The Corgi C270 Aston Martin DB5 of 1968 is quite possibly the greatest die cast toy the Mettoy factory produced & is a must have for Bondmania & die cast toy collectors both past & present. Over the years the model has changed from a winged & blister packed to a slimline to a slightly bulkier box but the car itself has remained unchanged until some joker decided it would be a good idea to fit it with flared wheel arches & give us less gadgets in 1976-1977 when production ended to make way for the larger C271.
It was rumoured to have been produced as both a brass prototype & a gold plated limited run of just 7 models however there is no original documented evidence to add provenance to either model!
As to which is the rarest variant? most collectors agree that it is the yellow fronted slimline box of 1970 and of course there had to be a variant of this version too. At first glance the boxes appear identical however the earlier box had Playcraft Toys London on the rear where the slightly later version was changed to Mettoy Playcraft on the rear with the red 270 on the front. It has been rumoured that the box was also produced with a removable header card however like the brass prototype and gold plated version there is no documented evidence to support this. And now for the cruncher, expect to pay anything between £500 - £1000 for a clean/ex-shop stock condition original example! Not bad for something which retailed for just 10'9 (just under 60p in 1968) -{
Here's a true oddball in every sense of the word. The Royal World Premiere programme for 1967's first cinematic offering of CasinoRoyale which like all good Bond premieres was held at The Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London. Personally I don't consider it a Bond film & have nothing in my collection on it ...until now! I've watched the price of this programme climb to ridiculous heights in recent years although I can only blame myself & the person I have been bidding against ...D'ohhhhh!
If you collect Bond Royal Premiere paraphernalia? then this attractively bound volume (which is staple bound although it looks strung together) is a must have to fill a hole in a collection until B25 knocks on our doors in 2019? -{
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,746Chief of Staff
An interesting collection of original Aston Martin Lagonda photos of BMT216A including a rather unique image of Sir David Brown and Honor Blackman taken in 1964 and FMP taken later at Silverstone plus a great image of the DB5 production line. The image of the car outside Pinewood Studios has the original press release on the back of the photo. I have only seen this image in Dave Worrall's masterpiece The Most Famous Car In The World previously.
My sincere thanks to my good friend Acacia_Avenue who made me aware of the availability of the photos at a recent auction -{
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,746Chief of Staff
Here's an interesting piece which just surfaced at auction from a cinema in Manchester put on the Donkey's radar by my good friend Acacia_Avenue -{
Measuring 148cm x 134cm x 2.3cm (so larger than a US subway poster), mounted on wood, initially it looks like it may have been pieced together from a quad poster however the lettering is painted. The dates do correspond to December 1964. The image of Mr Connery is taken from a Goldfinger press still shot on the set under the Fort Knox model where Bond was imprisoned by Goldfinger's Korean guards but where did it come from? For From Russia With Love and indeed Thunderball poster sets were sent to cinema managers to cut up to produce their own Front of House bespoke displays and even though such an item has not been recorded for Goldfinger? this is what this collector believes the piece to be so perhaps the only known surviving example? Whatever it is I think it is bloody fantastic! :x
Original publicity still featured in volume 4 of 007 Magazine's excellent Goldfinger portfolio
The latest although short term addition to The Modest Collection and possibly the most important, Sean Connery's modified Gentex pilot's flying helmet utilised on the rear screen projection stage at Pinewood Studios in 1967 while filming the Little Nellie flying sequence for You Only Live Twice -{
Sean preparing for rear projection
Back where it belongs although thirteen months behind schedule, exhibited at Bond In Motion next to the Wallis component part flying case which it was last seen inside in the window of Selfridges Department Store in 1967. Perhaps for this iconic restored prop TWICE really IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE! -{
Donk, it was a pleasure to assist in adding to 'the Modest Collection'
A Very important prop added (temporarily) to an equally great collection.
To quote Indiana Jones "That belongs in a museum"....and that's just where its heading.
--Ed
The Holiest of Holy Grail James Bond posters. An original 1967 You Only Live Twice full body Sean Connery STB or two panel Japanese poster. The main image is of that painted by Robert McGinnis with the head originating from the design found on every other Japanese YOLT poster and an MGC Zella Mehlis replica Walther PPK replacing the Walther LP53. I found this actual poster just over a year ago on a poster site in Osaka, Japan while surfing google. I clicked on the thumbnail image & was taken to a listing of over 20,000 posters. Regrettably you could not put YOLT in a search box. It took many hours to cover but the listing was gone. I contacted numerous specialist dealers in Japan and the US in the hope they may know who uses blue ceramic spaceman paperweights to badly hold posters flat but no one knew. The poster should have been described as an STB or two panel but the seller described it as a double poster. The only problem was when you search for YOLT double poster on google you get double bills. Whenever I've searched for Japanese Bond posters I've always tried double poster in the hope the listing may be up again but it has always been the same thumbnail which goes nowhere until Saturday 15th June 2019 when a larger image appeared. I clicked on the link which took me through to an auction site where the poster was listed as "unavailable" ...shitttt! however I clicked on the link and was shocked to be put through to eBay.com and a current listing using the same sh1te cropped images with the poster being held flat by the same blue spaceman paperweight/ashtray?. The seller only ships to the US & it was one of those listings where the seller would not answer questions until you click on "this is not about an item". From that he replied quite quickly saying he would go to Fedex Monday to get the shipping rates and the deal was done. In the 40+ years I have been collecting Bond posters I have only seen two examples for sale including this one. The last was almost 10 years ago @ $4k on ebay and we had a darn good exchange rate back then but at that time I could not afford £3k plus I thought it won't sell at that price so I'll wait for it to be relisted & hopefully make an offer on it but of course it received one bid & sold!. Today I just paid over £4300 to secure it. It has only ever appeared in 2 specialist subject poster books, both by Thomas Nixdorf. A wonderful specialist book on Bond & Man From Uncle posters only published in Japan does not list it neither does the DK James Bond 50 Years of Movie Posters book featuring posters from EON's Archive. Previous to Thomas Nixdorf’s excellent “License To Thrill” book this Donkey did not even know the poster existed! Over the years the specialist dealers I have approached to try and source it have either said this is like “Hen’s Teeth” on a rarity scale or did not know of its existence! One respected Japanese specialist said "oh you mean the premiere screening poster, no I have never seen one for sale". This would make sense that special posters were produced for the premiere being a production based in Japan. This wonderful piece of classic 1960’s Bondmania now graces the entrance to The Modest Collection enclosure. I was about to put in a new kitchen after 30 years but as I think you’ll agree? This Donkey has his priorities down in the right order -{
The original google thumbnail image with spaceman paperweight which started the hunt!
But seriously, a very exciting find, and looks to be in superb, superb condition. Congratulations! -{ -{ -{
No real story, just ridiculously rare. If it wasn't for Thomas Nixdorf I would quite possibly have never known about it. It was unusual for Japan to issue two different designs of STB or two panels for a Bond movie. The second designs came with the early 1970s re-releases -{
Comments
It was rumoured to have been produced as both a brass prototype & a gold plated limited run of just 7 models however there is no original documented evidence to add provenance to either model!
As to which is the rarest variant? most collectors agree that it is the yellow fronted slimline box of 1970 and of course there had to be a variant of this version too. At first glance the boxes appear identical however the earlier box had Playcraft Toys London on the rear where the slightly later version was changed to Mettoy Playcraft on the rear with the red 270 on the front. It has been rumoured that the box was also produced with a removable header card however like the brass prototype and gold plated version there is no documented evidence to support this. And now for the cruncher, expect to pay anything between £500 - £1000 for a clean/ex-shop stock condition original example! Not bad for something which retailed for just 10'9 (just under 60p in 1968) -{
Well done Lord Donkey on another fine addition to the Modest Collection -{
If you collect Bond Royal Premiere paraphernalia? then this attractively bound volume (which is staple bound although it looks strung together) is a must have to fill a hole in a collection until B25 knocks on our doors in 2019? -{
Always loved the cover artwork -{
An interesting collection of original Aston Martin Lagonda photos of BMT216A including a rather unique image of Sir David Brown and Honor Blackman taken in 1964 and FMP taken later at Silverstone plus a great image of the DB5 production line. The image of the car outside Pinewood Studios has the original press release on the back of the photo. I have only seen this image in Dave Worrall's masterpiece The Most Famous Car In The World previously.
My sincere thanks to my good friend Acacia_Avenue who made me aware of the availability of the photos at a recent auction -{
Measuring 148cm x 134cm x 2.3cm (so larger than a US subway poster), mounted on wood, initially it looks like it may have been pieced together from a quad poster however the lettering is painted. The dates do correspond to December 1964. The image of Mr Connery is taken from a Goldfinger press still shot on the set under the Fort Knox model where Bond was imprisoned by Goldfinger's Korean guards but where did it come from? For From Russia With Love and indeed Thunderball poster sets were sent to cinema managers to cut up to produce their own Front of House bespoke displays and even though such an item has not been recorded for Goldfinger? this is what this collector believes the piece to be so perhaps the only known surviving example? Whatever it is I think it is bloody fantastic! :x
Original publicity still featured in volume 4 of 007 Magazine's excellent Goldfinger portfolio
He hasn’t got any left anyway. It’ll be ceilings now.
the spyboys Facebook page
https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/50799/a-rare-1967-survivor-has-surfaced-prop-update/
The latest although short term addition to The Modest Collection and possibly the most important, Sean Connery's modified Gentex pilot's flying helmet utilised on the rear screen projection stage at Pinewood Studios in 1967 while filming the Little Nellie flying sequence for You Only Live Twice -{
Sean preparing for rear projection
Back where it belongs although thirteen months behind schedule, exhibited at Bond In Motion next to the Wallis component part flying case which it was last seen inside in the window of Selfridges Department Store in 1967. Perhaps for this iconic restored prop TWICE really IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE! -{
A Very important prop added (temporarily) to an equally great collection.
To quote Indiana Jones "That belongs in a museum"....and that's just where its heading.
--Ed
the spyboys Facebook page
An original Royal Premiere ticket for the late Sir Roger's first outing as 007 in 1973's Live And Let Die! -{
Mmmm ...... Paper Tat, very nice Young Donkey -{
The original google thumbnail image with spaceman paperweight which started the hunt!
But seriously, a very exciting find, and looks to be in superb, superb condition. Congratulations! -{ -{ -{
No real story, just ridiculously rare. If it wasn't for Thomas Nixdorf I would quite possibly have never known about it. It was unusual for Japan to issue two different designs of STB or two panels for a Bond movie. The second designs came with the early 1970s re-releases -{
Certainly looks in great condition, is it better than you imagined?