1970 Oldsmobile 442 Is the Star of the New Matchbox Collectors Mix

I may have been unlucky, but I rarely see Matchbox products in the toy stores I visit. I would buy more of them otherwise. Moving parts are always a big plus with 1/64th-scale collectibles. And that's one of the reasons I love my small Tomica collection. With Matchbox, you get at least two series that offer that feature. For one, there's the Moving Parts lineup.

And then, there's the Collector series. Mix 2 for 2024 is out now. As always, the new case contains eight items inside, and you'll have to pay around $50. That's twice as much as the Gulf Oil McLaren 720S Spider (which finally sold out) for eight times as many cars. Still, we are talking about five different castings, and only some of them are brand new. But let's have a quick look-see.

2021 Subaru BRZ

It may be hard to believe, but the 2021 Subaru BRZ is a brand-new casting for Matchbox. Better later than never, right? Over at Hot Wheels, you can find multiple variations, including the Toyota GR86 Cup, the iD Series Subaru BRZ, the Pandem BRZ, and the Scion FR-S. Now, you can get the second-gen BRZ from Matchbox.

Overall, it's a decent appearance, but it would have been better if it had an opening hood. We will likely see another color variation for this casting later this year. And it will probably move on to the "mainline" series when the company deems it necessary.

1970 Oldsmobile 442

The second new casting, in this case, is the 1970 Oldsmobile 442. It looks excellent in Metalflake Blue with white stripes. But I have mixed feelings about these Matchbox "premium" wheels. I'd take a set of 5-spoke Mag Style Real Riders from Hot Wheels any day. Speaking of which, you should see how well this model is fairing over there.

Larry Wood's Olds 442 has been around since 1971, but I'd much rather have a variation of his 1969 design. But let's get back to the MBX model: opening doors are great, but with a vehicle like this, I would have preferred a glimpse of the Olds 455 V8 underneath the hood. Despite my affinity for Japanese cars, I'd still pick this casting as the best one in the new Collectors set.

1964 Buick Riviera

The first thing I noticed when looking at the 1964 Buick Riviera is that it has opening doors. But they're slightly misaligned, as I've often seen with other manufacturers. It may be hard to get it right at this scale, but it spoils the fun when it goes wrong. The Riviera debuted in 2023 as part of the Moving Parts series.

It had that retro look with the black paint job and Steelies, and Mattel has opted for a different approach on the new variation. The more I look at the wheel design, the more annoying it becomes. For once, I prefer the MBX casting to the Hot Wheels one: the lowrider stance makes it look silly.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Fraser Campbell designed the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. You might remember some of his other projects from Hot Wheels, like the McLaren F1 GTR, BMW M3 GT2, and Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7. The Cayenne debuted in 2022 as part of the Stars of Germany set. The Metalflake Black finish looked perfect against the light grey wheels, and it's still my favorite variation to date.

We have had three more releases since, but none has been as exciting as the new model. I'd love to see this color (I believe it's called Gloss Lemon Sting) on a 911, and it reminds me of a wrap job I saw on a Gumball3000-ready Audi A7 a few years back.

1974 Toyota Celica GT Liftback

The final casting in the Collectors mix is a classic 1974 Toyota Celica GT Liftback. This set marks its Matchbox debut. The diecast manufacturer offered a second-generation Celica GT in the 80s, with four variations between 1980 and 1982. Jun Imai designed the '70 Toyota Celica for Hot Wheels, but it has never had a Premium variation since its debut in 2013.

Cars that came out over a decade before I was born aren't that appealing, but I can see how older collectors probably love them. The new GT Liftback casting features the same wheels as the Buick Riviera on its debut release. The best part about it is the opening hood! MBX should go this route with its sports cars/supercar replicas. Overall, Mix 2 is pretty decent. But Mix 1 may have scored more points with collectors as it featured the Bugatti Divo.