| Matchbox has been known for some interesting vehicles that don’t get much appreciation for their design, as well as other reasons why, in the modern age of die-cast collecting, it’s considered to be uncommon. We’re talking vans that were produced years ago; it’s being produced by whichever brand represents it.
Of course, the famous ones like the Volkswagen panel vans have been part of Matchbox, even dating back to the metal axles, to getting Superfast versions. These days, it’s uncommon due to the amount of die-cast being used, and it will cost Mattel to raise the price of mainline Matchbox. |
But for a time, Matchbox introduced the Custom ’95 Chevy Van in 2018 under the Heroic Rescue subline. This is not just a licensed Chevy Van, it’s based on an actual vehicle owned by Gerry Cody, the director of product design for Hot Wheels. It’s an interesting trivia when you think of it. Most of the die-cast vehicles the Matchbox and Hot Wheels teams produced have their own stories on how they were made.
The Custom ’95 Chevy Van is one of them, and when it was being teased and introduced through social media, it was something you’d want for your collection. The van has a name, and it was called Big Red is a former ambulance that was converted into a Support Team Van, as Gerry is fond of motorbikes.
It’s an interesting backstory how this casting came about when it was first introduced in the mainline. When it started appearing on social media, I got excited because collecting panel vans is not the usual vehicle you look forward to getting every year. They’re considered costly to produce, and keeping the Matchbox at the same price as part of the mainline.
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Red and Luxurious
Big Red, packed in a blister card, shows the beauty of the artwork, as well as the actual product with its chrome gleaming from its bubble prison. There’s no other product description other than it’s part of the Heroic Rescue subline. This was difficult to find on General Retail in Australia, and stumbling upon it unexpectedly was probably destiny to pick it up.
The simple graphic on the car depicting the vehicle was straightforward, with no drama. But the story behind the production of this casting is enough for a random collector to get their mittens for something like this. It does look good on the card, but I’m not displaying it deserves to be free from its packaging.
This vehicle is, of course, based on an actual van by Matchbox.
Key Features of the Custom '95 Chevy Van below:
- Year Release: 2017 | Heroic Rescue Subtheme
- Base Color: Chrome | Plastic
- Window: Opaque Black
- Tampo: Matchbox
- Interior: None
Heroic Ride of a Lifetime
The Custom ’95 Chevy Van has heft for having an entire body in die-cast despite the base in chromed plastic. The van would be produced four times before Matchbox would discontinue it in 2021. The details, as you see, have a good silhouette, and the paint hits on the details to capture Gerry Cody’s van is spot on.
If you like the thrill of the hunt as a completist, you’ll be interested to know that there’s a variation of this van. This one has a spare tire and fuel tank in the rear, and the elusive and uncommon version had a motorbike hanging on the back. I haven’t had luck tracking down that particular version, but by 2019, I would come across the 2019 version, where the card back was in bad shape. But that won’t last long, being on the cardback as it would be opened too.
Overall, the Custom ’95 Chevy Van is short-lived, not because of being based on an actual vehicle, but because it had a rich backstory. But because the tooling to produce one is costly for Mattel, the amount of die-cast used on the body alone sacrifices the interior, and the windows are opaque black instead of a translucent windscreen.
The modern Matchbox panel vans, when they get revived or reproduced again, it is either the interiors that are removed, or the vehicle gets scaled down to a smaller size due to the budget cost in keeping it part of the mainline. It is an interesting casting for someone into panel vans, and it’s worth the hunt if you find one.
Custom '95 Chevy Van is part of the Heroic Rescue segment series and overall MB87 released for the 2017 year, which was acquired at Cheap as Chips Store's former location at the Southern Cross Arcade in downtown Adelaide for $5.00 AUD (₱ 187.00 Pesos | $ 3.23 USD**). Matchbox is distributed in Australia by Mattel Pty., LTD. based in Richmond, Victoria.
** - Currency Converter via Google.com
NOTES:
The photos used in this article and review were produced but unpublished from 2018. The outdoor photos were taken on the sidewalk near the motorway before crossing the Warriparinga Wetlands, and there is no photo manipulation to produce the images.
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