A procession of new Vanguard models and Moggy the Magnificent

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 have an impressive number of new and impending model releases for your viewing  delectation this time around, with our Vanguards model car range firmly occupying pole position. We have details and exclusive production sample model imagery to share with you, as we bring you news of four feisty Fords which are all now vying for positions in our display cabinets.

As the current UK Airshow season is now very much off and running, aircraft enthusiasts, along with those just looking for an exciting day out, will all be hoping to catch at least a couple of performances from this year’s Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team, particularly as their aircraft happens to be the consummate Airshow display act. For last year’s D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations, the Display Typhoon was presented in a pseudo Hawker Typhoon scheme from 1944, taking inspiration from aircraft which were heavily engaged in supporting the Allied invasion of northern Europe, and didn’t she look spectacular.

We are delighted to confirm that our latest 1/48th scale Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 model release is almost ready for lift-off, and we are pleased to be in a position to bring you an exclusive preview of our magnificent ‘Moggy’ in this latest update. We will also be including pictures of Moggy with her display Typhoon predecessor, just by way of starting a discussion intended to reveal which scheme readers prefer most.

Strap yourselves in for a wild Corgi new model ride in this latest edition of DCD, because we have an avalanche of new Corgi model information to share with you this weekend.

Let’s Focus on a Ford model extravaganza

Looking good whichever way you look at them, this Ford Focus Mk3 duo of RS and ST-3 models are now in stock and available.

As far as the Hornby hierarchy overseeing the Corgi team are concerned, model sales figures are the most significant numbers they refer to, and when it comes to model representations of Ford car subjects in our Vanguards range, the numbers don’t lie – we just can’t get enough of them. In this latest project update, we are pleased to be bringing you details of no fewer than FOUR new Ford car model subjects, with three of them having just arrived in our warehouse, with the other due to follow on over the next few days.

The models in question span forty years of Ford excellence, with each one being as eye-catching as they are desirable to own, both in the real car and model collectable sense. We will begin by looking at the latest pair of Ford Focus Mk3 models joining the range, which are scale representations of high-end performance Fords, cars which were intended for road use, but had a motorsport heart beneath their appealing exteriors. Visually appealing from any angle, these make for an attractive addition to any model collection.

The Ford Focus is a compact family car series which was first released in Europe back in 1998 and was a project which had some pretty significant motoring shoes to fill (or should that be tyres), as it was the intended replacement for the hugely popular Escort model. The third generation of this car which has now become arguably as popular as its predecessor had its coordinated worldwide release in early 2011 and benefitted from a further facelift into this particular configuration in 2014, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Cosmetically, this upgrade featured a redesigned front grille, redesigned slimline headlights and various internal facelifts.

The sporty RS and ST models continued Ford's incredibly popular road car links with success in motorsport, something which continues to ensure the sales success of their popular cars, a continuation of a legacy which stretches back to the early 1970s. The ST might be a car people see regularly on Britain's roads, however, it features technology which has been taken straight from the world of motorsport and all designed to enhance the driving experience of its owner. This cultured vehicle has larger brakes intended to bring the car to a halt more effectively and the steering wheel has the most efficient turn cycle found on any current Ford model. 

Further enhancing the sporting nature of this desirable car, the ST also benefits from a shorter gear throw for a more rally feel to the car, with stiffer suspension and reactive damping all adding to the car's driver experience. The ST features a high performance 2.3 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine and includes new technology which significantly reduces acceleration lag following driver input, for almost instantaneous power output, another piece of technology taken straight from the world of motorsport.

VA15306 - Ford Focus Mk3 RS Heritage Edition in Deep Orange

The ‘Heritage’ was the RS’s farewell and featured the FPM375 Mountune power upgrade, adding 25bhp and 29lb.ft of torque to an already sensationally fast car, with a Quaife ATB Limited Slip Differential to deploy that power, as well as every available extra except door-protectors. The example modelled here was supplied by Ford dealer C.E.M Day Ltd, Swansea, to Port Talbot-based David Evans. He’d ordered one of three hundred Focus RS ‘Red Editions’ but soon afterwards, in February 2018, saw then Ford of Britain MD Andy Barratt’s social media ‘teaser post’ hinting that fifty deep orange ‘Heritage’ cars would be made to commemorate the RS moniker’s 50th anniversary. He immediately requested Day’s Ford change his order.

All the model images featured in this latest update show advanced production models of all the releases being reviewed.

He’d been so quick Days’ were not aware it had been announced, but four weeks later he was thrilled to hear from Manager Nick Thomas that he’d receive a car, even though it was oversubscribed, because he’d purchased an example of every RS produced by Ford since buying an Escort RS Turbo in 1985.

David received Heritage Edition number thirteen of fifty, on April 18th, 2018, and had it transported to Day’s for its service every year to avoid increasing its mileage. He sold it in 2023 to Ford RS specialist dealers, Mores Motor Company, Somerset, from whom the current owner, Cambridgeshire-based Ford enthusiast Mike Pollard, purchased it. A perfectionist, Mike could not resist this ‘as new’ car, which had covered just 43 miles.

VA15302 - Ford Focus Mk3 ST-3 in Deep Impact Blue

The ST modelled here was purchased from Hendy Ford Chichester, West Sussex, on September 9th, 2016, by the first owner, a lady, who kept it until spring 2024 and covered 39,000 miles. The current and second owner, Essex-based Brett Davidson, bought it from independent dealer Abberton Car Sales, Colchester, Essex, on May 13th, 2024, and loves its combination of performance and practicality. STs are often modified but he intends to leave it standard as he uses it as his regular transport and has covered nearly 10,000 trouble free miles in less than a year of ownership. He feels that it drives very well and does not want to upset its balance by adding more power.

The Mk3 Focus, known as the C346, was launched in 2010 and revised in 2014, most noticeably around the nose which featured Ford’s now familiar family grille and slimline headlights. The ST-3 was the most lavish of the three trim levels offered and featured such luxuries as Bi-Xenon headlights that also had adaptive front lighting and a jetwash. The interior cosseted the occupants in Windsor leather heated Recaro sports seats that were 8-way power adjustable and featured the ST logo. This car’s 19” silver alloy wheels, specified from the Style Pack options list, show off the red brake callipers and its performance intent, while its 8” touchscreen, DAB audio system and Quickclear windscreen make it easy to live with on the daily commute.

Both of these stunning models are in stock and available now.

A Ford car to prove class always endures

Which era of Ford Escort would be your particular favourite?

An enduring feature relating to most of the successful car model types released over the years is how their manufacturers managed to keep them in their ranges for extended periods by giving them trim and appearance upgrades, with some, it has to be said, proving to be more successful than others.

The Ford Escort series of popular family cars was first announced to the motoring world back in January 1968 and over the course of the next 33 years, around 4.1 million vehicles in six distinctly different marks would be produced for the British, European and world motoring markets. On several occasions during that time period, the Escort had the distinction of being Britain’s best-selling car, a fact which is a clear indicator as to why the Escort has made such a popular transition to the scale diecast model collector world.

Already an extremely popular and established range of cars right across Europe, the launch of the second generation of the Ford Escort further enhanced the reputation of this classic small family car and featured much squarer styling than that of its predecessor. Although the L and GL models in both two and four door options would be the bread and butter cars for overall Ford sales numbers, the sporty RS Mexico and RS 2000 models clearly highlighted the fact that these cars possessed genuine motorsport credentials, even if your particular Escort was much more conservative in its appearance. 

At that time, it seemed as if hardly a week went by without the sight of a racing Escort taking the chequered flag at some rally/motorsport event or other across the world and who wouldn’t want a motoring association with success such as this. Even though the vast majority of Escorts on Britain’s roads were what you would expect a popular small family car to look like, everyone who saw them knew that beneath that plain exterior, there was a rally sport beast just waiting to be unleashed!

We’re pleased to be in a position to be bringing you our latest Vanguards scale model tribute to this hugely popular series of cars, with this one being just that little bit special.

VA12323 - Ford Escort Mk2 1300 Sport in Jupiter Red

The 1300 Sport modelled here was built at Ford’s plant at Halewood, Merseyside, before being registered on 12th October 1977, by Skelly Ford, Liverpool. They used it as a demonstration car as it was finished in the attractive but unusual colour combination of Jupiter Red with silver 1300 Sport graphics over black and grey Cadiz fabric interior trim. It was purchased shortly afterwards by local man Keith Echlin, for his wife Mary, who called it ‘Betsy’ and enjoyed driving it. When she offered it for sale in a local newspaper in June 1989 it was still in good condition, having covered only 42,000 miles, and was purchased by local 18-year-old Ford enthusiast Charlie Powell.

Charlie used the car for almost a year before his Mum damaged the front wing slightly in a supermarket car park and it ended up in his parent’s garage awaiting work for a new MOT. That never quite happened, however, as other Ford projects and life in general took over. On the 8th of September 2022, Charlie and his son Joe, who was then 15 and has inherited his dad’s passion for Fords, exhumed it to assess its condition. The pair then displayed it, unrestored, in the Barn Finds exhibition at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC in March 2024. The father and son team have now started restoring this rare survivor to its original condition and specification.

This really is a stunning little model, and just like the Focus pair featured above, is in stock and available right now. 

Moggy the Magnificent

This is the model that many Aviation Archive collectors have been waiting for.

As we currently find ourselves at the start of the UK Airshow season, with the RAF’s last remaining Airshow taking place at Cosford next weekend, and the huge Royal International Air Tattoo now only a few days away, many hundreds of thousands of people will be looking forward to watching some thrilling aviation action, with the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon surely destined to be playing a starring role in this entertainment. The Typhoon has now been in Royal Air Force service for almost 20 years, and has matured from being a high-tech interceptor, to becoming a true multi-role aircraft type, but one which excels in many of those operational situations.

The era of the Typhoon started to take shape on 27th March 1994, when the first prototype aircraft made its maiden flight from the EADS facility at Manching in Bavaria, to be followed six days later by the first flight of Britain’s first development Typhoon (ZH588) from the BAe facility at Warton in Lancashire. The name ‘Typhoon’ was officially adopted for the new fighter in September 1998, the same year that the first production contracts were signed, committing nations to purchasing an aircraft they had already been working on for five years at that point.

The first operational RAF Typhoon Squadron was No.3 Squadron, which was established at Coningsby on 31st March 2006 and by the summer of 2007, the unit were sharing national QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) responsibilities with the RAF’s existing Tornado F.3 force, initially on a rolling month on, month off basis, but working up to taking this important duty over entirely.

Although clearly not part of the aircraft’s original specification brief, the Eurofighter Typhoon is an impressive Airshow performer, with an army of devoted followers all addicted to seeing the aircraft ‘Bring the Noise!’ The aircraft’s introduction to the British public came at the 2004 Royal International Air Tattoo, however, this proved to be a restricted performance display from a development aircraft, an appearance which only served to leave everyone wanting more.

The first actual Airshow headline performance from a Typhoon came at the Cosford Airshow the following year, where a capacity crowd had gathered to witness the first Airshow display appearance of the RAF’s exciting new jet fighter. The aircraft which gave that historic first display was still a development aircraft from BAe Warton, but under ominous grey skies, the Typhoon made its introduction in style.

As the allotted display time approached, thousands of people lined the entire length of a particularly deep crowd line at Cosford, everyone desperate to secure the best vantage point from where to witness the aviation spectacle about to unfold before their eyes. As everyone scoured the sky for their first glimpse of the RAF’s latest fighter, the crowd soon noticed a flashing nav light in the distance and seconds later, Eurofighter Typhoon T.1 ZJ807 blasted into the display circuit and into its first thrilling high energy manoeuvre.

Over the course of the next few dynamic minutes, this early Typhoon T.1 development airframe did things that no 11-ton high-tech aeroplane should do, cartwheeling across the sky at the whim of its pilot, keeping its display routine within the confines of a relatively small imaginary box in the sky. With the display pilot making full use of the aircraft’s ultra-responsive afterburners, the dark skies only served to add to the drama, and their impact, as they flicked on and off like a pair of powerful torches.

Ending its display with a spirited high-speed pass, followed by a pull up into the angry skies above, the Typhoon had just introduced itself to an Airshow audience and what a performance it was. 

The age of the Typhoon had arrived, and this was now the aircraft that everyone wanted to see.

One of the most popular aircraft in post war RAF history?

As something of a jet powered, modern day Spitfire, the Eurofighter Typhoon is loved by aviation enthusiasts and Airshow-goers alike, and is probably the most recognisable aircraft type across the wider British public today. Over the years, the respective aircraft which have represented the RAF as their display Typhoon have enjoyed incredible popularity, particularly when wearing striking special schemes. In fact, with the impending release of our fourth model from this beautiful tooling, collectors will be fully aware that this will actually be the third time we have featured an RAF Display Team Typhoon wearing one of its special liveries.

For those people who enjoy attending Airshows during the summer months across the UK, without doubt, the highest profile individual aircraft in current Royal Air Force service is their display Typhoon, an aircraft which makes a celebrity of its pilot for the duration of the season and attracts thousands of youngsters to consider a career in the RAF. Over recent years, it has become something of a tradition for the RAF Display Team’s Typhoon display jet to wear attractive special markings, making the aircraft a highlight display act on any Airshow programme in which it appears, and unquestionably, one of the most appealing subjects for enthusiast photographers. 

To mark last year’s 80th Anniversary of D-Day commemorations, the RAF presented Eurofighter Typhoon ZJ913 in the markings of a WWII Hawker Typhoon of No.257 (Burma) Squadron, one which was flown by Squadron Leader Denzil Jenkins in support of the D-Day landings during the summer of 1944. During the Airshow season, at commemorative events in both the UK and France, and completing a successful Canadian tour, the aircraft, which its support team and enthusiasts alike referred to as ‘Moggy’, displayed the legendary agility of the Eurofighter Typhoon and highlighted the professionalism of the modern Royal Air Force in some style. Although now retired to perform duties as an instructional airframe, ‘Moggy’ will be remembered as one of the most popular RAF aircraft of the post war era.

A truly stunning new model, the impending release of Moggy will allow us to display all three of the RAF Display Typhoon models together for the first time, whilst at the same time forcing us to consider the question, which of the three schemes is our favourite? Whilst we consider that difficult question, we can be certain that our model displays will be looking particularly appealing with this trio of tantalising Typhoons as its centrepiece.

Blackjack and Moggy in 1/48th scale die-cast form. Which of these striking liveries do you prefer?

As you may well imagine, D-Day 80th Anniversary Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 ZJ913 FM-G ‘Moggy’ has attracted plenty of ordering activity since taking its place on the Corgi website earlier this year, and we’re delighted to confirm that the model will be with us very soon. The images used to illustrate this update all feature an advance production example of the model, and we know many of our readers will be looking forward to adding this stunning model to their collections. By the time the next edition of DCD is posted, Moggy should have been processed through our warehouse and winging its way to its new owners.

This is one great looking RAF Eurofighter Typhoon.

Vanguards researcher’s first car

If you’ve invested a great many year’s guiding the fortunes of the Vanguards range of model cars since its introduction in the 1990s, surely you’d think that a person such as this might have arranged to include a model of their own first car in the range during that time, wouldn’t you? Well, although we may well have tried to engineer such a thing, Vanguards supremo Mark Pinnigar has managed to resist such a temptation, that is until now!

A man who’s forgotten more about the motoring world than we could ever hope to know, Mark has been crucial to the fortunes of the Vanguards range since the 1990s, and continues to be a font of all motoring knowledge to this day, a man we all like, respect and rely on – he’s definitely one of the good guys. We looked at how Mark came to occupy this position in a pair of consecutive blog features back in 2017, and you can re-visit the first of these by using this link.

Anyway, Mark has been responsible for bringing so many Vanguards models to our display cabinets over the years, however, the current range includes one which is particularly close to his heart, his very first car.

VA15006 - Ford Cortina Mk5 1.6GL in Terracotta

The 4-speed manual Mk5 Ford Cortina modelled here was purchased new in 1980 by Dennis Nelson from New Eltham, Southeast London, who ordered it in Terracotta with a Peat Crushed Velour Fabric interior. He retained the car until December 1988, then sold it for £650 to his 17-year-old nephew, Mark Pinnigar, who lived in the same area as his uncle and bought it within days of passing his driving test. At that point it had covered less than 50,000 miles and was in good condition save for some corrosion in the doors. Mark learnt to look after the car under the guidance of his late father Jeff, a toolmaker who worked at Lucas.

Their first job was to fit a new clutch as they knew it was slipping when they purchased the car. Over the next few years, the father and son team rebuilt the Ford VV carburettor, then fitted a new head gasket, cambelt and water pump before repairing the bottoms of the doors which had, ironically, rusted because the aftermarket rust proofing treatment ‘Uncle Den’ had paid for had blocked all the designed-in drain holes. Mark has had a love of Fords from childhood and in later life has become a recognised authority on the marque, working with Hornby as a product designer and even appearing on TV with Richard Hammond, helping to decide the detail specification of the Smallest Cog’s restored Escort Mk2 RS2000.

We love a great story behind a Vanguards release, and for someone who’s been invested in collecting these models for any length of time, we think this model, and its links to Mark make it a must have release for many. There will certainly be a few sales heading in the direction of the current Corgi team following its release.

We’re expecting Mark’s Cortina to be in stock and available over the next few days – enjoy Mr P.

We’re afraid that's all we have for you this time around, however, we’ll be back as usual in two weeks’ time with a further exclusive selection of the latest Corgi model updates. As ever, you could always drop us a line if you felt moved to do so, to comment on anything blog, collecting or Corgi model related, or even perhaps to suggest a topic you might like to see the team cover in a future edition. As always, our diecastdiaries@corgi.co.uk address is the one to use.

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 your Corgi Die-cast Diaries blog. Our next edition is scheduled to be published on Friday 13th June, and we look forward to seeing you all back here then.

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The Corgi Team