#725 MATCHBOX – SUPERFAST MINIS: JAGUAR XJS, FORD THUNDERBIRD, CHEVROLET CAMARO Z28 AND OTHERS (MD-4, MD-005 and MD-010) (1990)

One of the shortest and rarest (relatively) recent series by Matchbox is the "Superfast Minis". These are small (around 2 inches, maybe 1:72) die-cast cars with plastic base and a big wheel on the base. This wheel is very interesting, since it allows a great playability and maneouvrability.

I am surprised that this series was discontinued after only 2 years, since it is quite fun to play with and the size was very popular those days (well, it´s a bit bigger than Micro Machines), but there was also “World’s smallest Matchbox” series which was even smaller than a Micro Machine.

The models I own are only three:

JAGUAR XJS (MD-4)
FORD  THUNDERBIRD (MD-005)
CHEVROLET CAMARO Z28 (MD-010)

I love the selection of cars Matchbox made for this series: BMW M1, Ford RS 200, Chevrolet Stingray, Ferrari F40, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Countach… actually my three models are the most boring ones…

The series are marked MD plus a number (either one ciffer or three). There seems to be 12 models, each of them in two decorations. Note that the catalogue picture presents the Camaro and the Jaguar in other colours than mine.

Not to forget is the nice mini-launcher to do some racing against your friends. I love this kind of add-ons. This one seems to be not only a launcher, but also a small container box for one car. There were several of these made, with different colour combinations and several brands printed on them, depending on the cars that they came with. I have seen double blisterpacks with 2 cars (same model in two decorations) and a launcher or with 4 models (2 models, 2 decorations each).

UPDATE 1 (NOV/2022)

Three more models. Unfortunately, I forgot to check the serial numbers; I will try to update as soon as possible.

-LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH in yellow

-CHEVROLET BELAIR in black

-BMW M1 in gray

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SUPERFAST MINIS: JAGUAR XJS, FORD THUNDERBIRD, CHEVROLET CAMARO Z28 (MD-4, MD-005 and MD-010) and OTHERS (1990)
• Scale: Approx. 1:72
• Year: 1990 and 1991
• Company: Matchbox (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 4 cm