SCALE MODEL NEWS

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. Mat Irvine: The Hornby names are Corgi and Scalextric, and they are joined by 007, otherwise known as James Bond. To celebrate the next and 24th Bond film Spectre and the 50th anniversary of the franchise, the most famous Bond vehicles will be made available, not only as Corgi diecasts, but also in Scalextric slot-car racing sets. The classic Aston Martin DB5 that first made its appearance in the third movie Goldfinger was originally modelled by Corgi in the non-standard 1:46 scale. It had about as many working features as you could cram into a model that was only 97 mm (3.8 in) long. Unfortunately, it was painted gold, rather than the movie car’s silver, the reasoning seeming to be down to the fact that that silver was thought to be too close to the bare finish of the casting material, Zamac, known in the UK as Mazac. A...

THIS LOOKS TO BE QUITE A BEAST from diecast manufacturer, Corgi. And the video interview shows that there's been useful cross-fertilisation from Airfix during the design process. Hardly surprisingly, the box ( above ) is a big one, though we shouldn't take the 'Limited Edition' label too seriously, except where the markings are concerned. There will doubtless be many variations in finishes to come, and maybe some intriguing models too - we'd like to see a Blue Steel version, and a Black Buck Falklands War veteran. The video ( below ) reveals that photo-etch parts are used for some details, and there are fascinating shots of various CAD drawings. It's well worth watching from start to finish. The model features a particular ex-Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan B2, serial number XH558. It's the same aircraft that has been the focus for the 'Vulcan to the Sky' Return to Flight campaign, details below. About the real thing In Corgi's words, "After the...

HERE AT SMN TOWERS, we’re always discussing the importance (or not) of scale, a subject that’s hardly surprising bearing in mind the title of the website. But it really can be a trying issue - back in the early days of plastic kits, when manufacturers were in fit-the-box mode, it was hard sometimes to get any two models to match up, let alone assemble an entire collection. Happily things have changed dramatically since then, and few new releases these days are in anything but one of the popular scales. However, scale mismatches do still go on, and not only in plastic kits, as the examples here show. The red Cheetah car in these pictures is from the Gerry Anderson TV series ‘Captain Scarlet,’ as is the grey Rhino pursuit vehicle. They are both diecast releases that Corgi designers worked hard over, with fine castings, and working parts that added to the sci-fi qualities of the popular show. They gave the Cheetah flip-out spoiler and wings, the Rhino extending front and rear rams, with a...

With Team Lotus currently standing third in the Formula One Driver’s World Championship, it’s an appropriate time for Corgi to start a collection of Lotus sports and racing cars. Corgi presents the Lotus Team collection, a series of 1:43 scale diecast model cars. Each model carries an authentic Lotus livery and comes complete with a collector card with info details, all packed in a neat plastic case. At present the collection includes Lotus F1 cars from the 2012 and 2013 seasons, plus the Lotus Evora road car. There are several colour schemes for this - the one shown here echoes the red-gold-white Gold Leaf Team Lotus markings used in the late 1960s. For more than 60 years, British car manufacturer Lotus has been designing and building leading edge sports and racing cars, the first of which was built in 1948, in North London by founder Colin Chapman. A founding Chapman principle was ‘performance through light weight’, and Lotus continues this aim from its design and build HQ, based on ...

SMN report: Here’s a new set of familiar faces from Corgi, in the form of the new-tool Flight range. The first wave consists of seven aircraft, five from World War II, plus a pair of modern jets. Flight range aims Prime aims with this diecast range are collectibility and affordability, with prices starting at £14.99 GBP ($ 23.50 USD), though it’s fair to say that ultrafine detail doesn’t appear to be included in the deal. Perhaps no matter though, as display stands are included, making the models of prime appeal as general display items for general enthusiasts and non-specialist military historians of all ages, from 9 to 90. Corgi’s PR spin Corgi’s Marketing Manager, Martyn Weaver, says of the Flight range: “We are delighted to bring this new collection to aviation supporters. To capture models with such iconic presence accurately is always our main aim. By creating this range, we hope to provide fans with their own piece of history for devotees to enjoy for years to come.” The latter...

SMN report: We noted the big new 1:72 scale Short Stirling heavy bomber earlier this week, and now here’s a pair of smaller aircraft to the same scale, a Hawker Hart inter-war period biplane, and a Hawker Hurricane from World War II. Both releases look interesting enough, the Hart looking especially attractive, with fine interplane rigging a highly appealing feature. What’s the Corgi Hart like? The Hawker Hart light day bomber was designed by Sir Sydney Camm, who later designed the Hurricane and Hunter jet. Camm’s design is captured nicely in this Corgi Hawker Hart, from the pointed propeller spinner to the tail skid. Details extend to the strut-mounted pitot tube for indicating airspeed. The long fuselage groove you can see under the engine exhausts is not a cooling intake, but the exit slot for bullets from the single Vickers machine gun, fired by the pilot. The observer had a Lewis gun, mounted on a Scarf ring. You won’t see it on this model, reasonably enough, but for bombing purpo...

SMN report: The team at Corgi has worked really hard with this new diecast 1:72 scale model of the Short Stirling World War II British heavy bomber. In fact, one of the UK’s two leading hardcopy diecast mags gives it a top-score 10/10 rating. Injection vs diecast From a construction-kit point of view, the Stirling doesn’t rate that high - even today’s metal diecast technology cannot match injection-moulded plastic for fine detail. But move back a bit to arm's length. Then this model could sit next to a kit-built equivalent, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between plastic and metal, all of which earns the Corgi Short Stirling a solid 8.0 rating from SMN.  What’s in the box? Out of the box, the Corgi model comes ready for display, with moveable gun turrets, bombs loaded into the multiple bays, and Royal Air Force (RAF) markings in place. It’s a big and heavy bird, this Corgi Stirling. To 1:72 , the wingspan is some 415 mm (16.3 in), and the tall undercarriage accurate...

Spring Fair report from David Jefferis: Another trade show that’s running this week is the UK’s Spring Fair, held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham. While not quite as massive as the Nuremberg Toy Fair, Spring Fair is still a major footslogger that attracts more than 70,000 visitors. It’s a mega-roundup of 300,000 offered products, ranging from goodies like coffeemakers and cooking gadgets, to art prints and jewellery. And neatly stirred into the mix are halls dedicated to toys and games, aka collectibles, hobbies, and models. Ready-builts to the front Companies I had expected to see were there - Hornby, Maisto, Revell, among them - plus distributors like Amerang and A.B. Gee. But the real eye-opener was the quality of the ready-made collectibles on offer. Seriously, if you don’t have time, skill, or interest to build a model from scratch, then you still have the chance - and usually at highly competitive prices - to build a display collection that need be second to n...