Of all the British diecast brands such as Corgi and Dinky, Matchbox is the one that had the biggest cultural impact in the United States. Dealing mostly in smaller 1/64 scale instead of 1/43 scale, the cars were cheaper to buy and not as valuable (at the time) to bury in the sandbox.
Despite their global presence with offices in South America and England, our friends at hobbyDB.com are a mostly U.S. based project. Nonetheless, their fearless European correspondent, Patrick Wehr, ventured to the Matchbox Museum in Luxembourg recently.
It’s truly a worldwide exhibit. Castings that might be familiar in one country look odd emblazoned with tampos from another land. And some models are specific to just a few locations worldwide.
There are also several prototypes and pre production models on hand, as well as some action figures…? Yes, Matchbox dabbled in that arena at one time too.
We won’t spoil the fun, but check out the tour at hobbyDB.