Star Trek exclusives, sporty British Vanguards duo and a Vulcan anniversary

Welcome to our latest edition of CORGI Die-cast Diaries, your fortnightly blog review bringing collectors all the news, updates and topical stories from the captivating world of CORGI die-cast model collecting.

As far as development blog updates go, this latest edition is a bit of a whopper, and could even be described as being completely out of this world – it’s certainly going to help collectors to live long and prosper. Featuring a host of image exclusives which chart the progress of some of the most anticipated new CORGI model releases, our headline update comes from the world of Star Trek, or more specifically, our latest tribute to some of the most significant Starfleet ships to cruise the universe. With the new breed of Star Trek ships now occupying a significant position in the current CORGI range, we have a spectacular selection of images from the next impending new release in this series, plus an exclusive look at the first shot metal sample of the next ship destined for our own Final Frontier.

Our Vanguards range once again benefits from further new model release exposure, and for those who are of the opinion that there’s 1/43rd scale motoring life away from the Ford brand, they will be delighted to learn that there isn’t a Ford model in sight this time around. What we do have is a pair of classic sporty Brits, and a pair of models which are already finding favour with model collectors.

Finally, with the 90th Anniversary of the first flight of the Spitfire now behind us, we look forward to another impending anniversary for an icon of the British aviation industry, one which has made the successful transition to the die-cast world in both 1/144th and 1/72nd scales.

We’ll be travelling at warp factor 6 this weekend, as we bring you a new CORGI model voyage of discovery like no other.

An Enterprising new development

A sight for sore Starfleet eyes. Star Trek enthusiasts will know exactly what they’re looking at here, a different class of spaceship. And they say they had too many marks of Spitfire!

For those of us who like their adventures to take place in distant galaxies, there is one famous craft which has done more than any other to transport TV and film audiences to new planets, allowing us to go where no one has gone before, the Starship Enterprise. No matter how engrossing the storyline and how much we came to love the individual characters who graced this iconic series, for many, the undisputed star of the show was unquestionably the USS Enterprise itself, a starship which was not only the catalyst for all those exciting space adventures, but was also a craft which captured everyone’s imagination – as futuristic as it was powerful, the Enterprise was just awesome.

In episodes where the crew got themselves into one of their many scrapes with alien life-forms, Enterprise was always there to come to their rescue, because as we all learned from the very beginning, nothing could withstand being on the receiving end of a phaser strike, or photon torpedo barrage!

With the Star Trek franchise proving to be so incredibly successful over the years, it came as no surprise when it also sent the world of model collectables into warp speed, however, over the past couple of years, the CORGI range has released a series of Star Trek models which have reached spectacular new hights, models which are more accurate, more collectable and incorporating greater levels of detail than ever before. 

Not satisfied with this, the CORGI team wanted to ensure that the presentation of these models reached new heights, making these some of the most desirable Star Trek model collectables ever produced. All this might sound like hard work, but when you have a fully paid up Trekkie as a senior member of the team, this is all just a ‘Beam me up Scotty’ request away.

We start this next series of images with a look at the two Enterprise models next to each other, highlighting both the differences and the impressive levels of detail they both feature.

For Star Trek enthusiasts, this impressive new model will take their displays to new levels, positively out of this world!

Just look at all that beautifully printed detail.

We’re delighted to say that he’s been at the star charts again, and has sent us this impressive selection of images, and some supporting text that will allow us to speak the language of any self-respecting space explorer heading out to find new life, with a couple of exciting new CORGI models popping up along the way. 

That being the case, let’s hand control of this blog ship over to David.

2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise, as well as a couple of the most beloved big screen films in the series. Our new model release ties into the 40th anniversary of one of those – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) where the ship first made her debut.

The new release of U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A may use the new tooling CORGI first released in 2025, but the model itself went through a striking amount of work and research to produce. Chief among this was a desire to differentiate the release beyond a simple change in the registration on the hull, and this led to a proper rabbit warren deep dive into the history of the original eight-foot long model built for use in the Star Trek films.

As conceived with CC98001, the very first version of the Enterprise Refit featured a pearlescent finish for use onscreen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) that proved to be a nightmare to photograph onscreen, so by the time the first sequel film came around for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) a repaint had been applied to the model to dull or remove the pearlescence. This is the look we went for with the first release of the tooling as it also proved impossible to recreate that original finish at such a small scale.

If this image doesn’t have you humming the theme tune, its time to check that pulse.

Not only are these models some of the most technically demanding for CORGI engineers to recreate, but they also benefit from the highest levels of packaging presentation standards.

For the Enterprise-A, the research into the history of the filming model continued and brought us the revelation that after its continued use in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) the entire filming model underwent a full repaint to remove the applied battle damage and instead left the model effectively in purer white-grey finish. The idea is effectively, while the original version of the model is a Refit to a new specification, the Enterprise-A is a new build of the same class of ship, and thus looks ‘factory fresh’ in finish.

As such, we made the decision to produce the Enterprise-A in a different, lighter base shade of white from the Refit of the original Enterprise and then applied lighter paint to the ‘Aztec’ hull detailing. This led to some interesting conversations with the vendor as one of those Aztec applications is actually the same shade of white as the matte finish base colour, just in gloss paint!

The result is a highly detailed model that reacts to the light as you hold it and move it around, with the intent to replicate the look and feel of what you see in the Star Trek films themselves.  Arguably, this potentially the most detailed model that CORGI has ever made in terms of the paint finish, featuring tiny details that are all but invisible to the naked eye but appear under very close scrutiny with a camera.

An exclusive first DCD look at the engineering sample of the new Enterprise E tooling, the next impressive model in our Federation starship series.

That’s not all for CORGI x Star Trek exclusives in this edition though – here is an early look at the engineering sample of the next Star Trek model to join our growing collection. The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E is a beautiful fan-favourite ship design that made its first appearance thirty years ago this year in Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

This upcoming model is made entirely from metal with no plastic components and as these exclusive images show, it already highly detailed before the paint work has even been applied. 

Keep hailing frequencies open for news on pre-order availability on this future new release.  

Tiger taming at the County Classics Motor Museum

With its reputation as Britain’s youngest motor museum, Taunton’s County Classics Motor Museum is a delightful place to visit, cited in a historic old department store which is now crammed full of fascinating and historic motoring exhibits. With everything immaculately presented, the museum offers a unique journey through time, showcasing an exquisite collection of classic vehicles, which ensure the perfect day out for visitors of all ages and with all levels of interest in the history of popular motoring. The staff and volunteers invite everyone to come and share in their passion for the timeless beauty of classic automobiles, and how could we possibly refuse an invitation like that.

Making our own die-cast tribute to this exciting new motoring heritage museum, we are introducing the Hillman Avenger Tiger Mk.II in Sundance Yellow to the range, a vehicle which is on display at the museum, and one which is owned by the museum’s proprietor.

VA10410 - Hillman Avenger Tiger II in Sundance Yellow

This beautiful car was purchased by enthusiast Pat Hawkins in 2016, who embarked on a project to recommission it, removing the engine so it could be refreshed, repainting the engine bay while it was accessible. He also fitted a new clutch and re-chromed the front bumpers.

Pat had worked in the motor trade all his life, and kept this Avenger in his personal collection because it is such a rare and original example, which has still only covered 31,453 miles. In November 2023, he created the County Classics Car Museum in the centre of Taunton, a museum which was opened by well-known TV personality Richard Hammond. The Avenger Tiger II was driven to the museum to be one of the many exhibits, and has since proven to be one of its most popular cars.

Our scale tribute to this car has proved to be a particularly successful release, and the eagle eyed amongst us will have spotted that it’s actually been out of stock on the CORGI website for some time now. Fear not, help will soon be at hand, as we have such a hefty order book for this beautiful model that we will be producing more for all those who go to see it in the metal down in Taunton.

Please keep an eye on the VA10410 webpage, as this should be updated to allow pre-orders to be accepted again over the next few days, or you could always register your interest with your usual model supplier.

An MGB for the style conscious motorist

When it comes to affordable motoring with more than a touch of class about it, the MGB Roadster series of two door British sports cars proved an effective way for large numbers of people to own a stylish sports tourer, and would go on to see more than half a million vehicles produced during a 17 year production run. Now a popular vehicle for restoration projects amongst enthusiasts, the MGB still manages to turn heads when they turn up at rally’s and exhibitions all over the country, clearly highlighting the enduring appeal of the original BMC design. 

With beautifully clean lines, spoked wheels and chrome detailing, the MGB may not have been suitable as the average family car, but when an eye catching tourer was called for, one which wouldn’t look out of place turning up for a weekend stay at a Scottish castle hotel, the MGB was just the ticket.

VA10713 – MGB Mk1 Roadster in Mineral Blue

The MGB modelled was produced on the 11th of July 1967, making it one of the last ‘3-synchromesh’ Mk1 MGBs. It was built with five optional extras, wire wheels, a heater, a colour-matched blue tonneau cover, a black foldaway hood and a front anti-roll bar. It spent the 12th of July in the rectification area of the MG factory, which was not unusual in this era of car manufacturing, before being dispatched on the 17th of August. The first owner was RAF Squadron Leader John Duncan Griffiths, who was then serving at RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall. He took delivery on the 24th of August 1967 and kept it until the 25th of August 1972. 

The current and third owner is Abingdon-based Graham Dix, an enthusiastic MGCC MGB Register member and volunteer. He had always wanted an MGB, having grown up in MG’s hometown, and purchased it in December 1979 while it was snowing heavily. Later inspection showed corrosion the inclement weather had hidden, but, as Graham says, “I bought her on sight because the shape and sound had won me over”. He used it for a couple of years before it failed its MOT, after which it stood in his parent’s garden before going into storage. He commenced a 10-year restoration in 1995, doing the welding, fabrication and machining himself. The finished car has appeared on the cover of the magazines ‘Classic and Sports Car’ and ‘Practical Classics’.

This delightful little model is in stock and available now.

An important month in Avro Vulcan history

The last Avro Vulcan in RAF service, XH558 would go on to become the most popular aircraft on the UK Airshow circuit under the stewardship of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust for seven years from 2008.

Within the annals of British aviation history, there are some occasions and dates which possess significantly more resonance with the general public than others, with links to aircraft types which really did manage to capture the nation’s imagination. We recently saw the nation commemorating the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Supermarine Type 300, the aircraft which would be named ‘Spitfire’ just a few months later, and March is also the month where we commemorate an aviation anniversary of a rather more sombre nature, but one which would ultimately have a triumphant, if ultimately short lived outcome.

On a windy morning at RAF Waddington in March 1993, a crew led by Sqn Ldr Dave Thomas prepared to make the final flight of an Avro Vulcan in Royal Air Force service, with that aircraft being B.2 XH558, the longest serving of all the RAF Vulcans. The aircraft was due to be delivered to its new civilian owners at Bruntingthorpe Airfield, but the delivery flight would involve overflying some of the airfields which had been significant in the history of this ‘mighty delta’ during its impressive service career.

When XH558’s wheels touched down on the runway at Bruntingthorpe on that fateful day, thousands of enthusiasts turned out to witness the occasion, with every one of them unsure as to whether they were witnessing the final time a Vulcan would ever be seen in the sky, but happy that this magnificent example had been saved from a date with the scrap man’s axe. As we now know, XH558 would make a triumphant return to flight 14 years later, and for a memorable 7 year period, would become the darling of the UK Airshow scene, referred to as the ‘Spirit of Great Britain’ – how we all loved our Vulcan.

1/144th scale Corgi Vulcan models pictured during production on a visit to the manufacturing facility in China.

As one of the most distinctive and capable aircraft to have ever seen Royal Air Force service, it was obvious that the Vulcan would attract the attention of model manufacturing companies, including Corgi with their die-cast Aviation Archive range. A scale representation of this magnificent aircraft first appeared in die-cast metal in 1999, when the first release from our new 1/144th scale tooling presented the aircraft in the livery of the aircraft which carried out the ‘Black Buck’ bombing attack against Stanley Airport during the Falklands War.

From a hobby perspective, the model proved to be a spectacular triumph, featuring high levels of detail and a high metal content which really made owning one of these models a collectable treat. Although this tooling hasn’t seen a release for many a year now, if you ever visit the home of someone with links to the Vulcan, or someone who might describe themselves as being aviation minded, it’s highly likely that an example of this incredibly popular model will be on display, as they continue to be cherished display items commemorating one of Britain’s most revered aircraft.

As the Aviation Archive range made the move into the larger 1/72nd scale, and the Avro Lancaster tooling completely captivated a collector audience who were amazed at what Corgi had managed to achieve in die-cast metal, the 1/144th scale Vulcan continued to be an incredibly popular model within the range, as this has always been viewed as something of a classic release. In addition to this, the sheer size of a Vulcan model in 1/72nd scale would surely prevent it from being considered for future tooling production wouldn’t it, or did Corgi know something we didn’t?

The mighty Vulcan goes BIG

Surely the Corgi team wouldn’t be able to produce a die-cast Vulcan model in 1/72nd scale, would they?

Due to the enduring popularity of the Avro Vulcan, the Corgi development team had been considering the possibility of recreating the aircraft as a die-cast model in 1/72nd scale for some time, but each time the project advanced to the tooling production discussion stage, the limitations of current design and manufacturing capabilities cast a significant shadow over the project.

The sheer physical size of the tooling blocks required for a model of this scale, combined with the potential difficulties of the model retaining its shape integrity once it had been cast, proved to be particular limiting factors, consistently proving to be too much of a challenge. In fact, tooling engineering companies in the Far East were adamant that a project such as this was just ‘a model too far’ at that time, and unless the casting for such a model was designed in several separate sections, to be assembled later for ease of production, we weren’t going to be getting our BIG Vulcan at all.

Thankfully, despite many a setback and no little frustration, one or two members of the Corgi team remained steadfast in their determination, and continued pressing and probing in the hope of finding the slightest glimmer of hope in supporting their desire to bring this model to the hobby. They were essentially sailing uncharted waters in the world of die-cast model production, pioneers in this rather specialist field of design and manufacture. They were also determined to have a 1/72nd scale Vulcan in their die-cast logbooks, if at all possible.

CAD screenshot images created from the 1/72nd scale Vulcan design files. 

Fortune certainly favours the die-cast brave, and after accepting a few manufacturing compromises, the project actually started to advance. The main issue to be navigated was that of the physical size of the tool. Designers in the Far East wanted to design the tooling in sections to achieve the metal content traditionally associated with these models, however, this would involve introducing assembly joint lines across the delta wings, join lines which were not a feature of the real aircraft.

Despite this being the preferred option of the manufacturers, the Development Team stuck to their guns, because they were after a faithful scale representation of the Vulcan, not one with unsightly assembly join lines all over the models most distinctive feature, its massive delta wings. They decided to accept a lower metal content for a model which looked like a Vulcan, because after all, this was going to be an aesthetically appealing display piece, not a toy to be played with.

In a move which certainly took the die-cast collector world by storm, the first release from this new tooling arrived in September 2014, and featured the very same aircraft mentioned at the beginning of this feature, but on the occasion of her triumphant return to flight in private ownership back in October 2007. A limited edition release of 4000 models, to say this was a successful addition to the range would be something of an understatement, although it does have to be said that the model itself was a bit of a beast - it was actually eight times larger than its 1/144th scale predecessor by volume. It did look great though.

A thing of die-cast beauty, the 1/72nd scale Vulcan model is eight times bigger than its 1/144th scale predecessor by volume.

As this month marks a significant anniversary in the history of RAF Vulcan operations, Corgi are proud to have played their own small part in preserving the heritage of this famous aircraft, releasing two collectable models in different scales to allow Britain’s Mighty Delta to take its place in many a display cabinet.

Please don’t read too much into this, but surely, isn’t it time we started to think about another model addition to this range, and perhaps even the return of our much-loved 1/144th scale Vulcan. Watch this space Vulcan fans. 

That’s it for your latest blog update, but we’ll be back as usual in two weeks’ time with another selection of the latest CORGI die-cast model updates and exclusive previews for your delectation, but as always, if you would like to drop us a line to comment on anything CORGI model related, or to suggest a future blog topic, we’re always happy to hear from you.

As ever, our diecastdiaries@corgi.co.uk address is always 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, as we head into our eleventh year of production. Our next edition is scheduled for publication on Friday 27th March.

Until next time, once again, thank you for your continued support.

The CORGI Team