Not every model makes it!

Matchbox Pirate Car c2003

Since the very inception of Matchbox there are plenty of vehicles that the designers have come up with over time, I am sure that ideas get pitched that make it no further than the initial pitch and never see the light of day in way shape or form.

But then there are those that make it a little further down the design process, some even make it almost as far as a finished product before being cancelled for one reason or another.

Some vehicles dont make it to final release due to cost or licensing problems but then there are those like the Pirate Car that was designed as part of the ”Ultra Heroes” range and was to be an exclusive in a Play Set of the time but never ended up being produced due to the poor sales of the ”Ultra Heroes” range which lead Mattel to change tact.

On the Matchbox Collectors Forum website I have dedicated an entire page to these models that were not produced for whatever reason.  As I learn more and find out more I will continue to add to that page; so far there are models like the Cement Truck from 1968-1969.

Thankfully we still have collectors like Paul Carr that have some of these models and are willing to share them with the rest of us to learn from.  The cement taken based on the 10D Pipe Truck from 1966 would have made a great addition to the range but as we know now, it never made it to the release stage, why? who knows might be cost, maybe it was just bad timing with the introduction of Superfast at the time a new model design would not have been the priority.

Do you know or have in your collection other models that never made it into production?