Matchbox Monday: 2020 #029/100 Audi R8

 

From the 2020 series, the Audi R8 is part of the MBX City subseries.

I believe this based off the 2007 model of the Audi R8. Based on the LeMans Quattro concept, this Audi is set to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. Equipped with a 5.0-litre V10 engine capable of producing 450 horsepower, the R8 can go 0-62 in 4.60 seconds.

This supercar comes in dark gray. Paint apps can be found on the head lights and grill along with the rear tail lights and license plate. The windshield and rear window are cast in a clear plastic blue, notice the side windows are down. The trimmed interior is cast in black plastic. The wheels feature 10 spokes and are painted black, the tires have a thin silver chrome lining. While I'm not that familiar with Audi in general, or this model I have to say this is a beautiful vehicle. I'm on the fence of whether this one has a place in my collection or not.

This casting debuted in 2007 and this release is the 12th use of this mold.

Matchbox Monday: 2020 #050/100 '69 BMW 2002

From the 2020 series, the '69 BMW 2002 is part of the MBX Highway subseries.

BMW rolled out the 2000 series in 1968 and until 1975 when it was discontinued. It was meant as an entry level BMW and would prove to be a highly successful model for the company/

This classic vehicle comes in a soft blue color.  Paint apps can be found on the head lights and grill along with the rear tail lights and license plate. The windshield are cast in translucent blue, notice the front side windows are down. The interior is cast in a off white plastic, while the front/rear bumpers are a soft gray plastic. I'm not particularly fond of the simple wheel design, but it fits the style/age of the vehicle I assume.

This casting debuted in 2019. This is the 3rd use of this mold.

Mega Construx: Terminator Genisys - T-800

The last great Terminator movie was the second movie, yet the franchise is still alive thanks to the latest installment, Genisys. I can't say I'm a fan, but I didn't hesitate too much when I found this T-800 Terminator Mega Construx figure in the clearance bin for a buck.

I'm more familiar with the older Mega Bloks brand, only purchasing a few Masters of the Universe Mega Construx figures prior to this purchase. I do like the larger figure stands that are included. The T-800 comes with a machine gun (that has a way too long handle IMO) and a white skull accessory.

Ever since I picked up my first Mega Bloks HALO mini figure, I have liked these figures. If it weren't for all the other things I collect, I may have gone head first into more of these series and figures. The level of detail included is absolutely gorgeous, especially on the head sculpt. Like with all of the mini figures that Mega Construx has released, the articulation is excellent for a buildable figure of this scale.

I found this to be a fun little "desk bot" to fiddle around with and I would think despite what you think of the source material, if you are a fan of the Terminator franchise you would like this mini figure.

Matchbox Monday: 2020 #052/100 2015 Jaguar F-Type

From the 2020 series, the 2015 Jaguar F-Type is part of the MBX Highway subseries.

The 2015 Jaguar F-Type comes standard with a V6 Supercharged 3.0 Liter engine. 340 Horsepower under the hood it has enough power to go up against the Porshe 911 or Chevrolet Corvette.

This is a beautiful car and the metalflake dark blue color looks gorgeous. Paint apps can be found on the front headlights and the rear tail lights. The windshield/roof is one continuous piece of smoke colored translucent plastic. I'm particularly fond of the wheels used on this release as well. This one is going into the personal collection.

This is the 4th use of this mold and the first time used since 2016 (not counting a dark green version found in a 2020 9 pack).

Cops 'n Crooks: Buttons McBoomBoom

Back in the winter of 2017, I created a new subcategory in the 80's/90's & more category for Cops 'n Crooks as I acquired a few figures. The first figure reviewed was none other than Big Boss himself. I didn't think it would take this long before I made it to the next figure, but here we (finally) are!

Anytime Big Boss was shown on the screen during the old DIC animated show, his bodyguard, Buttons McBoomBoom wasn't far behind. This had to be one of the coolest figures released in the series thanks to his gimmick, however I know some fans weren't happy with the difference between the figure and the animation model. None the less this figure is highly sought after by many collectors to this day and after I picked him up I can see why.

Buttons McBoomBoom comes with his trademark red fedora hat, a cap firing tommy gun and a large musical instrument case to carry his gun. 

Hidden behind the suit flap on his chest is a smaller set of guns that folds down and out. Sadly this flap has lost most of it's tension on my specimen and won't stay closed...which I believe is a common flaw with this figure. Behind this suit flap is a very intricately detailed cavity filled with circuits. I loved the fact that even when Buttons was unarmed, he was still armed!

I had very few Cops 'n Crooks figures as a kid growing up, but I remember them fondly. While I found the figures (and vehicles) to be fun toys, this is one on those lines where the animated show was far better than the toys they were essentially advertising for.

Matchbox Monday: 2020 #003/100 MBX Self-Driving Bus

From the 2020 series, the MBX Self-Driving Bus is part of the MBX City subseries.

This MBX Self-Driving Bus is not a vehicle I would normally buy, but was in completionist mode and wanted to go for a complete set of 2020 Matchbox vehicles. The vehicle itself features a die-cast lower half, painted white, while the top portion of the vehicle is a translucent blue plastic. It's a rather unique mold and I wonder how much use Mattel will get out of this one. When I look at this bus I'm reminded of the self-guided transports from the PS4 video game, Detroit Become Human (which is a fantastic, story driven game that I highly recommend!).

This is the first use of this mold.

Screechers Wild!: Scorpiodrift

Screechers Wild! come in three different varieties; Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. With each class the figures get a little more complex. Some figures can capture two discs at once, Scorpiodrift falls into the latter category.

Scorpiodrift is one of the larger Screechers Wild! figures and comes packaged with 4 capture discs, one of which is special metallic silver disc.

Scorpiodrift is cast in a green/teal translucent plastic with a few gold paint accents. Silver insect legs adorn the rear sides of the vehicle. Stickers again help break up the green/teal color. The wheels hidden underneath are solid white plastic.

Just underneath the front of the vehicle is the first of two capture points for the discs. Roll Scorpiodrift into the disc and it unlocks the first transformation. This exposes another capture point for the second disc which will unlock the final transformation...which if the name didn't give it away is a scorpion.

I wasn't too sure what to think about these double capture disc versions (Class 3), but once I got one in hand and was able to play around with them is when I really started to appreciate the higher level of engineering that went into these.

There were only three different Class 3 vehicles released before the line was cancelled, so they are a little tougher to find today on the secondary market. If you can find one however they are worth it, assuming you like this series of toys.

Matchbox Monday: 2020 #011/100 2011 Mini Countryman

 

From the 2020 series, 2011 Dodger Charger is part of the MBX City subseries.

The Mini Cooper and it's larger cousin, the Countryman have never appealed to me as a car I'd want to drive/own, however I am a sucker for red cars. The top part of the car's cabin is cast in a smoky translucent plastic. The interior is cast in black plastic. Both the headlights and tail lights are painted, as is the Mini logo on the front and back. 

Fun little car, but ultimately this one will be going into my Halloween bucket to give out to the neighborhood kids later this fall.

Marvel Super Hero Mashers Micro: Green Goblin

 

My first exposure to the Marvel Super Hero Mashers Micro figures were two packs, however as the line progressed there were several waves of individual figures released. This meant not only more characters, but more pieces you could use to swap between your different Super Hero Mashers figures. Green Goblin comes from the 2nd wave.

Green Goblin here is looking mighty mischievous. Perhaps he's looking for a certain webcrawler to unleash a barrage of pumpkin bombs on. Like with the other Micro figures, the head and both hands are interchangeable.

Matchbox Monday: 2020 #015/100 2018 Dodger Charger

From the 2020 series, 2018 Dodger Charger is part of the MBX City subseries.

The 2018 Dodge Charger mold debuted in 2019 in a metalflake green color. The mold returned in the 2020 line in this beautiful metalflake blue. Both the front and rear of the car feature paint apps, including the "DODGE" license plate. The windows are a smoky translucent with the interior being cast in a black plastic.

I've admired the look of the Charger ever since Dodge brought back the classic muscle car and this version is a great example of the vehicle. The blue really pops in person and in my opinion looks better than the green the mold debuted in.

GI Joe Classified: Destro

 

When Hasbro announced the GI Joe Classified Series I really wasn't sure what to make of it. At the time I was in the process of pairing down my Marvel Legends collection, which are about the same size. I loved the Joes growing up as a kid...probably a tie with Transformers in terms of how many toys I had growing up. I wasn't sure if I would even care for a larger Joe figure because it was such a drastic change from what I knew as a kid. Sure, they would be more articulated, highly detailed and have more gear...but so did the GI Joe Sigma 6 line and we know how collector's thought about that series.

When I decided I'd take a flier on buy a figure...I couldn't find any at retail. While the figures themselves are really nice, most people won't know because these figures (like many other modern action figures) are near impossible to find at local retail. I believe I grabbed Destro here from Hasbro Pulse and since then I've only made one other purchase in this series.

I'd like to give a huge "thank you" to whomever at Hasbro that designed the packaging of these figures as it is beautiful. I know different artists were hired for the character art, whom Oliver Barrett handled the art duties for Destro. The large window gives a nice view of the figure itself, which I particularly appreciate as I always like to compare all the samples in the store, critiquing the paint apps on each figure until I find the best one.

Flip the box over and you're treated to a gorgeous splash of art featuring many iconic Joe and Cobra characters in front of an explosive background. Surrounding the characters are both land and air vehicles, which is a nice touch, may may be a cruel tease for some as vehicles may never appear in this series...well at least in any large capacity.

the left side of each box feature a different number while the right side features a close up of the character that wraps around to the front of the box. Thankfully you can open these boxes to access the figure without causing any damage...just in case you are one of those collectors that opts to keep the packaging.

Destro comes packaged with two pistols and a briefcase. The black pistol has a uncanny resemblance to the pistol his original ARAH toy came with. The smaller gold pistol looks more like an old revolver, which can be placed in Destro's red leg holster.

So far Destro is the only Classified figure I've opened, but I'm going to assume that most (if not all) of the figures will have similar points of articulation. If you are really into action figure photography or just like to pose your figures in dynamic poses, then you'll appreciate the articulation and level of detail that was put into this figure in particular.

Destro looks like Destro, while adding some modern detail to the classic uniform. The head is done in a silver metallic paint. While they may disappoint some people, I think the final look is pretty good. I'm not sure how a chromed head would look in this scale. 

If I have any gripe over the look of the figure is at the knees...I just don't care for the dark gray knee pads. It's a small complaint and I'm not sure why they bother me, but they do.

The included brief case isn't just a sold piece of plastic. Open it up and you'll find a computer and a load of bundled cash! This is a fitting accessory considering Destro is an arms dealer. Only if there was a M.A.R.S. logo inclusion somewhere on the briefcase.

I really hate that this figure is so great because after opening and photographing Destro it's made me want more, especially Cobra characters. I say I hate this because so many of these characters are hard to find. I've love to have a Baroness figure, but being that she was a Target store exclusive I knew the chances of me ever owning her would be slim to none. 

Hasbro has a great thing going with the Classified series, but I'm afraid of the distribution doesn't improve (quickly) the frustration level of fans will continue to rise until they get to a point where hands are thrown in the air and people walk away entirely. That said, if you can jump on a pre-order for the newer figures or you just get lucky and find a figure at retail I say go for it.