Early Christmas treat for Triumph motorcycle fans

Welcome to the latest edition of Corgi Die-cast Diaries, your regular blog review of all the news, updates and topical stories from the captivating world of Corgi die-cast model collecting.

We begin this latest edition of our Corgi development update blog with an explanation as to why we delayed its posting it for a week - it was because we were waiting for something very special to show you all. In fact, to be completely accurate, we were waiting for three special arrivals to see us through the remaining blogs for the year, bringing 2022 to a close with news of some massive die-cast exclusives. The subject of our next update must be kept under wraps for now, but as you can see from this latest header image, this week's edition is all about scale Triumph motorcycles, one approaching its triumphant release (did you see what we did there!) and one a 2023 new tooling project announcement which is being featured in a Die-cast Diaries blog for the very first time. Both motorcycles are linked to their individual appearances in iconic movies 58 years apart and as they represent a significant new direction for the Corgi brand, this latest update is a proud and exciting moment for the entire Corgi team.

We begin this update with an overview of the James Bond 'No Time to Die' Triumph Scrambler 1200 model project we have been following all year, including a final update on its availability and where you might be able to pick one up following its imminent release. We will then move on to the next Triumph motorcycle to join this James Bond classic, a machine which was the star of arguably one of the most popular war films ever produced and with it, one of the most famous motorcycle scenes ever to hit the silver screen. Oh, and it also happens to be a huge blog exclusive.

There are lots of exciting developments to tell you about, so we had better make a start straight away.

A Corgi Triumph for Bond fans

A spectacular new addition to our popular range of James Bond 007 models, this 1/12th scale 'No Time to Die' Triumph Scrambler 1200 simply exudes quality and is a fitting centrepiece to any Bond collection.

If anyone is looking for a little excitement at the end of a long day, there is nothing quite like settling down to watch one of the 27 films featuring everyone’s favourite fictional British Secret Service agent and his licence to thrill us, the suave and enigmatic James Bond. No matter which film you decide to rewatch, you can be absolutely certain there will be an exciting car, boat or Little Nellie chase for you to enjoy, something to get the adrenalin flowing around the body and even though you will have probably seen it many times previously, will still have you on the edge of your seat. Although usually associated with some of the world's most iconic super cars, Bond's latest adventures in 'No Time to Die' saw him showing his prowess for speed on two wheels in his usual style, a mode of transport we here at Corgi knew would make for a popular addition to our James Bond range of products whilst at the same time presenting our designers with an opportunity to excel in producing a spectacular new tooling design.

As any self-respecting Bond fan will be only too aware, several of the exciting action scenes featured in the latest movie heralded the franchise debut of an iconic British motorcycle brand into the enduring Bond legacy. Ridden by both the villainous mercenary Primo and 007 himself, once he had disabled his enemy, Bond uses the powerful and distinctive Triumph Scrambler 1200 to race through the ancient streets of the Italian city of Matera, with the motorcycle seemingly spending as much time in the air as it does on two wheels. Making an exciting new addition to our ever evolving range of Bond related die-cast models, we have been following our tribute to the Triumph Scrambler which appeared in ‘No Time To Die’ throughout the year in Die-cast Diaries and we are delighted to report that barring a transport disaster of Bond-like proportions, this beautiful model should be in our warehouse in time for Christmas.

Two wheels for you this time Mr Bond? These images feature a production sample of this much anticipated addition to the Corgi model range, one which we are hoping will be in stock and cleared for dispatch this side of Christmas.

Initially, this significant new addition to the Corgi range was intended to proceed as a 1/24th scale representation, however, whilst conducting a research visit at the Triumph Motorcycles Factory Visitor Experience facility in Leicestershire, Corgi Development Engineer Dan F had some immediate reservations about this decision and started to think a little more ambitiously about the project. Having closely inspected the motorcycle during his visit and with his excellent knowledge of die-cast model design and manufacturing processes, he could clearly see features on the motorcycle he wanted to replicate in some detail on the proposed new model, but how this might be problematic in the relatively small 1/24th scale. Other details were so fine that it simply could not be replicated in this scale, but he knew there was a solution - they could upscale the model! As he travelled back to Corgi HQ, he thought about how he was going to go about suggesting this significant change to the rest of the Corgi team, but he knew it would involve lots of the photographs he had just taken and a well-constructed presentation of his reasoning - the game was on!

During his research visit to Triumph, in addition to being able to see the spectacular selection of Triumph road bikes they had on show in their visitor experience showrooms, it was also possible to see the differences between the Scrambler 1200 road bikes and the ones which were modified for use in the latest Bond movie. As our intention was to produce an exact scale representation of the motorcycle Bond fans had become so familiar with since the launch of the latest film, it was essential that all these modifications were accurately replicated on the new model, because even at that stage, the entire team were confident that this was going to be a hugely popular addition to the range.

Clearly, the decision to upscale the model would not be without its challenges, particularly as the model had already appeared in catalogue and also had its own dedicated product page on the Corgi website, but even though this decision would undoubtedly also result in a project delay, we knew this was the right call and when our collectors got their hands on the model, they would be in full agreement. We are pleased to say that that time is now almost upon us.

Everything about this new model simply screams quality and it represents an exciting new direction for the Corgi brand. Triumph and Bond fans will be delighted with this model.

A high quality introduction from beginning to end.

Dan must have presented his upscaling case to the team effectively, because the project was almost immediately given the development green light to proceed at the larger 1/12th scale, a change which would yield several significant benefits for the proposed new model. It would allow the design and development team more latitude when it came to incorporating fine details into their tooling design, whilst at the same time bringing the project in line with a traditional collector scale for motorcycle models, both in plastic and die-cast metal. For the collector, the new model was now going to be a much more impressive piece and in this larger scale, would be something any self-respecting 007 fan was definitely going to want to get their hands on.

Right from the very outset of this project, our friends at Triumph have been incredibly helpful to our design and development team, from supplying highly detailed CAD data files for the Bond Scrambler, to allowing unfettered research access to their stunning collection of road and film motorcycles, ensuring that our team had everything they needed in order to recreate this magnificent machine as a high quality die-cast representation of a vehicle they were so familiar with. For that reason, it was somehow fitting that the unboxing reveal of an advanced production example of this spectacular new model was actually filmed at the Triumph Motorcycles Factory Visitor Experience Centre recently, something which allowed the Triumph team the opportunity to be the first to see what we had done with all their invaluable assistance. To say they were impressed is an understatement and even though they are the custodians of beautifully presented examples of the real thing, it was our 1/12th die-cast model that they all wanted to get their hands on.

With all the stars aligning correctly and the wind hopefully being in the right direction, we should have this impressive new addition to our James Bond collectables range in our warehouse and available for shipping just before Christmas and for those readers who placed their pre-orders early, you will be amongst the lucky ones. From this initial production run, there are very few unallocated models still available to order, but if the 'No Time to Die' Triumph Scrambler 1200 disappears from the Corgi website over the next few days, you may still be able to pick one up at several places. It is unlikely that many model shops will have free stock available, but that being the case, you might be able to pick one up at the Triumph Motorcycles Visitor Experience Centre itself, at a Triumph motorcycle dealership and at the official James Bond 007 Store. It won't be long now until this beautiful new model is gracing our display cabinets and delighting Bond and Triumph fanatics everywhere and we can't wait for you all to experience it in the metal.

A motorcycle icon of the silver screen

Anyone in the mood for a new model exclusive? Our modern Triumph Scrambler 1200 model had to have company and what could be more appropriate than a Triumph classic, arguably the most famous motorcycle to have ever appeared on the big screen, just the thing you need for a Great Escape!

As part of our Brand Executive David Mather's exclusive Triumph unboxing video shot recently at the Triumph Motorcycles Factory Visitor Experience Centre and aired this week as a Corgi advent feature, he also made an exclusive 2023 new tooling announcement, by way of a little Corgi festive treat. Not content with bringing our collectors one iconic Triumph motorcycle star of the silver screen in scale form, next year will see the arrival of another classic, a motorcycle which surely has a claim to being involved in one of the most famous and exciting movie chase sequences of all time. 

To mark the 60th Anniversary of The Great Escape movie, we will be producing the most accurate 1/12th scale die-cast representation ever produced of the Triumph Trophy TR6 motorcycle ridden by Captain Virgil Hilts 'The Cooler King' in the film, one of the most thrilling sequences in one of the most famous war films ever released. Before we look at our project to immortalise this magnificent machine in die-cast metal, let's first take a look at the individual motorcycle itself and the history behind it.

During the production planning for the movie, one of the stars convinced producers to include a motorcycle chase as part of the main prisoner escape story, a thrilling sequence which would see the former prisoner use the powerful motorcycle to facilitate his escape to Switzerland. As you might well imagine, with hundreds of German troops on high alert in the area, this was not going to go unchallenged and what they were actually discussing would become one of the most famous war movie scenes ever committed to film and arguably the most famous appearance of a motorcycle in movie history.

As part of these discussions, the actor recommended that they engage the services of his good friend in planning and executing the scene, a stuntman and US motorcycling legend, who just happened to be a Triumph devotee and the biggest Triumph dealer in the world at that time. The American market loved the power and responsiveness of the Trophy TR6 motorcycle and when it came to selecting a machine for this sequence, there was no question, it simply had to be a Triumph Trophy TR6. A standard production road bike was modified for this starring role and made to look like a wartime German BMW motorcycle - the scene was set for a memorable movie moment.

A huge blog exclusive, these images feature the prototype SLA model produced from our new Triumph Trophy TR6 tooling and feature the famous machine which starred in the 1963 war movie 'The Great Escape' and gave us one of the most iconic film sequences to ever feature a motorcycle.

Initially wearing German uniform for his audacious escape attempt, our motorcycle riding hero was challenged by German troops in a village and being unable to reply to questioning in German, made good his escape at high speed, with German troops in hot pursuit. Following a thrilling chase sequence, 'The Cooler King' arrived at open land which marked the border with Switzerland, with the tantalising view of the Alps in the background highlighting just how close he was to freedom. With German troops now closing in, Hilts used the motorcycle to jump the first of two tall barbed wire fences between him and his escape, but as he attempted to do the same over the second, higher fence, his motorcycle was hit by machine gun fire and he slid into the barbed wire. Unfortunately for him, it was captivity and back to the cooler for our hero Hilts.

This relatively short sequence would become arguably the most famous in the movie and added a real adrenalin fuelled few minutes into what was already proving to be an extremely tense section of the film. As for the actual filming, the US stunt rider was engaged for just two days in planning and setting up this sequence and the fence jump scene itself was completed in just a single take, testament to the Triumph Trophy TR6 and the faith the production team had placed in it.

Following the end of filming, this unique Triumph Trophy TR6 motorcycle was sold to a farmer in Norfolk, who apparently used this two wheeled star of the silver screen in a new role, that of cattle herding aide. Following his death many years later, the estate passed to his family, who discovered the bike languishing in a barn in rather a sorry state and didn't give the matter another thought. Initially considered to be lost forever, a Triumph expert and collector later decided he was going to try and find out what happened to this famous motorcycle and following a period of extensive research, turned up at the Norfolk farm hoping to find this mechanical screen legend. A deal to purchase the motorcycle was struck and it was taken away to undergo a lengthy period of meticulous restoration to as near to its Great Escape starring configuration as could be achieved - this would take fully fifteen years to complete.

A final look at our prototype Triumph Trophy TR6 motorcycle tooling, a project we look forward to following the development of throughout 2023.

The iconic Triumph Trophy TR6 used in The Great Escape movie is now one of the prized exhibits at the Triumph Motorcycles Factory Visitor Experience facility and in a development which further enhanced the relationship between Triumph and Corgi, we were allowed the opportunity to conduct the LIDAR scanning of the actual bike for this next 1/12th scale project. A model which will be the most accurate die-cast representation of this famous motorcycle ever produced, we are backing up this exclusive 2023 new tooling announcement with a further exclusive, a first look at the prototype SLA model produced from our new CAD files. This really is a stunning new model and one which will definitely be of interest to a great many people - one of, if not THE most famous film motorcycle of all time in 1/12th scale die-cast form. 

Obviously, as an advanced 2023 exclusive announcement, this beautiful new model is not yet available for pre-order, however, we will keep you fully informed on its progress in Die-cast Diaries throughout 2023 and we are really looking forward to being able to share images of the first metal engineering sample in due course. For now though, thoughts should turn to the 'No Time to Die' Triumph Scrambler 1200 and making sure we don't miss out on this spectacular new addition to our James Bond collectables range.

2022 Advent Calendar is a festive Corgi treat

As we all now start to look forward to a little family time and a well-earned rest at the end of the month, the pressure of making sure we have the right gifts for our loved ones can take over from our usual work stresses, however, if your loved ones are die-cast collectors, the Corgi website might just have the gift answers you are looking for. One thing we do have to bear in mind though are the impending last postage date deadlines and as this is always a busy time for shipping carriers, the situation will only be made worse this year by the current Royal Mail industrial actions taking place. This year more than ever, we are going to have to be organised when it comes to postage and delivery of intended gifts.

We will soon be publishing our last postage date guidance for Christmas, so please keep an eye on the Corgi website, or for those people who are signed up to receive e-mails and notifications, please keep an eye out for communications sent direct to your inbox.

As we are now firmly in the festive season, this year's Corgi Advent Calendar feature is now in full swing on the Corgi website and behind every door lies a selection of competitions, announcements, gift ideas, exclusives and future product teasers, each one tailored towards the die-cast collector. Currently live behind the December 2nd door is our popular 'Ask the Team' feature, where you have the opportunity to ask a Corgi related question to be answered by two members of the team later in the month. This question and answer session is due to be filmed towards the end of next week, so if you do have a burning Corgi question, you need to get it to us by this coming Monday, so you have the weekend to pen your question and get it sent in. Please send your question to marketing@corgi.co.uk and hopefully yours will be one answered in our pre-Christmas Q&A video.

Finally, as hinted at earlier, our next edition will be the last for 2022, but we will be bringing readers a huge project update exclusive, just to see us through to the New Year.

That's another edition of Die-cast Diaries all wrapped up, but we will be back as usual in two weeks' time with a further look at all the latest Corgi model developments, project updates and exclusive image reveals. Between editions, we are always interested to hear your views on all things Corgi, so if you feel like dropping us a line to comment on anything blog or Corgi model related, or indeed to suggest a topic you would like us to include in a future edition, please feel free to do so at diecastdiaries@corgi.co.uk.

If you can’t wait for the next blog, you will find plenty of Corgi model collecting discussions taking place on our official social media channels, access to which can be obtained by clicking on the respective links at the foot of the Corgi website homepage. 

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Thank you for continuing to support our Die-cast Diaries blog. Our next edition is scheduled for publication on Friday 23rd December - where has this year gone? 

The Corgi Team