Hot Wheels and Matchbox tend to keep specific vehicles to one or the other, but on occasion both the blue and orange brands add the same make and model to their lineups, like the recently released Tesla Model S castings and these two: the 2015 Ford F-150.
The new F-150 is a big deal for Ford, with a high-strength ‘military grade’ aluminum body bolted to a high strength steel frame. That’s not traditional for a full-size pickup truck.
But it does make for a slightly higher similarity to a diecast model. Remember, the A in ZAMAC, the material used for diecast bodies, stands for Aluminum (the full abbreviation being Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium, And Copper).
And that’s where these come in: the Hot Wheels and Matchbox 2015 F-150s.
Now, if the MBX and HW Teslas were quite different, the MBX and HW F-150s are VERY different.
First, you may have noticed above, is a bit of a scale difference between them. The underside of the MBX one reads 1:64. The HW one is a little larger, maybe 1:61 or 1:62 scale.
The second difference is behind the cab.
The HW one is a SuperCrew with what appears to be the 6’5” box, while the MBX one is a SuperCrew with an aluminum work truck body.
The MBX one also lacks the panoramic sunroof of the HW version, and the HW version has a bit of a lifted suspension and off-road wheels and tires, while the MBX version is more work oriented (the card even reads MBX Construction).
In the 2016 HW mainline, there will be another version of the 13th generation F-150 coming out, the 2017 Raptor.
But, since that’s not out yet and I can’t show pictures of that along with these, I’ll have to do something to make up for that...
Yes, that’s the SVT Raptor version of the previous generation model...and it’s a Maisto one.
Now, Maisto’s 1:64s aren’t what they used to be in the 90’s and early 00’s, with many of them having wheels that match OEM designs, but they still have some pretty good castings for what are basically bargain branded diecast.
In fact, some Maisto models are only a wheel swap away from looking pretty darn good.
This Raptor is one such example, with headlight, fender vent, rear badging, tailgate and door handle, B-pillar, and mud splash graphic tampos, and being a pretty decent casting in general.
The wheels aren’t awful (and actually look pretty decent on this model), but a wheel swap can further improve this truck.
As for the 2015s, it’s hard to pick a favorite between the two, but the 1:64 scale and more stock looking appearance pushes the MBX F-150 just a bit ahead of the HW model.
Can’t wait to see how the HW ‘17 Raptor stacks up.