SCALE MODEL NEWS

FOLLOWING RECENT JAMES BOND articles, here’s a piece on converting two kits into one of 007’s more unusual forms of transport. Mat Irvine reports:  The second James Bond movie was based on Ian Fleming’s book  From Russia With Love , and came before  Goldfinger , where the idea of Bond using a specially adapted car – the famed Aston Martin DB-5 – was introduced. In  From Russia With Love  the vehicles were frankly ‘working props’, appearing on-screen for relatively short periods of time. But the movie did have one set of wheels that made an impact, a 1961 Chevrolet Apache 30 stake truck, carrying a load of cut flowers ( movie still below ). In the movie, 007 hijacked the truck to escape an attacking helicopter, driving across what was meant to be ‘east European’ countryside, with his latest lady friend ( see below )bouncing about in the pickup bed at the back, amongst the blooms. A kit of the vehicle was a non-starter, my idea coming from the multi-issue par...

MORE INTERESTING STUFF from Peter Chiang with these entries from his Hobby Bounties mini-Airfix James Bond competition 2019. The cars are all in 1:32 scale, the James Bond Aston Martin ( above ) being fitted with an ejection-seat cutout in the roof, and much else besides.   SMN report: Here we see a nicely assembled Airfix 4.5 litre Bentley ( below ) and VW Beetle with skis, both to 1:32 scale. Secret agent Bond ( below ) leaves his top hat behind. A change of scale ( below ) with Airfix 1:76 scale astronauts, here featured in a neat diorama setting. Click here for more info at Hobby Bounties.

SOME INTERESTING PIX HAVE ARRIVED from our man in Singapore, Peter Chiang, of Hobby Bounties . The classic 1:12 scale Airfix Bentley is boxed here in 007 guise. SMN report: The old Bentley kit is still a good one and well worth a build, as these pictures reveal.    The completed Bentley pictured here has been completed for Peter's mini-Airfix James Bond Competition, due for judging on October 26, 2019. Early box painting ( below ) featured the 4.5 litre Bentley in its race-winning paint finish of British racing green. And here Peter Chiang sent us pix of a Bond figure, a work-in-progress that's looking very impressive. It's based on converting Sean Connery to another of the best Bond actors, Daniel Craig ( below ). Click here to visit Peter Chiang at Hobby Bounties.