When Mattel acquired Matchbox a few years ago, most collectors expressed misgivings. How could one company run two diecast lines that were, essentially competitors? We heard many assurances that both Hot Wheels and Matchbox had a long future ahead of them, although of course, there would be some differentiation between the two lines. Hot Wheels would focus on speed and power while Matchbox would feature playability. Well this may be fine for the six-year-old market segment, but for collectors, the jury is back and the verdict is in. This marriage isn't working. It's time for a separation.

Every Matchbox collector I've ever talked to has told me he was drawn to Matchbox for the realistic castings. Having spent the better part of the last year looking for old Superfasts, I can well understand this. But Matchbox never quite recovered from the introduction of Hot Wheels. And the history of Matchbox from 1968 on is that of how the company tried to counter and compete with the behemoth from southern California. The brand was passed from parent company to parent company until it was finally absorbed by Mattel.

It wasn't long before Matchbox collectors realized something was wrong with the brand that Lesney built. Older castings started being phased out. A new term, "Matchboxness", was being bandied about by corporate execs. What Matchboxness meant was, apparently not the simplicity and realism of the past, but some vague idea of playable ness regardless of what the casting actually looked like. Automobiles were replaced with planes boats and trucks, and realistic castings were replaced by generic vehicles that didn't look like anything actually on the road. Collectors muttered about this dumbing down of Matchbox, and wondered just how the resources at Mattel were being shared.

And indeed it did seem that the favorite son was growing fat while the stepchild withered. Hot Wheels got a new collector's web site with lots of bells and whistles. The Matchbox site is updated maybe twice a year, whether it needs it or not. The creative team behind Hot Wheels is in regular contact with collectors. The designers at Matchbox are pretty much anonymous. More importantly, Hot Wheels pays to license numerous new realistic castings each year. The use of real vehicles bearing the Matchbox name is dwindling each year.

And it's not that Matchbox can't turn out good realistic castings any more. Their Ford Focus is far superior to the Hot Wheels mainline vehicle. They have a casting of the Lotus Elise that is currently only available in the States in a 5-pack. And their Opel Speedster is easily my favorite new Matchbox casting for this year. But more and more, it seems Matchbox' most realistic castings are reserved for premiere and upscale editions. Granted, many of these are excellent. Matchbox currently has an MGA roadster in it's Coca Cola cars that looks much better than the Johnny Lightning British Invasion car. But many of Matchbox' premieres are now so overpriced as to kill interest in them. When I started collecting, Matchbox World Class models cost $2.49. Now most of the Matchbox premieres I purchase these days are on clearance for about that price at KB Toys. I have seen them stat as high as eight dollars. I haven't seen many sell for that.

Which brings us to the conclusion hat Matchbox has lost its way and is not likely to find it again under Mattel. What Matchbox needs is someone with a feel for the tradition of this grand old brand and a vision for what it could be. If Mattel is not going to support the brand at least as much as the Hot Wheels line then they should find a buyer who will. There is a precedent for this. Mattel has already done the same with Corgi, and the Corgi brand is showing excellent signs of rejuvenation. A new owner will give Matchbox a fresh start and a new hope for achieving diecast excellence.

But what's in it for Mattel? It is generally assumed that Mattel wanted Matchbox to eliminate competition. But a long term business doesn't want to eliminate its competitors, it wants to out-compete them. It wants to be pushed to do its best and keep looking for ways to become better. Competition improves the breed, and this is true in racing and in business. Competition rescued Hot Wheels from sinking into mediocrity, and competition will keep pushing Mattel to keep making Hot Wheels better. And the more competitors, the better every brand has to be. Mattel gains little from having Matchbox in its stable. It gains much more having Matchbox breathing down its neck.

Matchbox is one of the oldest surviving diecast brands still on the market. It has a long history of innovation and design. Matchbox has traditionally combined realism with playability to make some really cool little toy cars. Matchbox has a loyal following that has stuck with the brand through bad times and good. They deserve a brand that's as good as it can be. Under a new owner, Matchbox can be Matchbox again.