JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN DB5 GOES UP AGAINST OTHER GREAT TOYS

THE 007 JAMES BOND-MOBILE featured recently made us look up the best known of all 007 cars, the Aston Martin DB5.

“THE NAME’S BOND... OR CORGI… OR SCALEXTRIC.” 007 AT HORNBY HOBBIES

TO WRAP UP THE LONDON TOY FAIR we returned to the Hornby stand, though not to Airfix this time, but to two other names in the Hornby stable, also involving a third.

JAMES BOND ‘SKYFALL’ OR DEMOLITION DERBY ‘METAL ALIEN’? IT’S YOUR CHOICE, WITH RACING SETS FROM SCALEXTRIC IN BIG AND SMALL SCALES

MAT IRVINE REPORT
Scalextric features the latest James Bond movie as the subject of the Micro Scalextric 1:64 scale Skyfall set with track.

AIRFIX MODEL WORLD MAGAZINE - THE LAUNCH ISSUE

David Jefferis reports
Here we have 100 colour pages of the new and revived Airfix Magazine - well, it's now retitled Airfix Model World for 2010 - and a pretty good effort it is too. I’ve been involved with several magazine launches over the years, and know a little of the sweat and toil that goes into the first one. It’s always a steep learning curve and I doubt this launch AFW is an exception. So well done to the team involved.

What’s it like?
First off is the cover - and centre-spread - both of which feature the work of the Airfix ‘wunderkind’ box-artist, Adam Tooby. He’s already up there in the pantheon of the best - Roy Cross, at last you have a decent successor. Tooby manages to combine the precision of computer generated imagery with an artist’s touch for the finished work. I reckon we’ll see a few of his box-tops appearing as art prints before too long.

See inside
Editorial is wide-ranging, with a strong feature on the 1:48 Sea Vixen kit from Airfix, which has some very nice detail photographs, including closeups of the neatly-modelled observer’s cockpit and radarscope. Elsewhere we have articles on the 1:32 Aston Martin DBR9 racer, and a Hasegawa 1:48 F-4J Phantom II. There are also the expected extras, including news, skills, books, kits and decals. All in all, the mag makes a good read, with a flavour that’s not overly ‘Airfix’. In fact, I might want a bit more of this - there is lots of background detail to the company that I would be fascinated to learn about.
   
Space with Mat Irvine
I couldn’t finish without a mention of SMN’s own Mat Irvine, with his ‘Space Build’ feature. This one takes you through the Airfix 1:144 scale Saturn V, pulling no punches with its faults and features. Interesting article - nice one, Mat!

Visit Airfix here.

Visit Mat Irvine here.

Airfix Model World here.

“THE NAME’S MARTIN, ASTON MARTIN...”

Mat Irvine reports
It was a pleasant surprise when Tamiya announced that its latest 1:24 scale sports car kit would be the Aston Martin DBS. It should also be said that although the kit has not been issued ‘from a James Bond movie’ per se, given that the car’s first appearance was several months before its official 2007 launch in the Bond film Casino Royale the opening comments in  the instructions can hardly avoid making this point.

Tamiya DBS details
The kit is classic Tamiya and, although a complete V-12 engine is not provided, everything that’s normally visible inside the engine bay is there. You are not going to miss the lower section of the engine anyway, as the underside is hidden by the floor pan. Elsewhere in the kit, Tamiya provides full suspension, huge chrome-plated wheels, and low-profile tyres. All wheels revolve on the now-standard nylon bushes and the front pair steer.

Only a left-hand drive interior is supplied (which is fine for the Bond car), though you can choose full manual or Touchtronic automatic, with various optional parts and decals. Either way, you get photo-etched parts for the appropriate foot pedals. Photo-etching is also supplied for the lower grille mesh, while the classic Aston Martin shape upper grille is on a chrome-plated runner.

Decal selection
You get waterslide decals for some of the grilles, instruments, under-bonnet labels and AM badges, and ‘metal transfers’, which are self-adhesive, for  the Aston Martin logo on the engine block and glass for the rear-view mirrors.

Intriguingly, although Casino Royale is the movie mentioned, the Tamiya car more closely represents the DBS in Quantum of Solace - well, the licence plate (with a bit of judicial re-jigging) is correct anyway! However, whether you want to add criminal damage and remove the driver's door is up to you!

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  The box-top is to Tamiya’s usual design style, and very handsome it is, too.
2  Box-side illustrations show the car in Titanium Silver, perhaps a nod towards the Goldfinger DB5?
3, 4  The top section of the engine block is moulded as one piece with the inner wheel arches.
5  Photo-etched and chrome plated parts.
6  Quantum of Solace DBS looking somewhat worse for wear, and minus a door.

The kit was supplied by Tamiya’s UK importer, The Hobby Company here.

If you like Bond in general, there’s a selection of stuff to enjoy here.

To find out more about the real thing, visit Aston Martin here.

Quantum of Solace picture courtesy the Strangways movie blog here.