David Tilley
05-08-2009, 05:38 AM
Ambassador Report
April 2009
Hello Matchbox world! Spring is finally upon us! After a cold, harsh winter, it’s time for a retreat to your local retailer without the bulky winter over wraps getting in the way of surfing the pegs. For those of us who do not live in a four-season climate, please disregard the last statement and continue to enjoy your comfortable temperatures. Note: I’m from Chicago, we only see two seasons: winter and road construction.
Welcome two additions to the Matchbox Team! Heather Miller comes aboard as Marketing Manager, replacing Steve Ziemniak who recently wedded and is on to new duties in the Mattel organization. Addition number two is Jared Shulman, who will be serving as Associate Marketing Manager. I hope our new friends, along with Amina Sekandari (Associate Marketing Manager) will join us all at the Gathering or one of the many Matchbox conventions occurring during this year. We wish Steve well in his future endeavors and gratitude for what he has done for the brand during his tenure in Matchbox.
The Matchbox Design Team will be visiting conventions this summer!
Members of the team will be at the 7th Annual Matchbox Collectors Community Hall International Gathering of Friends – Albuquerque, NM
Dates of Event: July 17th – 19th, 2009
Events include:
Meet n’ Greet
In-room trading
Workshops
Dinner /Auction
Toy Show
For more information, see the website: http://www.mboxcommunity.com/Gathering2009/CalendarOfEvents.pdf (http://www.mboxcommunity.com/Gathering2009/CalendarOfEvents.pdf)
We also have another new convention on the East Coast this year!
Diecast Blast Convention - Windsor, CT
Dates of Event: August 21st – 23rd, 2009
Events include:
Diecast Charity Auction
In Room Trading
Down Hill Racing
Meet & Greet
Vintage Fire Engine Display
Seminars
For more information, see the website: http://diecastblast.freehosting.net/ (http://diecastblast.freehosting.net/)
The Matchbox website, www.matchbox.com (http://www.matchbox.com/) , as well as the “other” Mattel Brands will have a “shot in the arm,” as George Benz will be heading up the Digital Media Group in 2010. The Matchbox site is slated to be revamped in Fall 2009.
Matchbox has its roots in the U.K., but since the Matchbox headquarters is in El Segundo, CA, the product has a stronger presence in the U.S.A. It was noted that the current Best of British line was not offered in the U.K. The range was offered to but not picked up by International retailers; our U.S. Marketing friends are working on collaborating with their overseas counterparts to try to get as much domestic product available around the world. Yes, Matchbox is worldwide brand!
The Europeans have landed in the U.S. shores and are staying here! The U.S. 1-100 line does have a strong Euro presence (Land Rover, Lotus, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz) as the line is developed by the Design Team and reviewed by the Marketing Team to help round out the assortment. This year we also get to enjoy plenty of muscle heritage castings: Pontiac GTO, Mercury Cougar, and Cadillac Sedan De Ville.
The price for a Matchbox vehicle in the U.S. is generally 99 cents, how does it cost £1 to £2 in the U.K.? The foreign subsidiary strikes again! The regional subsidiary will set the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). It is then up to the retailer whether to discount it or not.
While the U.S. collectors enjoy the Mattel team’s presence at certain domestic venues throughout the year, the European collectors have always given an open invitation for them to visit “over the pond.” The Mattel Design Team would LOVE to visit all international counterparts unfortunately, they do not have the resources to attend such far away venues, as they have to live withiin corporate budgets. You never know, perhaps one-day Leipzig could be as attainable as Albuquerque.
Technical questions time!
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is missing the country of origin on the casting! This was due to an incorrect font being used, so it got removed from the tooling. Look for a future base variation!
The DAF XF Space Cab seemed to be hard to find in some areas. Two simple answers, really. First, the tool itself was damaged early on, but was repaired in time for the Superfast and Euro Edition runs. Second, since you don’t count on being sort in a production run, the initial batches were shipped out, and apparently not evenly across all distributors.
MAN enthusiasts will be glad to know the #77 Sahara Survivor is MB782 and the #78 Jungle Crawler is MB783. These two models are listed for future release as part of the “Desert Adventure” series.
The long awaited Mustang GT Concept from 2008 with hood stripe deco did not make the production run. It is not in the 2009 line up, hopefully the casting will return in 2010, along with the stripe.
The cachkies are coming! The Dodge Magnum with surfboards that will appear in Mix G will have a deco change which is different than the photo shown on our poster. It will now have wood paneling on both sides instead of the surf shop deco shown on the poster. Both the red version and the recolor will have the wood paneling. Yup, a Magnum with wood panel deco! The Design Team has reviewed the samples and they look great, surfboard in all.
The Euro Editions have been released, being found in Switzerland and Netherlands. It is to be determined whether the line will be available to the U.S. distributors.
The line includes:
1. Mercedes-Benz Unimog
2. BMW 328i
3. Ford Transit
4. Traktor
5. Trash King
6. Ground Breaker
7. Dennis Sabre
8. Quarry King
9. Hiway Hauler
10. Guzzler
11. Power Lift
12. DAF XF95 Space Cab
They also have “Dinky Toys” printed on the chassis, along with the “born on” date code.
A new licensed 5 pack has arrived at the retailers! The Disney “Little Einsteins” is on the pegs, this set include Pontiac Vibe in blue, Viper GTS-R in red, Hummer H2 in orange, Tractor Cab in metallic green, and Volkswagen Transporter in light blue. All are tampoed with various scenes from the cartoon show.
The next round of Superfast is slated for summer release. The models are packaged with the 40th Anniversary/1969-2009 logoed box, encased in a clear overbox.
1. Shelby GT500 Convertible
2. Scraper
3. Mazda 2
4. 2008 Garbage Truck
5. ’75 Chevy Stepside
6. ’68 Citroen DS
7. Pierce Dash Fire Engine
8. 2008 Lotus
9. Toy Box Motorhome
10. Ford F100 Panel Delivery
The voucher for the special mail-in vehicle is tucked inside the box. For 15 vouchers collected during January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 along with USD $3.95 mailed in to East Aurora, NY, you will receive a Volkswagen T2 Bus in 8-12 weeks. The request must be postmarked by January 15, 2010 and received by January 31. 2010.
A new Superfast wheel is designed; it is scheduled to appear in September. Perhaps some wheel variations fro the end of the year?
The last three issues of Convoys: Tractor Cab/Mopar, DAF FX95/Pennzoil and Mercedes-Benz Actros/USA Container were the last three we will see, as the line was discontinued. The new Super Convoy line will be on the scene starting May of this year consisting of 4 new trailers:
Car Transporter / holds up to 5 vehicles
Lowboy flat bed
Box trailer
Pipe trailer w/connectible pipes
A new conventional CAB & Cab over design will debut first followed by 2 new licensed cabs. Both Cab and trailers will be longer and larger than current Convoys line. These are all new designs
Real Working Rigs are really working! The RW008 Bulldozer is so real it is fashioned after a contemporary earth mover in generic fashion. Some of the notable features are a working shovel and rubber-like (PVC) treads. A weighty feature is its weight; this promises to be the heaviest vehicle in the line, as the body and shovel parts will be die cast. The debuting color will be in construction yellow, and will be recolored in orange and black.
Looking to take along vehicles wherever you go? Tara Corp. is the present licensor of carry cases for Mattel. The Matchbox Packaging group is working with Tara. Previous members of the Design Team were seen with an older carry case. “48” is the magic number guys! 100 can work as well, since the line is up to 100 vehicles.
With all of these great offerings coming from Matchbox, Mattel has a great Economic Stimulus Plan: BUY MATCHBOX! A “win-win” situation: we collectors can expand our collections, the retailers can keep filling the pegs, and the Design Team can keep producing models of our liking!
Until the next time, enjoy your Matchbox!
Terry Ozima
Matchbox Ambassador 4
:) :D :p
April 2009
Hello Matchbox world! Spring is finally upon us! After a cold, harsh winter, it’s time for a retreat to your local retailer without the bulky winter over wraps getting in the way of surfing the pegs. For those of us who do not live in a four-season climate, please disregard the last statement and continue to enjoy your comfortable temperatures. Note: I’m from Chicago, we only see two seasons: winter and road construction.
Welcome two additions to the Matchbox Team! Heather Miller comes aboard as Marketing Manager, replacing Steve Ziemniak who recently wedded and is on to new duties in the Mattel organization. Addition number two is Jared Shulman, who will be serving as Associate Marketing Manager. I hope our new friends, along with Amina Sekandari (Associate Marketing Manager) will join us all at the Gathering or one of the many Matchbox conventions occurring during this year. We wish Steve well in his future endeavors and gratitude for what he has done for the brand during his tenure in Matchbox.
The Matchbox Design Team will be visiting conventions this summer!
Members of the team will be at the 7th Annual Matchbox Collectors Community Hall International Gathering of Friends – Albuquerque, NM
Dates of Event: July 17th – 19th, 2009
Events include:
Meet n’ Greet
In-room trading
Workshops
Dinner /Auction
Toy Show
For more information, see the website: http://www.mboxcommunity.com/Gathering2009/CalendarOfEvents.pdf (http://www.mboxcommunity.com/Gathering2009/CalendarOfEvents.pdf)
We also have another new convention on the East Coast this year!
Diecast Blast Convention - Windsor, CT
Dates of Event: August 21st – 23rd, 2009
Events include:
Diecast Charity Auction
In Room Trading
Down Hill Racing
Meet & Greet
Vintage Fire Engine Display
Seminars
For more information, see the website: http://diecastblast.freehosting.net/ (http://diecastblast.freehosting.net/)
The Matchbox website, www.matchbox.com (http://www.matchbox.com/) , as well as the “other” Mattel Brands will have a “shot in the arm,” as George Benz will be heading up the Digital Media Group in 2010. The Matchbox site is slated to be revamped in Fall 2009.
Matchbox has its roots in the U.K., but since the Matchbox headquarters is in El Segundo, CA, the product has a stronger presence in the U.S.A. It was noted that the current Best of British line was not offered in the U.K. The range was offered to but not picked up by International retailers; our U.S. Marketing friends are working on collaborating with their overseas counterparts to try to get as much domestic product available around the world. Yes, Matchbox is worldwide brand!
The Europeans have landed in the U.S. shores and are staying here! The U.S. 1-100 line does have a strong Euro presence (Land Rover, Lotus, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz) as the line is developed by the Design Team and reviewed by the Marketing Team to help round out the assortment. This year we also get to enjoy plenty of muscle heritage castings: Pontiac GTO, Mercury Cougar, and Cadillac Sedan De Ville.
The price for a Matchbox vehicle in the U.S. is generally 99 cents, how does it cost £1 to £2 in the U.K.? The foreign subsidiary strikes again! The regional subsidiary will set the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). It is then up to the retailer whether to discount it or not.
While the U.S. collectors enjoy the Mattel team’s presence at certain domestic venues throughout the year, the European collectors have always given an open invitation for them to visit “over the pond.” The Mattel Design Team would LOVE to visit all international counterparts unfortunately, they do not have the resources to attend such far away venues, as they have to live withiin corporate budgets. You never know, perhaps one-day Leipzig could be as attainable as Albuquerque.
Technical questions time!
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is missing the country of origin on the casting! This was due to an incorrect font being used, so it got removed from the tooling. Look for a future base variation!
The DAF XF Space Cab seemed to be hard to find in some areas. Two simple answers, really. First, the tool itself was damaged early on, but was repaired in time for the Superfast and Euro Edition runs. Second, since you don’t count on being sort in a production run, the initial batches were shipped out, and apparently not evenly across all distributors.
MAN enthusiasts will be glad to know the #77 Sahara Survivor is MB782 and the #78 Jungle Crawler is MB783. These two models are listed for future release as part of the “Desert Adventure” series.
The long awaited Mustang GT Concept from 2008 with hood stripe deco did not make the production run. It is not in the 2009 line up, hopefully the casting will return in 2010, along with the stripe.
The cachkies are coming! The Dodge Magnum with surfboards that will appear in Mix G will have a deco change which is different than the photo shown on our poster. It will now have wood paneling on both sides instead of the surf shop deco shown on the poster. Both the red version and the recolor will have the wood paneling. Yup, a Magnum with wood panel deco! The Design Team has reviewed the samples and they look great, surfboard in all.
The Euro Editions have been released, being found in Switzerland and Netherlands. It is to be determined whether the line will be available to the U.S. distributors.
The line includes:
1. Mercedes-Benz Unimog
2. BMW 328i
3. Ford Transit
4. Traktor
5. Trash King
6. Ground Breaker
7. Dennis Sabre
8. Quarry King
9. Hiway Hauler
10. Guzzler
11. Power Lift
12. DAF XF95 Space Cab
They also have “Dinky Toys” printed on the chassis, along with the “born on” date code.
A new licensed 5 pack has arrived at the retailers! The Disney “Little Einsteins” is on the pegs, this set include Pontiac Vibe in blue, Viper GTS-R in red, Hummer H2 in orange, Tractor Cab in metallic green, and Volkswagen Transporter in light blue. All are tampoed with various scenes from the cartoon show.
The next round of Superfast is slated for summer release. The models are packaged with the 40th Anniversary/1969-2009 logoed box, encased in a clear overbox.
1. Shelby GT500 Convertible
2. Scraper
3. Mazda 2
4. 2008 Garbage Truck
5. ’75 Chevy Stepside
6. ’68 Citroen DS
7. Pierce Dash Fire Engine
8. 2008 Lotus
9. Toy Box Motorhome
10. Ford F100 Panel Delivery
The voucher for the special mail-in vehicle is tucked inside the box. For 15 vouchers collected during January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 along with USD $3.95 mailed in to East Aurora, NY, you will receive a Volkswagen T2 Bus in 8-12 weeks. The request must be postmarked by January 15, 2010 and received by January 31. 2010.
A new Superfast wheel is designed; it is scheduled to appear in September. Perhaps some wheel variations fro the end of the year?
The last three issues of Convoys: Tractor Cab/Mopar, DAF FX95/Pennzoil and Mercedes-Benz Actros/USA Container were the last three we will see, as the line was discontinued. The new Super Convoy line will be on the scene starting May of this year consisting of 4 new trailers:
Car Transporter / holds up to 5 vehicles
Lowboy flat bed
Box trailer
Pipe trailer w/connectible pipes
A new conventional CAB & Cab over design will debut first followed by 2 new licensed cabs. Both Cab and trailers will be longer and larger than current Convoys line. These are all new designs
Real Working Rigs are really working! The RW008 Bulldozer is so real it is fashioned after a contemporary earth mover in generic fashion. Some of the notable features are a working shovel and rubber-like (PVC) treads. A weighty feature is its weight; this promises to be the heaviest vehicle in the line, as the body and shovel parts will be die cast. The debuting color will be in construction yellow, and will be recolored in orange and black.
Looking to take along vehicles wherever you go? Tara Corp. is the present licensor of carry cases for Mattel. The Matchbox Packaging group is working with Tara. Previous members of the Design Team were seen with an older carry case. “48” is the magic number guys! 100 can work as well, since the line is up to 100 vehicles.
With all of these great offerings coming from Matchbox, Mattel has a great Economic Stimulus Plan: BUY MATCHBOX! A “win-win” situation: we collectors can expand our collections, the retailers can keep filling the pegs, and the Design Team can keep producing models of our liking!
Until the next time, enjoy your Matchbox!
Terry Ozima
Matchbox Ambassador 4
:) :D :p