5 Pack : 2012 #05 – EMT

Every time I write a review it is about an individual vehicle or box of Lego, this time though I thought it was time I review a set or in this case a 5 pack of Matchbox cars and what better 5 pack to review than one from the 2012 model year. This Matchbox 5 pack includes the following vehicles, MB566 – Highway Fire Pumper, MB755 – Pierce Dash Fire Engine, MB771 – 2009 Ford E-350 Ambulance, MB786 – Hazard Squad and lastly the Ford Transit and sadly this is one 5 pack that is just not acceptable.

Matchbox MB566 – Highway Fire Pumper

The first model in the 5 pack is the MB566 – Highway Fire Pumper, this was the first outing for this generic model in some time and signifies the beginning of a planned greater use of generics in hideous designs to lower costs and improve sales.  Whilst the casting itself is quite good and as a generic is acceptable as a fire engine, I don’t think even a child would think it is appropriate to have a fire engine with a great big toothy grin on the side.  I think Mattel are trying to play down to the kids too much and this type of design will just let them down just as it did in the Hero City days. Aside from the design of the tampo this could be a really nice model, the flat grey with red plastics and red wheels works even the tampo design, minus the teeth could be acceptable to both collectors and children.

Matchbox MB755 – Pierce Dash Fire Engine

The second vehicle in this 5 pack the MB755 – Pierce Dash Fire Engine is again a nice model, its proportions and design of the casting are fine and every child or collector of fire engines would love this one, if it wasn’t for the hideous colour design and tampo.  Like the MB566 I really don’t think children will be fooled by this one, even a child knows that a fire engine would never have a flame design on its side, this is after all a working piece of equipment not a racing vehicle.

Next we have the MB771 – 2009 Ford E-350 Ambulance and once again Mattel in my eyes have failed dismally, they have managed to take a really well cast vehicle and one that in other releases has looked fantastic and again have turned it into a mess by the simple addition of the tampo printed flames, and again they are not warranted.  Without the flames this vehicle would be acceptable to all, that is both children and collectors of Matchbox, but Mattel for some reason think that making these vehicles more like the Hot Wheels line will improve their sales, I think they are wrong.

Matchbox MB771 – 2009 Ford E-350 Ambulance

The forth vehicle in the 2012 EMT 5 pack is the MB786 – Hazard Squad and again I can only repeat what I have already said about the previous three vehicles in this set, yes it’s a generic but it is a generic Mattel design that looks quite good until you see the ridiculous paintwork, I can accept the blue in fact that is not too bad a colour, it is the full sized gas mask that just totally ruins this model.

Matchbox MB786 – Hazard Squad

Finally the fifth and last car in the 2012 EMT 5 pack from Matchbox is the Ford Transit and of the entire set, this one is its saving grace.  Down in a purple colour and with a paramedic unit tampo design, this is the one and only vehicle in this 5 pack that I like, although the purple is probably not a colour you will see in real life it is unlike the other 4 models at least it is believable.  The yellow tampo design makes it even more realistic so this model is the one out of all of them that I would have, sadly I don’t think it is enough to justify the cost of buying the entire 5 pack just to get this one model.

Matchbox Ford Transit

So there you have it, 5 cars all in the new designs and in my opinion only one of them worth having.  Yes I know these are just toys and yes I know they are not marketed as collectibles, but since the inception of the brand they have been marketed as the range to collect even for kids, and kids do like realism.  Also who does Mattel think is paying for these cars, the kids? No, its the parents, so they will have a big say in what they buy for their kids and time and again you hear the adults in the store saying to the kids, why not have this car or that car its just like the one Uncle Jimmy has.