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So the other day an older couple comes in to my store to sell some dolls. After our transaction is finished I say "I buy Matchbox, if you have any". Well today they come in with a mess of cars, all much newer then I deal with. Without knowing what they had I bought a few (shown here) because they were in plastic bags. The original receipt was in the box, showing they were part of a 30 piece group. They others were probably in the bunch I passed on but were not in the plastic. Looking through my guide I see that I probably passed on a MB67-g with green top and the rare stickers, who knows what else may have been in there. Thankfully they will be back to sell more dolls soon so I may have a second chance. Anyway, the first 2 cars came up as desirable in my books, the 3 trucks I can't find and the rest seem to be common. Can anybody provide me with additional information as these are outside of my normal collecting range?

The Porsche 959 and Toyota MR 2 are both promotionals which were issued in Hong Kong in 1988/89. All other models shown are normal basic range issues, as far as I can see.

Christian,
Thank you for the reply. I wonder how they ended up in a 30 piece collection sold via a tv home shopping club group in 1992, 4 years after their release in another country.
I have yet to make contact with them again but home to get the oppertunity to go through them again, now that I have spent some time researching these more modern Matchbox models. Do you know off hand of other Hong Kong specials released around the same period that I should look out for if they return?
Chris

ford_a_30 wrote:Christian,
Thank you for the reply. I wonder how they ended up in a 30 piece collection sold via a tv home shopping club group in 1992, 4 years after their release in another country.
I have yet to make contact with them again but home to get the oppertunity to go through them again, now that I have spent some time researching these more modern Matchbox models. Do you know off hand of other Hong Kong specials released around the same period that I should look out for if they return?
Chris

I can only assume that some overruns from those promotions had remained in a warehouse and were then disposed of in this way. Since they were made in Macau, and the Macau factory was shut down in 1990, remaining models from that factory turned up in various places all over the world around that time. For example, we got some interesting variations packed with underpants at a grocery store chain here in Austria. A large selection also turned up in triple packs at Woolworth in the UK.

The Toyota MR 2 was part of the so-called "Chinese Dragon set" which consisted of twelve models in total. Here is a list:

MB 003 (MB 03-C) 43 - PORSCHE (930) TURBO - red "Dragon 8"
MB 070 (MB 70-D) 18 - FERRARI 308 GTB - orange "Rat 12"
MB 101 (MB 35-C) 10 - PONTIAC Firebird T-Roof - red "Rooster 3"
MB 118 (MB 55-F) 09 - RACING PORSCHE 935 - black "Ox 11"
MB 127 (MB 28-E) 12 - 1984 DODGE DAYTONA TURBO Z - dk. blue "Goat 5"
MB 135 (MB 43-E) 14 - MERCEDES 500 SEC - white "Pig 1"
MB 154 (MB 67-F) 10 - LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH LP 500 S - yellow "Tiger 10"
MB 155 (MB 60-F) 15 - PONTIAC FIREBIRD RACER - white "Horse 6"
MB 158 (MB 02-E) 09 - PONTIAC FIERO - black "Dog 2"
MB 163 (MB 09-F) 05 - TOYOTA MR 2 - lt. green "Snake 7"
MB 167 (MB 24-F) 07 - NISSAN 300 ZX TURBO - yellow "Monkey 4"
MB 172 (MB 75-E) 05 - FERRARI TESTAROSSA - yellow "Rabbit 9"

The Redoxon promo set consisted of four models, one of which is the Porsche 959:

MB 135 (MB 43-E) 18 - MERCEDES 500 SEC - black "Redoxon"
MB 141 (MB 41-F) 04 - JAGUAR XJ 6 - green "Redoxon"
MB 172 (MB 75-E) 09 - FERRARI TESTAROSSA - red "Redoxon"
MB 173 (MB 07-F) 14 - PORSCHE 959 - white "Redoxon"

Bit of self promotion but here's the full Dragon Racing set (Except Superking) I have for sale. Always open to an offer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Matchbox-Drag ... 23345f2b44

Christian,
Thanks for the list. I will print out and keep at the register awaiting thier return.