that the boxes themselves had "Hot Wheels" printed across the top, even though the sides correctly stated Matchbox Best of Assortment. Again, this was an error at the factory. A little known fact is that a few Hot Wheels series are produced at the same Thailand factory that produce the majority of Matchbox products.
So here is some breaking news. The 2 standard Superfast Wheels that are used on modern cars (wide 5-spoke) and classic cars (retro wheel that looked like early Lesney Superfast wheels) are no more. The next batch of Superfast that is going to appear at Wal-Mart will simply have standard wheels on these types of vehicle. The new Superfast utility wheel will continue. Talking of wheels though, expect to see two new wheels to appear in the basic range before the end of the year. A new classic style wheel is being finalized as we speak in readiness for use with some of the classic vehicles (like the Jaguar E-type, Alfa Romeo Giulia etc) incorporating a much simpler design than the last classic wheel. The second wheel that should be available before the end of the year will be a new utility style that will feature prominently on Pick-ups and Delivery trucks. New light bars are still in planning stages, but there will be none coming out this year. The guys at Mattel are hoping that we could get to see something new for 2009 in this area.
So some people have been trying to figure out the Cattle Truck that was listed down to be in the next batch of Superfast. Well, this was the MB071 Cattle Truck from 1976. I say was, as unfortunately the mold is too badly damaged and they have been unable to fix it. So this model will now be replaced by the MB358 1955 Chevy Belair Hardtop.
Convoys have been a little slow in coming out recently. This is a similar situation as happened with the Hitch 'n haul last year. The new models have been made and shipped. We are just waiting on stores to actually put them out. This could literally be any time. So please keep an eye out for new Convoy models to appear soon.
The Matchbox website will be updated within hopefully a few weeks. They are just working on uploading all the new pictures. It will simply be an update to the website, and not a revamp. There will be an additional page explaining the increase to 100 models. These same pictures will feature on the new 2008 poster which should also be out by the end of the month. Have I received every club/dealer's orders for posters yet? I will be sending the requests over to Mattel once the posters are ready.
Finally, a 2008 line preview is taking place on Thursday March 27 at Mattel HQ in El Segundo. Spaces are limited and I have already received a number of confirmations to attend. There will also be a dinner/happy hour at a local restaurant on the evening before for those that will be coming to attend. I will be sending Mattel a final list of attendees at the end of February.
So for now, that's me signing off.
David Tilley
your current Matchbox Ambassador
  
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