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Well, this is a strange feeling... a WIP no less. It seems I haven't been involved in a WIP for forever, or even maybe a bit longer. Over the last few months I've been heavily involved in 3D printing various bit of Wessi for parishioners of this parish. That took up pretty much most of my time and what little time was left, well, the mojo seemed to have gone on vacation. I'm not sure if it's returned or not, but what better way to find out where it's hiding than to start a build. Then being as dense as I am, not just one build, but a triad of builds. Surely nothing can go wrong there then? You may or may not know but aside from the venerable Wessex, I've always had a thing for the Aston Martin DB5, and in particular, Mr. Bond's DB5. (actually that car and 2CV6's, but that's another story). I knew there was an ancient Airfix kit of 007's car but ebay prices were a bit over the top - generally going for over $300. Way out of my league. However, there was an alternate route when I spotted that Aurora back in the day released a "Super Spy Car" which was an unlicensed version of the Bond car. The Aurora kit was a bit cheaper and one of my first build threads on BM was the rebuild of a glue bomb obtained from the bay for the princely sum of $19 iirc. Fast forward a bunch of years and I managed to obtain one of the old Airfix DB5's or rather, some of it. In my modeling innocence I thought I could repair/scratch build whatever to build the kit, but when it arrived and I had a good look, well, let's say it's been in the stash for coming up on 10 years now. More recently, Revell released a snap together kit of the DB5 and of course, I had to get one. Then, just to add insanity to the madness, at some point in the intervening years I had obtained one of the old Corgi 261's. I've even gone as far as dismantling most of it with the intent of refurbishing it. The only thing preventing that action was a cracked windscreen, and putting the ejection seat roof panel in a safe place, never to be seen again. Back to trolling auction sites and I managed to obtain another fairly decent Corgi recently for just over $7. Bargain. I now find myself in the position of having 3 different DB5's and thought, well, if I'm building one, is building 3 any more difficult? Of course it is dummkopf! One is a snap together kit, one is a nearly 60 year old Airfix kit, and the other is a (revolutionary for the time,) die-cast model. But what the heck... in for a penny and all that. What are we dealing with here then? Well, both kits are 1/24, and the diecast per standard is 1/43. Here's the two bodyshells. See if you can guess which is which Followed by the complete line up of combatants for this endeavor. Please note that I do not intend to make these super accurate. I just want to have 3 completed DB5's at the end of the day, and am quite happy for each version to show it's heritage, and it's age. How accurate are the kit's? I have no idea to be honest. They look like DB5's but I have no access to data that would tell me one is more correct in any aspect than the other. I would assume the Revell kit being more modern, is more accurate. Perhaps Airfix had access to the Aston engineers and their kit is more accurate. Who knows? Lets start with the bodyshells. At first glance they are very similar, but taking a closer look: Look at the difference in the windscreen apertures - significantly different, aren't they? Other obvious differences are the shape of the bonnet's, especially the front edge - more or less a straight edge on the Revell, but generously curved on the Airfix kit. The bonnet scoop is different as is the width and curvature of the front wings. The difference in the front wings can be seen to more effect in this shot. (I just know those Airfix headlamps are going to give me problems). There are issues with the Revell kit also. For one it's designed as a snap-together, so I know there's going to be gaps and lots of filling in my future. There's also a load of flow lines present on the kit and I just don't know how they are going to present themselves under paint. Flow lines anyone? I think one of the first jobs on the Revell kit will be to spill primer over it to highlight seams, sinks, and any other potential pitfalls. At least I know I have a full kit. The Airfix kit on the other hand. Some bits I have, and many other bits I do not. The engine is completely missing along with various other probably important bits. James himself is missing though I have his arms (? ) and the bad guy. I thought I had two seats until I looked closely and realized that they are both passenger seats. While I managed to dismantle most of the kit, there were some bits that just wouldn't come apart despite all efforts, such as Bond's weapons tray on the rear parcel shelf. Oh this should be a fun ride. Snap-together... did someone mention gaps? Before I even start any kind of assembly on this I have to figure a bunch of things out first. On the Revell kit, the interior tub and chassis are meant to be assembled as a unit then slid into the bodyshell, with the front valance being attached afterwards. That means there's going to be a horrible join line to deal with and I'd like to get the bodyshell completed and painted before the interior are shoved into it. But... There's no way the chassis will pop in once the valance is fitted. I need to check my solutions book and see if there's a chapter dealing with that in there. On to the Corgi. Initial disassembly was easy - just drill out the single rivet holding the chassis to the body - then photograph it so I have a chance of remembering how it goes back together. Sheesh, that looks complicated. It looks even more complicated now A quick test shows that parts may clean up quite well. How long they stay that clean is an open question. This is another thing I have to consider going forward. Will a simple clear coat keep them in shiny condition? or do I need to consider something else? Interestingly, as I discovered when breaking these apart, Corgi seems to have modified or changed the molds over the course of production. These are both the Corgi 261 originals. Both windscreens are different, as is some of the geometry inside the bodyshell. More significantly though is the vent on the front wing. Note how the version on the left doesn't have the "chrome" divider present while the version on the right does. Also, the version on the right seems to sit just a tad lower than his still painted kin on the left. Ehrr, not much progress for a WIP I'm afraid but at least I've put my stake in the ground. Now I just need to figure out what the landscape looks like. I think there will be a lot more destruction before there's any actual construction, not to mention and decent amount of chaos. The next post will be interesting, maybe. P.S. I have no idea where I'm going with all of this.

This is the story of building a model tramway... It starts of with the dangers of looking on eBay... Was looking for a bit of colour to go with my model tanks and saw in one of the random search results a model tram...so I searched for model trams. They can be expensive to motorise (£50+) but one seller was making a kit for £12 and I thought I could have a go at that...and so it began. Having only a 2 metre shelf x 25cm there was not of room to play, but people have made 00 gauge shunting layouts smaller so I could work with it, albeit some compromises. I decided though that this would be portable and had to fit in my (small) car. Here's the initial planning....

I was asked to convert the Corgi 1:32 die cast model of the Mosquito for a 101st birthday present for Flt Lt Colin Bell DFC. This particular scheme is of his favourite Mosquito, which he tried to fly as much as he could with the pathfinders over Germany. It required a full paint strip down, re paint, creation of the markings and weathering. I also included a set of Mosquito stencil decals.

I am not sure if this is posted in the right place but here goes lol. I have a little Corgi Diecast Model Spitfire "Neville Duke". Its the small size ones that I got years ago I love it due to the desert markings on it even though its mostley a toy.. I keep it on my desk beside my PC, I dropped it and the stand broke off. Its about 8cm long X 10cm wide Does anyone know where i can get replacement stands? I found these on Amazon but not sure if they would do. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airfix-Small-Aircraft-Display-Assorted/dp/B0064LS1ZU/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=aircraft+stands&qid=1610028986&s=kids&sr=1-4 Thanks

This was a little project I've had on the go for the last year. It is a Corgi Rolls-Royce Corniche that was either an eBay or car boot sale cheap buy; I think I wanted one when I was younger but never got my hands on one. I was inspired by various YouTube diecast restorations. A couple of before photos. And after. I wasn't sure I could match the metallic paint, so I went for solid Vauxhall burgundy, which I rather like. It took a while to get a good finish but some micromesh and polishing compound (not at the same time) brought it up lovely. I also managed to fill and rebuild the front number plate and driving lamp. I wasn't keen on the original interior colour, so I changed that with some enamel paint, chrome detailing was added with Molotow pen except for the wheel centres, which are silver sharpie.

Reading the paper this morning, I see that Hornby has won the International Licencing to sell Corgi and Scalextric-branded James Bond products in 2015.

The Corgi Scooter was produced by the Corgi Motorcycle Company, and is a post WWII civilian version of the Military Welbike. It was never used by the British Military but was used by the USAF in Korea as they were exported to the US and sold under the "Indian Papoose" name. Pics thanks to Rich Ellis.