Matchbox using smaller blister cards for their models?

[peteski]

I'm a casual Matchbox and Hot Wheels collector. I found some Matchbox cars at a local $1.25 store.  I noticed that some are packaged in blister packs which have smaller cardboard cards.  They seem to be newer models. Is this a new development or has the smaller packaging been around for some time?

[rattle can man]

I have some Hot Wheels bought in England over 20 years ago in that size packaging.

[stitchdup]

it what the shops want. the smaller size means they can get 3 rows where they used to get 2 so can display more of them. you still get the larger size sometimes when there are free standing displays or a special edition.

[HomerS]

I believe the smaller cards are for Europe.  There are collectors in the US that collect only the shorter cards.

Second release of that Mercedes is a gold car.  The first release of the Eagle was maroon.  (I moved away from Hot Wheels years ago as the designs were getting weird and less accurate).

[peteski]

Thank you all for the info.  Like I mentioned, I'm just a casual collector (just probably few hundred in my stash).  The way I pick them up nowadays is when I go shopping (groceries and other stores), if I happen to walk by a Matchbox or Hot Wheels display I stop and check them out.  If some model "speaks" to me I pick it up, but I do try to be selective.

So it looks like the smaller packages has been around for a while. I just don't recall seeing them in the past.

To me Matchbox always seem to make more in-scale replicas of actual vehicles than Hot Wheels.  This was even more true 30-40 years ago, but they still seem to be doing it.  That is not too say Matchbox did not make some wild models, but overall Matchbox still does it better than Hot Wheels.  No matter, they are now both just brand names owned by Mattel anyway, so they are probably all designed by the same people and produced in the same factory.

[TonyK]

I do the same thing you do. I'll take a look and if I see something I like then I'll buy it.

Also a casual collector but after doing it for decades the collection adds up to quite a lot.

btw, I haven't seen those short cards. I do see Matchbox in boxes and have bought a few of those.

[webestang]

I do like the Euro short cards. I remember when KB toys sold the European issue window boxes. I thought those were cool.

 

I want that Merc! So cool MB brought back that casting. I have an original......

 

[peteski]

7 hours ago, webestang said:

I do like the Euro short cards. I remember when KB toys sold the European issue window boxes. I thought those were cool.

 

I want that Merc! So cool MB brought back that casting. I have an original......

 

Ah, a nice vintage Matchbox. Nice! It has much better proportions than the new version.  Even the castings were thinner, and the new one has slightly exaggerated "chunkier" look.  Still nice, but not as good as the older one. As I mentioned earlier, the older Matchboxes had more accurate look to them. The body castings were thinner and the clear plastic parts was also mold thinner.  Even the interiors were better looking.  They had actual steering wheels (even if the "cross" spokes were inaccurate), not solid blobs they are like in most contemporary models.  The detailed Tampo-printed decoration on new models is nice, but to me it still does not compensate for the clunkiness.

Edited February 19 by peteski

[Junkman]

On 2/12/2025 at 6:25 PM, HomerS said:

I believe the smaller cards are for Europe.

That is correct. The European retailers demand the short cards to save retail space and packaging waste.
It enables them to display about 30% more units per allocated space.

Besides, there are two types of long cards, one for the US market only, and an international one. Short cards are always international.
If you look at the flip sides of your cards, you will notice that the text on the short cards is multilingual, whereas on the USA long card,
it's only in English and Spanish. The logos of the various standardisation organisations the toys must comply with will also differ.

If short, or international long cards, surface in the USA, it's mainly due to the retailer being a global business with a purchasing office
in Europe, or Asia. The opposite applies to the occasional USA long cards showing up in Europe, which then have a large sticker on the back,
containing all the mandatory information in all official languages necessary to make them legal for sale in the EU. Mostly we will get
international long cards over here, which we rarely do.

Oh, and the same is true for Hot Wheels, btw.

Edited March 19 by Junkman

[Junkman]

On 2/17/2025 at 5:55 PM, TonyK said:

I do see Matchbox in boxes and have bought a few of those.

Those are "Power Grabs". We do get them in Europe occasionally, but only in discount retail chains that do their
purchasing directly in Asia and handle imports themselves.

Power Grabs come in a colourful carton containing eight individually boxed models.
These cartons have a perforated section to be torn off, so they can be used as a display on a retail shelf next to the checkout.
I have never seen any HW equivalents, which makes me believe this is an MB only packaging practice.

Edited March 19 by Junkman

[slusher]

I wish all Matchbox cars had the box like they did in the 60’s..

[Junkman]

Imagine how much more environmentally friendly that would be.