Monday, November 29, 2010

RC2 JOYRIDE 1/18 JAMES BOND CORVETTE MODEL - A VIEW TO A KILL


This 1985 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-I is one of the littler known Bond cars to feature in a movie. Which starred the cool Roger Moore as it turned out to be his last movie as the secret agent. The Corvette was not much more than a stunning way of trnsport for Bond in this movie. As he has to go to Silicon Valley in Nevada to beat Zorof which ends in a fight on a small airship over the Golden Gate bridge. The Corvette is an American legend and has lasted since the late 50's with the newest still being produced. So with looks and power it was a brilliant choice as a Bond car for the era and marked a change in direction in the film series.

The JoyRide Entertainment Series features detailed models of vehicles from television and film. These fully assembled models are crafted using die-cast metal with some plastic components. Features include opening doors, opening hood with a detailed replica engine, opening rear window hatch and turning wheels. Shop here

JAMES BOND - A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)


A View to a Kill (1985) is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the third Bond film after The Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy to have an entirely original screenplay. In A View to a Kill, Bond is pitted against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy California's Silicon Valley.

The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who also wrote the screenplay with Richard Maibaum. It was the third James Bond film to be directed by John Glen, and the last to feature Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny.

Despite being a commercial success and earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song, A View to a Kill was poorly received by critics and was also disliked by Roger Moore himself due to his age. Christopher Walken, however, was praised for portraying a "classic Bond villain".

JAMES BOND ROGER MOORE ERA LOTUS ESPRIT MODEL SET


This set includes die-cast models of the Lotus Esprit (underwater version) from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and the Lotus Esprit Turbo from the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. Between 1973 and 1985, Roger Moore appeared as James Bond in seven films.

Also included is an individually numbered collectors box complete with miniature reproductions of four James Bond 007 film posters from the Roger Moore era. Shop here

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Motormax 1/64 Ford Crown Victoria City Taxi Cab - American Graffiti Metropolis Diorama


A "Moments in Time" Series Diorama by Motormax featuring a Bustling Metropolis scene from the popular movie American Graffiti. Diorama includes a 1:64 scale die-cast replica of the yellow Ford Crown Victoria City Taxi Cab and one figure . Shop here

Motormax 1/64 Ford Thunderbird - American Graffiti Downtown Diorama

A "Moments in Time" Series Diorama by Motormax featuring a Down Town scene from the popular movie American Graffiti. Diorama includes a 1:64 scale die-cast replica of the 1956 white Ford Thunderbird and one figure . Shop here

Beautiful Cars in American Graffiti Movie

AMERICAN GRAFFITI


American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford. Set in 1962 Modesto, California, American Graffiti is a study of the cruising and rock and roll cultures popular among the Post-World War II baby boom generation. The film is a nostalgic portrait of teenage life in the early 1960s told in a series of vignettes, featuring the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures within one night.

The genesis of American Graffiti was in Lucas's own teenage years in early 1960s Modesto. He was unsuccessful in pitching the concept to financiers and distributors, but finally found favor at Universal Pictures after United Artists, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Paramount Pictures turned him down. Filming was initially set to take place in San Rafael, California, but the production crew was denied permission to shoot beyond a second day. As a result, most filming for American Graffiti was conducted in Petaluma.

American Graffiti was released to universal critical acclaim and financial success, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Produced on a $775,000 budget, the film has turned out to be one of the most profitable movies of all time. Since its initial release, American Graffiti has garnered an estimated return of well over $200 million in box office gross and home video sales, not including merchandising. In 1995, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film culturally significant and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Johnny Lightning 1/64 The Italian Job Mini Cooper BLUE


Johnny Lightning's mini coopers are painted just like they were in the movie. You can all three colours that were used in the Italian Job, this one (blue), red and white. All have the same white stripes and white rectangle on the roof as the ones in the movie did. The only disappointing thing is they don't have numberplates. The red one is usually the most expensive to obtain, maybe because it was in earlier scenes in the movie as well, maybe as it was driven by Charlize Theron. All colours have the same blister card with the red mini on it.

You can also get dirty versions of the three minis, they are supposedly representing different things, LA road grime on the red car, back alley dirt on the white one, and downtown rust on the blue (as if the car would rust that quickly in the time frame of the movie). Anyway the dirt all looks the same no matter what its supposed origins are. They also come on the exact same blister card as the clean versions which means if you only want the three colours but don't mind if their clean or dirty you should be able to obtain the three cheaper and they still look like they are part of a trio set. --James N Simpson Shop here

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Hot Wheels 1/50 1966 TV Series Batboat Vehicle


The Batboat is the latest in Hot Wheels' line of 1:50 scale vehicles based on the 1966 'Batman' television series, joining the Batmobile, Batcycle, and the Batgirl cycle ( at the time of this writing, the Batgirl cycle is still only available in a limited edition San Diego Comic Con boxset ).

The Batboat comes with a black plastic trailer, customized with the addition of batfins over the wheel wells, and bat insignias on the hubcaps. This trailer is a completely imaginary item, since on the television show ( and in the 1966 theatrical film where the boat was first introduced ) we never saw the Batboat being towed on a trailer of any kind. The boat was always seen to be docked by a pier, ready to go. The trailer attaches to a hitch added to newer editions of the previously released 1:50 scale Batmobile. Unfortunately, when the two models are displayed in tandem, it points out what appears to be a size discrepancy between the two, as the boat seems to be somewhat smaller in scale than the car. The boat does not stay securely, and only rests loosely atop the trailer.

As to the boat itself, the overall color is a dark metal-flake blue, with red pinstriping similar to that on the Batmobile. This is very close to the color of the original boat as seen on the T.V. series. The top of the boat has fairly correct silver highlighted detailing ( although curiously, the 'antenna' between the cockpit bubbles lacks the highlighting ). The sides of the hull have a large white flared leaf or feather shaped area on either side, which appears to be a common feature on the original Crestflite V174, which was produced and modified by Glastron for the show. However, on the Batboat, this was modified with the addition of a sporty red and yellow flame design. The flame on this toy, while similar, does not match the original exactly. However, it is close enough to pass inspection ( if you're not comparing it to still frames from the series ). The large tail fin has the appropriate yellow oval Batman shields ( though they look a bit small ), but it lacks the three white hightlights on both sides that accent the batwing scalloping in the rear ( I don't know why, but this is one missing detail that bothers me a lot ).

The shape of the boat itself seems to be a bit thicker and stubbier than the actual boat used on the show. I may be wrong, but it seems to my eyes that the length of the bow has been foreshortened. Unfortunately, the sculptors of this replica apparently did not have access to the original vehicle from which to take their measurements ( unlike the Hot Wheels Batmobile, which was created from digital scans of the actual car ).

Although the Batboat itself is not entirely accurate, It's still a nice addition to the Hot Wheels line, especially since replicas of the vehicles from the Batman television series have not been seen on toy store racks in well over twenty years. --Davidp Shop here

Saturday, November 13, 2010

James Bond Double-Decker Bus: Live And Let Die



Detailed die-cast model of the Double-Decker Bus driven by James Bond in the 1973 film "Live And Let Die". It features a removable top section. The film starred Roger Moore as James Bond


In the film, as Bond and Solitaire try to escape Son Monique, Bond takes over a double-decker bus. He drives the bus under a low bridge, completely removing the top deck and causing it to fall onto a pursuing car. Buy it now

Thursday, November 11, 2010

JAMES BOND - MOON BUGGY & JAMES BOND FIGURE


From the film Diamonds are forever came, the 'James Bond Moon Buggy'. A strange looking black and white framework vehicle with black wheels and red dome, articulated pincer arms and a revolving radar scanner, it was scaled down to 1/45th. Buy it now