#1067 MATCHBOX vs. MAJORETTE – BMW 3.0 CSi/CSL (1973 and 1976)

These two miniatures are based on almost the same car. The BMW 3.0 CSi was the street version while the CSL was lighter and prepared for competition (the „L“ means „Leichtbau“ or „light construction“, both of them had 200 HP and were really fast.

 

Majorette´s reproduction is really fine, and it even came with opening doors. It was available between 1973 and 1979 in so many colours that I will skip a list of variants. They came also with different types of wheels. I have currently two in my collection. One in metallic red, the other one in blue. Both are in good shape, although with some chips in the paint. The construction of the roof is a bit fragile, note that the blue model has a little displacement, it was probably stepped on sometime in the past. This blue model carriese the oldest type of wheel. 

Matchbox version was copyrighted in 1976 and was sold between that year and 1981. The reproduction is slightly broader, specially in the arches over the wheels, what makes it look more like a sports car. The orange version is, by far, the most common, as it was sold during the whole lifespan of the cast.

There were other versions available, like the rarer white and green Polizei version made for Germany only, or the white and red version with 123 stickers (kind of emergency vehicle) produced between 1978 and 1979, or the even rarer S. Manhalter version, made for Austria only as a promotional item. This model is made in white and has a sticker on the back with a signature. The front sticker is the same as in the orange model. It is very rare, and, if mint in its box is being traded in 2025 for around 400-500 euro on the internet. Of course, this model is not mint, but I am sure I didn´t pay more than 1 euro for it (wherever I bought it), so I am happy to discover another rarity in my collection.

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name: BMW 3.0 CSi and BMW 3.0 CSL
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1973 and 1976
• Company: Majorette (France) and Matchbox (United Kingdom)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1056 MATCHBOX - OFFICIAL MATCHBOX SERIES COLLECTOR'S CASE (1968)

Another entry devoted to Matchbox die-cast, and another entry dealing with something unusual, as it is this carrying case from the mid to late 60s. I have seen many of these in Austria, but strangely, never saw any in Spain. I always wanted to have at least one to classify some die-cast models, although, in the meanwhile, I have discovered more efficient ways to store them in less space.

The box is made of plastic and comes with a (now useless) metal closing tab. It is decorated with the front of a matchbox box "regular wheels" showing the Ford GT model. I cannot see it very well as its previous owner put a sticker on top of it, that I didn´t want to remove (it is also representative of the time, as it is an appeal to bring more security to the conscripts doing the military service in Austria). There are several models of this case, each of them with different pictures in the front.

The interior has space for four stackable trays of plastic, each of them with capacity for 12 cars, although, depending on the models, you can squeeze two in the space of one. There were other types of cases (less common ones) with capacity for 12, 24, 72 or 96 models. The plastic body can be flattened for reasons which are unknown to me: it is too small to act as a playing mat and it is not decorated in the inside.

Other shapes and materials are not covered in this listing. Consider there were some made of paper or plastic, with the shape of a trailer truck, or a steering wheel. Some had removable trays, other had them fixed. Matchbox has been active during many years, and there was a lot of experimentation and fun invested also in these side-products.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: OFFICIAL MATCHBOX SERIES COLLECTOR'S CASE
• Scale: For 1:64/3 inches cars
• Year: 1968
• Company: Matchbox (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 32x27x9 cm

#1026 MATCHBOX 2000 – ROCKET (1990)

I often talk about Matchbox lines which are not the superfast or the ordinary 1-75 series. I would like to review also those series, maybe I will do that more often in the future, as there are still hundreds of cars in my collection waiting for their turn to have their blog entry.
 

Matchbox 2000 was a short lived series of small cars equipped with a magnet on the rear half that could be steered (well, more or less) by placing an additional piece nearby. This key-piece also had a magnet, so when it came close to the car, the magnets would repel each other, as they were built with the same polarity.  Simple and nice. Mostly considering that the models chosen were all futuristic prototypes, dream cars with names such as Streak, Rocket, Gamma or Spark. Unfortunately, they are not based on real models, I would say they are all invented.

Magnetism is nothing new, but it something that attracts people (and especially children), as it has something magic in it. You can steer a toy car without touching it, using no batteries. Cool. And there is no better name than “Matchbox 2000” for a product made in 1990. This was how we expected the year 2000 to be.

I got this blisterpack from Steven (from the Motorcade). It was already partially opened, so I carefully removed the contents and tested it myself. It is fun to play with. The “key” piece can also hold the car and can be clipped to the pocket of your shirt for carrying it, although, I would say, if you do that, there is a 99% chance of losing the car within the next 2 minutes. It does not hold very well.

The line included all these 12 vehicles in the picture plus two playsets with plenty of magnets to fit, hold and move your 2000´s cars. The first one was called R.P.M. (Robotic Positioning Module) and the second one V.S.C. (Vertical Service Center)

There was a second series comprising the same 12 cars in alternate colours, but these were sold in 3-packs without magnetic key.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MATCHBOX 2000 ROCKET
• Scale: Approx 1:72
• Year: 1990
• Company: Matchbox (United Kingdom)
• Size: 7 cms

#992 MATCHBOX – BURNIN’ KEY CARS – DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA and KENWORTH MAGIC TRUCK (1983)

As early as in entry #25, I already wrote an extensive text about Kidco, the company that was producing the Burnin’ Key Cars before Matchbox, so please visit it again to find information about Kidco and the relation between Kidco and Matchbox.

 

This time I will just present this two excellent blisterpacks containing no less than a Dodge Charger Daytona and a Kenworth Magic Truck “Blue Chief”, unopened, but with some wear on the card and the blister. There were several of these cards made, but all of them included, of course, the key to activate the car (in an orange keyring with a sticker that passed to the car decoration). Later reissues of the cars (in new decorations) changed the key design and came without the keyring. In the pictures, behind the key there is a piece of cardboard that could be mistaken for a box for the card, but it is not.

 

 

Interestingly, one of the cardbacks still has an original price tag from Morawa, marking 49 Austrian Schillings, which is around 3,50 Euro…. Extremely expensive for the early-mid 80s, at least in my opinion. Maybe this is the reason why they are rare to find nowadays… they didn’t sold well at the time. The price tag at the front is obviously newer and has no interest for collector.

 

The backcard shows the complete series of cars (14 models) and trucks (8 models), I think these were the first series available, but it would later be expanded with new decorations for this original models, new models and even sub-series such as the Demolition Cars.

 

I guess many collectors despise them because they are not die-cast. The base is metallic, but the body is made of plastic, which is good, since it is a toy that suffers a lot of rough play, and the front part is made of a softer plastic, as if it was an oversized bumper. As a toy it is great, and the mechanism was copied by many other manufacturers inmediatly. Anybody can recognize this kind of toy and surely recalls having or playing with one of them, if not Kidco or Matchbox, from another toymaker.

 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA and KENWORTH MAGIC TRUCK (BURNIN’ KEY CARS)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1983
• Company: Matchbox (United Kingdom) / Kidco (Macau)
• Size: Around 7 cm long

#952 MATCHBOX SECURITY TRUCK (Nr. 69) vs. MAJORETTE BANK SECURITY (Nr. 204) (1978 and 1980)

Majorette's Bank Security Van is one of those models that I had not known until recently. It was only a few years ago that I saw it for the first time. I have it now twice and I like them very much. The Matchbox model, I have it since a long time.

This type of vehicle is kind of rare, only Matchbox has a similar one which is also very nicely done with plastic roof, but it was just a matter of time that Majorette got its own security transport van.

The Majorette model has a practicable door on the rear part, so the playability is somewhat better than the Matchbox model, that has no practicable parts. Both look bulky and strong, like the real security vans, although the Matchbox model was made earlier and has a slightly older look today.

The Matchbox model was originally released in red with white roof in the year 1978, but a later and rarer version "Drescher Bank" can be found in green. Both have several variants depending on the shade of colour applied, window colour and so on, the usual stuff.

On the other hand, the Majorette model is available in many different colours and decorations, some of them very recent, since the look of the truck is still modern, or at least it was until a few years ago, I have seen more modern driving around the city.

The first model seems to be the greenish blue one, that first appeared in 1980 catalogue. Although not very clearly, we can see that it has a decal on the bonnet. We think this model was a prototype, because in the catalogue from 1981, we already see the famous model in metallic blue, one of the most common ones.

 

In 1982's catalogue, the van appears in grey with a decal on the bonnet with the text "BANK" and two crossed keys.

And every year a new decoration: in 1983, it was presented with some red and blue stickers on the sides, In 1984 with "post" stickers, in 1985 with "Bank" Stickers on both sides, and in 1986 the model presented in this entry. All of them in yellow. Note that the card depicted is the German version "Geldtransport", not the most usual "BANK" version.

And finally, in 1987, the most usual white version came out. This one was available during, least, three consecutive years. In the 1990 catalogue it appears in light silver, but keeping the tampos, although this may also be a prototype, because I have never seen it, and the following year, the picture appears in white again.

That appearance in the 1991 catalogue is the last for a long period of time. More modern versions of the van (Made in Thailand) are available in other interesting colours, like dark blue, but then it becames difficult to follow how many, which tampos they carry and so on.

Sorry for the bad photos of the Armoured Van, I'll replace them soon.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SECURITY TRUCK (Nr. 69) and BANK SECURITY (Nr. 204)
• Scale: 1:57
• Year: 1978 and 1980
• Company: Matchbox (Great Britain) and Majorette (France)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#942 MATCHBOX - JEEP CJ6 "MADE IN HUNGARY" (1987)

MATCHBOX "MADE IN HUNGARY" MODELS

Some Matchbox Superfast variants are gaining now some popularity and collectors started looking for them. among them are the Bulgarian and Hungarian models, which were made later than the British equivalents, mostly during the late 80s. The models from Bulgaria were manufactured between 1983 and 2005 and the Hungarian models were manufactured only in 1987 and 1988.

Unfortunately there is not much information about this topic out there. Just the WIkipedia has a couple of lines telling that dies and tooling were licensed to groups in Hungary and Bulgaria to try to gain a foothold in the Communist bloc countries...

This time I´ll focus only in the Hungarian models, although many things written here are also suitable for the Bulgarian models.

The first thing that attracts your attention is the uncommon color of the car. The British models usually had 2 versions of each reference (maybe more if it was manufactured during a long period of time, part of a bigger set with trailer…), but in Hungary, the colors were applied randomly. Each model was available in many colors mostly "basic" (mostly mixtures of two primary colors, black or white at 50% each) ones: blue, light blue, green, red, maroon, green, dark green, gold, yellow and light yellow…

The wheels could also vary, so the color of the hubcaps, as well as additional or removable parts (in this case, the canopy, could be black or brown), interiors… all the usual staff. Some come with tampographies which are not the “official” ones, but they are typically simple and mostly based in one or two colours.

The Matchbox variant page from Christian Falkensteiner registers more than 200 variants on this particular Hungarian model, while the Bristish superfast Nr. 53 only has 31 registered variants (plus boxes). Hell on Earth. I won’t be collecting these, nor the Bulgarian models, it’s OK if I get one of each. This is my Hungarian model, now I need one Bulgarian one.

At the time it was a cheap product, but considering the years in which they were made, they are much better than the Chinese Super G.T.s Why the production in Hungary was cancelled after only two years is something I’d like to know. Does it really have to do with the Communist bloc, as stated in the Wikipedia? The Communist regime fell exactly during that same year (1988) and led to the Third Republic one year later (1989), so this could be an explanation... Seeing the revolts coming, and the end of the Communist era made Matchbox reconsider the production in this country.

The production in Bulgaria lasted much longer… I would say producing in Bulgaria was even cheaper than producing in Hungary, considering only GDP numbers. Anyone knows what happened with these "Made in Hungary" models and the markets were they were being distributed? Were they replaced by Bulgarian or Macao models? I mention this because the production in these two countries continued over 1989 for many years more.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: JEEP CJ6
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1987
• Company: Matchbox (United Kingdom/ Hungary)
• Size: approx. 7 cm