Top Gun

Top Gun: Maverick

Matchbox - Mattel

I feel the need...the need for *record scratch*!  (Enter, Coronavirus) “Not so fast, Maverick!”  Yay!  More toys tied to a movie that’s release date is in limbo!  Matchbox/Mattel has just released a couple of 5-packs of 1:64 scale cars and jets from the upcoming (?) sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

Top Gun isn’t one of my most beloved 80s movies, but it certainly has a way of sticking in your head.  The soundtrack, the great dogfight footage, the homoerotic beach volleyball scene...plus Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerrit, and Principal Strickland...80s megacheese at it’s finest!  And that Ninendo game...who could forget the frustration of crashing into the ocean over and over again while attempting to land your plane on the aircraft carrier?!

Anyway, sticking to my desire to collect famous movie rides in this scale, I couldn’t resist these at $5 a pack.

Worth the sawbuck?  Well, you only get two jets in the mix, and since I haven’t yet seen “Maverick”, I have no idea if any of the cars actually appear on-screen.  They look nice, sure, but nothing too exciting outside of the Aston Martin and the fuel truck.  Jeeps are always a bit wonky scale-wise compared to the other cars.  Must be one of those Jeep things...I wouldn’t understand.

Also, remember when you used to get full, die-cast metal on everything save for the wheels?  The metal is used sparingly, and mostly very disappointing.  The most important bit of the jets, the wings and fins, are plastic!  I foresee stress fractures, if not breakage, from anything more than light play.  Bummer, especially considering these were the real selling point for the set.

I hope there are some better jets coming down the line with more detail, even if they come at a higher price point.  Still, at roughly ninety-nine cents a vehicle, these would make a fun romp in the dirt for any kid of any size or age.  Now if you’ll excuse me...I have to do a flyby on that tower.