1975 Matchbox Tanzara

A few months ago, I heard about a new diecast shop opening up in town so I had to go check it out. I’ve known the owner from visiting (and buying things from) his flea market booths at various locations over the years. Kenny has graduated to a standalone space called Fun Hobbies – a former taco stand, actually – on west Central here in Wichita. Just as his spaces always have been, it is very clean and well-organized and he offers a variety of interesting items at reasonable prices.

The Matchbox Tanzara was first released in 1972 and was produced in about 7 different variations. This white model with a blue and red stars and stripes motif was issued in 1975 and 1976.

The Tanzara features an opening rear engine cover, and this example has a chrome interior gleaming behind amber windows.

Matchbox | 1975-1976 | #53 | Tanzara | white with blue and red tampo, amber windows, chrome plastic interior and engine, opening rear engine cover, unpainted metal base | England | Superfast Maltese cross wheels

1975 Matchbox Planet Scout

The Matchbox Planet Scout is a planetary rover that was first released in 1975 and was produced in about 6 different variations. This example of the early metallic green and light green version is another of my scores from my June visit to Now & Then Antiques in Alexandria, MN.

Later variations of the Planet Scout were included in the futuristic 1977 Adventure 2000 range that also incorporated King Size models.

Planet Scout makes a nice companion to the Cosmobile, which was also released in 1975.

Matchbox | 1975-1977 | #59 | Planet Scout | metallic green, orange tint windows, chrome plastic interior and grille, light green metal base | England | Superfast 5-crown front wheels, open dot dash rear wheels

1975 Matchbox Mazda RX 500

The Mazda RX 500 is a concept car that made its debut at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show, just as the Japanese automaker was celebrating 50 years. The two-door, mid-engine coupe features butterfly cockpit doors, gull-wing engine doors, and it is powered by a 247 hp double-rotor Wankel engine with a top speed of 150 mph. Promoting road safety, the rear lights on the RX-500 change color: red indicates braking; amber indicates cruising; and green indicates acceleration. The one-off car was originally painted orange but was later repainted silver. After a restoration for the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, the sleek machine currently resides in the Hiroshima City Transportation Museum.

The Matchbox #66 Mazda RX 500 was first released in 1972 and was produced in about 11 different variations. This super-clean example from 1975 has red paint with yellow and white 77 racing tampo, amber windows, chrome interior and a white metal base. It is another of my Wichita eBay scores and is one of my new favorites among the 220+ cars currently in my vintage Matchbox collection.

Although it is not gull-wing hinged like the real-life car, the rear engine cover on the Matchbox Mazda RX 500 opens to reveal the chrome plastic 1.0 L twin-rotor Wankel engine tucked inside.

I really like the effect of the chrome interior as seen through amber-tinted windows.

Matchbox | 1975-1976 | #66 | Mazda RX 500 | red with yellow and white 77 racing tampo, amber windows, chrome interior and engine, white metal base | England | Superfast 5-spoke

1977 Matchbox Hellraiser

The Matchbox Hellraiser was first released in 1975 and was produced in 4 different variations: There is a white model with a red, white and blue stars and stripes label; and there are three metallic blue versions with the same label or two other label variations. This metallic blue example with the stars and stripes label, another of my estate sale tub rescues, is from that later 1970s.

My example of Hellraiser is obviously not in great condition, but the scorched front-end gives it a look that’s rather fitting for the name.

Matchbox | 1977 | #55 | Hellraiser | blue with red, white and blue label, clear windshield, white interior, chrome plastic engine, silver metal base | England | Superfast 5-crown wheels front, open dot dash wheels back

1975 Matchbox Seafire

The Matchbox Seafire, a racing boat with an enormous V8 engine, was first released in 1975 and was produced in about 12 different variations. Seafire has little rollers under the base and initially it was released individually without a trailer. Starting in 1979, the Seafire Boat and Trailer were included in several different Two Packs. This example, another of my estate sale tub rescues, would have originally had the large chrome plastic engine on the back and may or may not have had a Seafire flamed label on the deck. It also may or may not have had red plastic exhaust pipes coming out of the engine.

Click here to compare to the 1966 Matchbox Boat and Trailer in my collection. And click here to compare to my 1976 Matchbox Police Launch.

Matchbox | 1975-1979 | #5 | Seafire | white metal deck with blue plastic hull, yellow driver, missing motor | England | small rollers

1975 Matchbox Mini-Ha-Ha

The Matchbox Mini-Ha-Ha, first released in 1975 and produced until 1980, is a hot-rodded version of the Mini Cooper. It features oversized rear wheels, a chrome plastic rotary aircraft engine, and opaque sky-blue windows. Sticking out of the top of the car, a comically large pilot’s head is adorned with a leather helmet and goggles. This example – one of my finds from a visit to the Paramount East antique mall during the December holiday break. – is missing the Royal Air Force target labels that were originally affixed to the doors.

The Matchbox Mini-Ha-Ha is a very different model than the Matchbox Racing Mini, which was released a year later.

Matchbox | 1975 | #14 | Mini-Ha-Ha | orange with blue windows, missing target labels, chrome exposed engine, unpainted metal base |  England | Superfast Maltese cross wheels front, 5-spoke wheels rear

More recently, I picked up another Matchbox Mini-Ha-Ha with some other cars I found at an estate sale. This one is, in some ways, in even poorer condition, with much of the chrome worn off all the wheels. But at least it still has one of the door labels intact, if badly worn.

Matchbox | 1975 | #14 | Mini-Ha-Ha | orange with blue windows, missing one target label, chrome exposed engine, unpainted metal base |  England | Superfast Maltese cross wheels front, 5-spoke wheels rear

[Edit 02/18/24] I found some replacement labels on the Gasoline Alley Toys & Antiques website and applied them to the doors of the first Mini-Ha-Ha. Much better I think.

1975 Matchbox Rolamatics Range Rover Police Patrol

The Matchbox Range Rover Police Patrol was first released in 1975 in the Rolamatics series – vehicles with moving features that are activated by the rolling wheels. The Range Rover, which has a spinning dome light, was produced in about 30 different variations, with liveries that include Police, Ambulance, County Sheriff and even Site Engineer duties. This white model with Police labels and an orange spinner – another of my Wichita eBay scores – is identical to one I already have in my collection … Or is it?

The Matchbox Range Rover Police Patrol already in my collection has a partially melted dome light (which inhibits the Rolamatic action of the spinner) and a sagging Police label, so I went after this model because it’s in better shape. It was only after comparing the two side-by-side that I realized the recent acquisition is the variation that has smaller Police lettering (see photo at bottom of page).

The photo below shows the Rolamatics mechanism, which consists of a piston protruding from the rear wheel that, as the wheel rolls, makes contact with a gear hidden inside the vehicle (the orange disc that you see here). In this case, the gear drives the spinner inside the dome on top of the car. On the Range Rover, the inner workings are obscured by frosted windows.

Matchbox | 1975-1980 Rolamatics | 20 | Range Rover Police Patrol | white with orange and black small Police labels, frosted windows, clear dome, orange spinner, unpainted metal base | England | Maltese cross wheels

The photo below shows a comparison of the Police labels, with the smaller letter variation at the top and the larger letter variation at the bottom.

Other Matchbox Rolamatics models in my collection include the metallic green Weasel Armored Vehicle, the olive green variation of the Weasel, the Badger Exploration Truck, the Stoat Armored Car and the Maxi Taxi.

1975 Matchbox DeTomaso Pantera

Based on the Ford-powered Italian car that was manufactured from 1971 to 1993, the Matchbox DeTomaso Pantera was first released in 1975 and was produced in about 9 different variations. This white variation with Pantera 8 labels on the hood and sides was produced from 1975 to 1981. This clean example with the unpainted metal base is another of my scores from my Wichita eBay friend.

A modification of this Matchbox casting that included a blown engine was released in 1983 under the name Greased Lightning.

Matchbox | 1975-1981 | #8 | DeTomaso Pantera | white with blue, orange and black Pantera 8 labels, orange interior, unpainted base | England | Superfast maltese cross front, 5 spoke square rear

The photo below compares my blue base and unpainted base models. Click here to see my post about the blue base example.

1975 Matchbox DeTomaso Pantera

First released in 1975, the Matchbox DeTomaso Pantera is based on the Ford-powered Italian car that was manufactured from 1971 to 1993. The Matchbox version was produced in about 9 different variations. A modified casting called Greased Lightning, that included a blown engine, was produced in 1983. This white variation with Pantera 8 labels on the hood and sides was produced from 1975 to 1981. This super-clean example is one of my eBay scores from the collection of the Crafter’s Son.

The only other Matchbox DeTomaso Pantera in my collection is a badly worn example of what I assume is the same variation.

Matchbox | 1975-1981 | 8 | DeTomaso Pantera | white with blue, orange and black Pantera 8 labels, orange interior, blue base | England | Superfast maltese cross front, 5 spoke square rear

1975 Matchbox Pontiac Firebird

It’s interesting that two of my recent garage sale finds were identical to cars that I still have from my childhood. My childhood cars are both in better shape than these, which makes sense if you think about it. The toys I’ve had since I was a kid have been in storage or on display for the past 40-some years, while any cars that are still floating around out there in the world may have been played with by multiple generations of kids for all I know.

Still, this Matchbox Pontiac Firebird, first released in 1975, is in reasonably good condition for its age. (Click here to compare it to the car from my childhood.) My copy of Matchbox Toys 1947 to 2007 lists only one variation of this casting, but the Matchbox wiki also shows a dark blue metallic variation that could be found in the 1978 MP-1 5-Pack.

A similar but different Matchbox Firebird I have in my collection is the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. I also have a much newer Matchbox Firebird casting, the Pontiac Firebird Formula (with a wheel error), that I happened to find at a Target store several years ago.

Matchbox | 1975 | 4 | Pontiac Firebird | metallic blue with dual chrome hood scoops | Superfast open dot dash