MB1217 : MBX Garbage Scout

Matchbox MB1217 : MBX Garbage Scout (2021 Basic Range)

Another generic model but unlike the Mini Cargo Truck I looked at yesterday this one does not impress me; in fact quite the opposite.  This casting for me is quite a let down.  We first saw this when it was previewed at the 2019 Gathering in Albuquerque, at the point I thought as a generic this was quite a nice model, well designed, lots of play value and realistic looking.

With all that in mind I was looking forward to its release; and then I saw it in the flesh when it was released in 2020 and was so disappointed at the final product.  The one thing this casting does for me is to demonstrate just how low Mattel have taken the Matchbox brand.

Many people in 1997 worried that Mattel would destroy the great name of Matchbox when it purchased the brand and again many today believe that prediction is about to come true and when you see this model its hard to disagree with them.

The base is plastic, the bin is plastic, the holder of the bin is plastic, the windows are plastic and solid black to hide the lack of an interior; in fact there is so little diecast metal in this model that it would almost breach any countries product description laws.  As other collectors have said, this is nothing more than a cheap Christmas cracker toy and a real slap in the face for the hard work the Matchbox design team have done.

From a design point of view I still think this is a great design, I still like the play value that it brings but the fact it is mostly a cheap plastic toy is a such a let down.