Update for 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 26: SpaceX has delayed the Polaris Dawn launch until no earlier than Aug. 28 due to a helium leak. Read our story here.
As SpaceX's next commercial astronaut mission rolls out for launch, Mattel is counting down to the release of its latest Matchbox toy based on the space company's vehicles.
Unlike Mattel's earlier sets, which were modeled after spacecraft and rockets, this upcoming issue is more of a natural fit for the iconic line of die-cast cars. Matchbox's 1:64 scale version of SpaceX's Crew Transport Vehicle is set to arrive in U.S. stores on Oct. 1 for $1.25 each.
The full-size crew transport vehicles will be back in use this week, as they are used to drive the Polaris Dawn crew from the facility where they put on their spacesuits to Launch Pad 39A and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will send them into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The black Tesla Model X electric cars first went into service in 2023, replacing a prior fleet of white vehicles that were in use since 2020.
"We are thrilled to work with SpaceX," said Nick Karamanos, Mattel's senior vice president for entertainment partnerships, when the two companies signed a multi-year licensing deal in 2022. "We take pride in our ability to create products and experiences that honor cultural moments."
Like the cars that Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon will ride, the Matchbox miniature is also adorned with markings identifying its use. Both the driver and passenger Falcon Wing doors display SpaceX's logo and the words "Crew Transport Vehicle" in white. On the rear bumper is the company's name and "01," the latter distinguishing the car in the convoy to the pad.
Related: Polaris Dawn: Everything you need to know about the 1st mission of the Polaris Program
The toy also reproduces a detail that SpaceX introduced when it began flying astronauts: a custom license plate. Past tags have read "ISSBND" ("International Space Station Bound"), "L8RERTH" ("Later Earth") and "YAYSP8C" ("Yay! Space"). The Polaris Dawn plates, in addition to featuring patient artwork, read "4STJUDE" (For St. Jude) in reference to the charity the mission is supporting.
The Matchbox Crew Transport Vehicle has a rear-mounted license plate that reads "CRW DR6N" (Crew Dragon). The same plate was used by SpaceX's Crew-6 in 2023, the company's sixth mission to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station for NASA, and the first to use the black Model X cars.
The toy transport comes packaged on a card that identifies the Tesla Model X as the 75th set in Matchbox's 2024 mainline of 100 cars. The card includes the SpaceX logo and an illustration of the vehicle driving on a metal gantry-like bridge in front of a city skyline lit up at night.
Previous Matchbox sets released under the SpaceX license includes scale replicas of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, Falcon Heavy rocket and Starship launch vehicle. Matchbox's sister brand Hot Wheels, which is also owned by Mattel, has also celebrated SpaceX's achievements with 2018 and 2019 releases of a Tesla Roadster, both modeled after the cherry red sports car that was launched by the first Falcon Heavy. (Hot Wheels' later version included the spacesuited "Starman" that was strapped into the driver's seat.)
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