LOOKEE HERE - 'UNIQUE' 50TH ANNIVERSARY JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN D.B.5...

"So just what's so unique about it?" you may very well be asking.  "It looks just like the recent 50th Anniversary CORGI D.B.5 that you featured on your blog back in March!" you might say.  And you're right, it is - but with one significant difference.  Allow me to recap.

The original gold coloured Aston Martin D.B.5 from 1965 was, as you know if you read my recent post, adapted from the existing casting for Corgi's D.B.4, and was in 1.46 scale.  In 1968, Corgi Toys created brand-new tooling for a more accurate model, which was either in 1.43 or 1.45 scale (The GREAT BOOK Of CORGI confusingly attributes both scales to the new release), around six millimetres longer than its famous predecessor.

The new model had two extra features in addition to the original three.  As well as the extending machine guns and over-riders, bulletproof shield, and ejector seat, it also had revolving number plates and rear tyre-slashers. In the '90s, Corgi re-issued a very poor replica of this second model, advertising it in magazines as "The original is back!"  It wasn't, and was vastly inferior in ways far too numerous to go into again.  (Though you can read all about it here if you're interested.)

Then, recently, they re-issued an improved version of the 1.43/45 scale car - except it was missing the rear tyre-slashers.  Guess what though?  I had a spare set from the '90s model, so I unscrewed the base of the Anniversary re-issue and swapped the rear wheels and axle with the tyre-slasher ones.  Interestingly, the axle I removed was a solid version of the hollow one which had housed the red slashers, so it seems obvious that they were omitted in an attempt to keep costs down.

The result is that I now have a 'unique' 2015 Anniversary edition of the '68 silver birch 1.43/45 scale model that nobody else has - unless they did the same as me that is.  My original 1968 car is still tucked away somewhere, but when I dig it out, I'll post a pic of it alongside the one here, so that you can do a side-by-side comparison.  Hey, generosity is my middle name.

   

TOYBOX TREASURES Of The PAST: DINKY TOYS 1972 PINK PANTHER CAR...

A couple or so years ago, I showed the second edition of the PINK PANTHER car (released by MECCANO, who once owned DINKY) and promised to one day show the first version once I had dug it out of a box in my cupboard.  Well, that day is finally here (I usually get around to doing things eventually), so feast your eyes, Panther fans.

And don't forget the opening and closing credits of  the Pink Panther show - sing along now...

And let's not forget his original theme tune...

TOYBOX TREASURES Of The PAST: CORGI TOYS 1965 JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN D.B.5...

CORGI TOYS considered manufacturing JAMES BOND's ASTON MARTIN D.B.5 in 1964, but decided against it.  Then they had a change of heart and rush-released the car to meet the Christmas market of 1965.  This meant taking a few shortcuts.  They didn't have time to create new tooling for a D.B.5, so they used the existing mould for their D.B.4 model and adapted it for the purpose.

It's not widely known that the car in GOLDFINGER was the prototype D.B.5 - in actuality a D.B.4 MARK V VANTAGE, so Corgi weren't too far removed from reality in utilising their D.B.4 moulds in order to get the toy into shops in time for Christmas.  Painted gold due to supposedly looking like bare metal when silver, the colour tied in to the title of the film it appeared in - GOLDFINGER.  I have an alternate theory, however, which is this.  (Complete speculation on my part.)

I sometimes fancifully wonder if a Corgi employee was despatched to the cinema to determine the car's hue (perhaps on account of only being supplied b&w photo reference), saw the opening credits where excerpts from the movie were projected onto MARGARET NOLAN's undulating, gold-painted figure, and reported back that 007's car was gold.  Unlikely?  You never can tell, but I'll concede that it's pure conjecture with no evidence to support it.

The car was blown to smithereens in SKYFALL, so it'll be interesting to see if it ever appears again in a Bond movie.  If not, we can seek solace in the Corgi car from our childhoods - if we're lucky enough to actually own one of course.  I've got two originals, plus the 1968 correct silver birch colour in a slightly larger scale - not to mention various other versions released down through the years. I'll be showing a completely unique, recent Corgi model of the car in an upcoming post.

Meanwhile, enjoy looking at the original.

   

Why not a WALTHER PPK?

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