Matchbox MB1243 : MBX Field Car

A new generic casting for 2021 is this MBX Field Car; but is it really a new casting?  Well yes of course its an all new casting but it has been heavily inspired by the original generic Field Car (MB18-A) from way back in 1969.

As you can see it is definitely a new casting but is so obvious where the inspiration comes from and for me this is a great idea; you get a realistic generic vehicle which for cost purposes is required within the range; a topic I plan to cover in an upcoming blog post and at the same time you get a fantastic tribute to the glory days of Matchbox.

This new MBX FIeld Car has a more solid look about it which can be attributed to the roof piece being part of the main body casting where as in the original this was a separate plastic piece.

This first outing at #17 in the basic line is a great tribute to the original not only in its design but also the choice of the orange body colour being the shade of orange that we all recognise as ”Matchbox” orange and with the addition of the Matchbox name on the side to finish off the tribute makes this a great addition to the collection.

I love the original version but I think the new take on this design is better, its hard to judge a generic vehicle as there is no point of comparison to a real vehicle but the new casting seems to have the proportions better and the overall look for me seems quite right and realistic.  This as generics goes is a great model and you must say well done to the Mattel design team for this one.