Well this is unexpected (at least for me). On my 194th post is my long awaited ‘62 Mercedes 220 SE from Matchbox.
So when I first got hold of this bit of news that Mattel will be releasing the ‘62 Mercedes 220 SE under the Matchbox brand, this brings back old memories of my old original Mercedes that was release during the Lesney era. If I remember correctly my uncle and aunt used to run a Mercedes dealership and were giving out samples of the Matchbox models and of course me and my cousins got a few of them as well.
This was one of the models that Mattel had or will be releasing that features opening doors and the first one that I found was the VW Fastback (also a sort of repro of a Lesney model) at Michaels.
During this period of time (after Christmas) our Walmart and Target will usually have a drought on any new items so when I found this and another Matchbox that I was also looking for at Walmart, it was definitely unexpected.
Below is a comparison between the Mattel and original Lesney release.
As you can see there are some similarities and differences between the 2. But one thing I am sure is that the gray tires are a tribute to the original Matchbox. But wait....
Mattel release this under the Superfast series but the original Matchbox was only release in regular wheels and the wheels on the Mattel version although indicated as ‘Superfast’ does not look anything like a ‘Superfast’ wheel at all. Also the box says 50th Anniversary but the front fender on the car indicates 65th. Perhaps the 50th is to commemorate the anniversary of the Superfast series?
There had been times when Mattel release a Matchbox car under the ‘Superfast’ but unlike previous release the only thing that makes it different from mainline is by adding the word ‘Superfast’ and including a Matchbox box inside a blister pack. Mattel then charges a premium price and unlike Hot Wheels premium, this still comes with plastic wheels and chassis and without the springy suspension that the original Superfast used to have. Even with those short comings it does come in full front and back tampo with chrome bumpers and if you are fond of the early Lesney era cars and don’t mind a repro I would still recommend this to be added as a variety to your collection.