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Battle of the Baby Bimmers: Hot Wheels BMW M2 vs Matchbox BMW 1M

By

jtl46

If I could have any car – real car, not toy car – what would it be?

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I get asked that a lot.  Many times by you diecast nerds, but also by a lot of non-diecast nerds who know I am a diecast nerd.  And in all honesty I have no idea.  I know what cars I would put in my garage if I were a Jay Leno-like collector, but I’m not.  That is probably why I’m a diecast collector.  Lots of cars, minimal space.

Back to the real cars.  Considering all the factors – classic vs new, project vs low maintenance, fun-to-drive vs fun-to-look-at, among many – there have always been a few cars on my list.  I won’t get into all of them now, but the BMW 1M is one of them.

I don’t know what put the 1M on my favorites list.  It might have been Jeremy Clarkson’s reaction to driving it, or maybe it was the Matchbox release.  Needless to say, I’d love to have one in the garage.

I probably won’t have on in the garage, so the Matchbox will do just fine.  I have a nice collection, including a prototype won at a Gathering charity auction, and am happy to have them.  And I am happy to start a Hot Wheels BMW M2 collection alongside it.

Both castings represent their real counterparts well, and both are musts for me.  The real-life M2 doesn’t bring the excitement that the 1M does, but I am sure happy to see it in diecast form.  The casting is stellar.

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jtl46

10 responses to “Battle of the Baby Bimmers: Hot Wheels BMW M2 vs Matchbox BMW 1M”

  1. closedcl8 Avatar
    closedcl8

    That casting looks so perfect. The body accuracy, tampos, wheels work so well. It’s super brilliant.

    Top 3 Mainline for 2018, really.

    Reply
  2. Steve Cater Avatar
    Steve Cater

    Love that baby Beamer as well.
    Love the new entry and exit to your posts, sounds like something fast and powerful going through a tunnel.
    Not so keen on the background music I find a little distracting would rather no music just the sound of your enthusiasm!!!!!!!
    Just saying.

    Reply
  3. BlackWind Avatar
    BlackWind

    The thing that took me by surprise was just how pretty the M2 looked once I got it. I wasn’t keen when the first prototype images appeared but after finally having it in hands, I think this is the best casting of the year so far, for me. The size, proportions, stance, paint and the small but vital details like side mirrors and a manual gearbox (yes! Its a manual!) is spot on and for once in life even the tampos on the one I found were perfect. Thats the kind of stuff Matchbox is famous for, not Hot Wheels, so I think they really did nail this one and for a $1 model I don’t think you can get better than that.

    Sadly I don’t have the Matchbox 1M for comparison (maybe one day) so can’t say which I like better. But in real life however, my choice would be the older car.

    Reply
  4. stephen cook Avatar
    stephen cook

    Casting aside, it’s a shame how hard it is to differentiate between the Hot Wheels and Matchbox brands.At this point, why not just scrap Matchbox? I’m a life-long Matchbox collector, but seriously…what’s the point?

    Reply
    1. Jeff Webster Avatar
      Jeff Webster

      Ouch that hurts. The MB brand still does a lot of things good. Better than most many times. In this case it is essentially the same model just different generations. I do beleive that Mattel has had difficulty figuring out the brand.

      But now it seems to be out of the thimb of the wheels group and may have a chance of hitting its stride again. They need to look back to the late 80s/early 90s and mid 00s for inspriration. Also take a look at what is working for Majorette and Welly and go after them. Some nods to us collectors wouldbe nice. BUt to be honest just well made real cars is what we are after. I couldn’t care less if both MB and HW have the exact same model car in their lines. Just have each do it on their own without worry about the other.

      Reply
      1. stephen cook Avatar
        stephen cook

        I feel the answer has been there all along. Let Matchbox be realistic, contemporary models and let Hot Wheels be the fantasy + hot rod brand.

      2. stephen cook Avatar
        stephen cook

        I’ll add that if they really want good inspiration, they need to look back even further. The Matchbox brand was at its apex in the later part of the 1960s. Those models featured operating parts, metal bases, and crisp detail. And, they were iconic with the picture boxes. The 1-75 line was a cross section of contemporary cars and trucks.

  5. Brad Smith Avatar
    Brad Smith

    I’d prefer if Matchbox were given a little more freedom. If you look at MBs on the pegs compared to Hot Wheels, the paint is uniformly more drab. HW are meant to reach out and grab your attention, and MB seems like the less favored offspring, meant to sit in the shadows while HW gets the accolades.

    Nice feature, BTW. I understand both the 1-Series and 2-Series are a lot of fun to drive. One could wish they were a little more attractive, like the E30 or E46 (just my taste).

    Reply
  6. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    The real-life 1M is, shall we say…not blessed in the looks department, but I’ve always absolutely loved the Matchbox version of it. It’s a handsome little brute. The M2, on the other hand, is a very attractive car in real life and is captured PERFECTLY by Hot Wheels. I can’t wait to get my hands on one.

    Reply
  7. Keith G. Avatar
    Keith G.

    Equally good in the casting, but the Matchbox with the better quality wheels wins it for me, the ones on the H W are just a bit too cheap looking but it’s all subjective and everyone will have their own opinion on which one they prefer.

    Reply

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