World of Tanks update exclusive

Welcome to this latest edition of Corgi Diecast Diaries and your regular look at all the news, updates and stories from the captivating world of Corgi die-cast model collecting.

As we enter the festive season, this should actually be the final Diecast Diaries blog of the year, as we all start to get a little excited about a Christmas break and the impending announcement of a new Corgi model range, however, we still have one more blog to come in 2020, but we will have more on that a little later. As this edition is the final ‘traditional’ blog of the year, we wanted to go out with a bit of a bang and not just a cracker sized bang, but a real diecast Boom! In what will definitely be a bumper edition, we have the latest selection of exclusive updates from several outstanding 2020 projects, including a huge selection of imagery which is being published for the very first time. We also have a cracker of a competition, where you could win one of the most impressive models to ever feature in our Aviation Archive range.

We begin by bringing you a comprehensive update from a new model range which was announced at the beginning of this year, but for a number of reasons, has not been available as a blog feature until now - our new World of Tanks model range. Next, we turn our update attentions to the Vanguards range and two magnificent model sets which we already know are going to be much sought after collectors items in the years to come. We have pictures featuring all the pre-production models from both sets and a first look at the newly designed, high quality presentation boxes which will be gracing these releases. Next up, we have the latest update from our new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier tooling, as we take a look at the first metal shots from the tooling, a pre-production mock up model and how one of our talented photographer/retouchers has prepared this for inclusion in the forthcoming 2021 range. Finally, unless we run out of space (and time), we will update you on the modified 007 No Time To Die Aston Martin DB5 tooling and its attractive presentation box, before ending with a look at another successful year for our 1/48th scale Great War aviation range. As ever, we have much to tell you about from the world of Corgi, so let’s crack on without further delay.

Could you be a future tank ace?

World of Tanks fans will soon be able to collect a series of quality diecast models, which are scale representations of the AFVs they battle against online

For those blog readers of a certain vintage, we will all no doubt recall reading about the brave men who went to war in the first tanks during the Somme offensive in September 1916 and how these wartime pioneers were highlighting how the mechanics of warfare would never be the same again. During the Second World War, the tank developed from vehicles like the relatively small 25 ton British Matilda II, to the fearsomely capable German Königstiger, which weighed in at an incredible 70 tons. Reading books and looking at numerous wartime pictures, many of us try to imagine the thrill of taking one of these awesome machines onto the battlefield and the absolute terror when you look through your sighting scope and see an enemy tank aiming straight for you - would we have been brave enough to do what our forebears did?

Thanks to technology and the age of the internet, anybody can now try their hand at commanding their own tank, testing themselves to see if they would have had the tactical awareness to survive on the battlefield and going on to become a tank ace, or whether they would just be another victory ring on the gun barrel of your opponent. In the virtual battlespace of World of Tanks, tens of thousands of on-line gamers pit their wits against other like-minded enthusiasts in the cut and thrust of an armoured engagement, but with the benefit of the incoming shells also only being virtual - in this armoured world, you will live to fight another day even if hit, albeit in a less impressive tank.

The World of Tanks phenomenon can trace its origins back almost twelve years, when the original concept for this multi-player on-line game was first developed. Featuring some of the most iconic military vehicles to have ever rumbled onto the world’s battlefields, the game featured tanks, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns from the middle of the 20th century, encompassing many of the famous AFVs which took part in the Second World War. Allowing players to engage with like-minded enthusiasts from all over the world, testing their tanking skills and immersing themselves in this fascinating subject, the World of Tanks has become an enjoyable pastime for millions of people since its initial launch date and continues to go from strength to strength.

The World of Tanks model range will include an example of the mighty German Tiger II or Königstiger, which is for many people the most impressive tank of the Second World War

Allowing players to engage in battles either as an organised group, or just as individual players brought together to face a common enemy, the clear aim of the game is to stay alive, using your skill, daring and judgement to survive the melee of battle, whilst others rush headlong towards destruction. The more proficient you get, the better your tank will become, with both upgrades and additional features available to those who play well, all benefits which should further aid your survival chances. Whichever tank or armoured fighting vehicle you choose, just as on a real battlefield, each one will have its own strengths and weaknesses and you will have to use these tactically to ensure you give the best account of yourself during gameplay. With around 600 different vehicles to choose from, it shouldn’t be difficult to find your favourite tank and there will be more than enough ‘trade’ for you to target, although you will clearly have a better chance if you stick with a group of experienced campaigners.

The popularity of this game is quite astonishing and we are sure that most of our readers will have heard of the World of Tanks platforms. With demographic details confirming that this is predominantly the domain of male players (80%) and who are aged between 18 and 54, the European countries which most regular engage in a little recreational tank combat are Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, France and the UK. As this year marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, let’s hope all differences which could lead to conflict can be settled amicably on-line in future!

Although we often think that the enthusiasts of today and especially younger people have it all to easy, there is a strange dichotomy at play here. Whilst us oldies read the books and built the model kits to give us a real appreciation of both the machines of war and their individual histories, the world today has gone all interactive, with every bit of information you could possibly desire right at the end of your fingertips. Nowadays, not only could you build a model of a Churchill tank, online gaming allows you to see what it might have been like to actually serve in one. That being said, there is still something really special about the tactile sensation of holding a three dimensional, physical representation of the tanks we have been commanding on-line and thanks to our recent association with our friends at the World of Tanks, that’s exactly what we can now do.

With a range of high quality, fit the box scale diecast tanks now fast approaching release, gamers have the opportunity to build an appealing collection of some of the most famous vehicles which appear in the game, presented in the relatively simple liveries which feature within the game, but representing examples of some of the world’s most famous tanks. Using extremely high quality materials and the latest diecast production methods Corgi are famous for, this new range will allow any budding young World of Tanks commander to start their own collection of the machines they are so interested in.

Details of a forthcoming World of Tanks release. Taking the impressive little M3 Stuart Light Tank as our example, here we see the pre-production sample of the new model, the sample inside its attractive new packaging and a picture of it in front of the packaging. These distinctive new models are certain to be a popular sight in model shops all over the world, following their release in early 2021

Benefitting from distinctive new packaging which will really give these models a presence in any toy shop or model store display, they have been designed to be tough, so when you have completed your latest on-line armoured campaign, these little tanks are ready to continue the fighting on the living room carpet, or even in the garden, before returning once more to the serenity of a display shelf, ready to play another day. As an additional benefit to anyone who buys one of these models, each one also comes with exclusive in-game content for both new and existing players, as we proudly mark the association between our models and the World of Tanks.

In what is always an incredibly busy time for our photographer David, this latest batch of World of Tanks pre-production samples only arrived at Head Office at the back end of last week and he has managed to turn them around in super quick time for blog inclusion. Taking the impressive little M3 Stuart Light Tank as an example, David has supplied us with a series of images which feature the PP sample model itself, safely secured in its handsome presentation box and displayed in front of it, just to give us a clearer impression of what this new World of Tanks range is all about. This range will shorty have its own section on the Corgi website, however this is for the very near future and for a very good reason which we will discuss in a future blog, so for now, if you would like to view all the models in the range, please just head for the new for 2020 section of the website and browse through the pages.

Featuring such iconic tanks as the US Sherman, British Churchill and German Tiger, this new World of Tanks range will be available in good model stores and on the Corgi website very early in the new year.

New Vanguards model sets a big hit with collectors

Two of the new model tooling projects which will be finding homes in high quality Vanguards collector sets over the coming months

The launch of the 2020 Corgi model range included confirmation of the continued new tooling investment in our popular Vanguards 1/43rd scale vehicle range, which would have no doubt delighted collectors of these models. Coming off the back of last year’s new Jaguar XJ6 (Series 2) tooling, the current range boasted no fewer than three new tooling projects for the range, investment which reflected both the strong performance of the Corgi brand over recent years and the continued development of Vanguards as a range. In addition to a new Volkswagen Campervan, this year’s range also included new toolings of the desirable Ford Escort Mk.4 and the iconic Triumph TR6, all three of which were additions which have long been requested by Vanguards collectors. With the range now heading into its 25th anniversary year, this significant investment support will reinvigorate the current range and position it for an exciting future.

With the Escort Mk.4 and Triumph TR6 taking their respective places in the current Vanguards range, both would appear both as regular standalone releases and as part of impressive new collector’s sets, which before their inclusion in the range would obviously not have been possible. Both sets feature other iconic vehicles from the same manufacturer, which these new model toolings have allowed our research team to group together in the range for the very first time. Our fantastic Ford foursome and terrific Triumph trio are classic model sets which have already attracted the attention of hundreds of collectors and we are delighted to now be in a position to bring you an update from both of these projects. Both sets will be presented in new premium presentation boxes, as our development team were determined that these should be extremely high quality additions to the range, something any collector would be delighted to own. Please be aware that these images all feature products in their pre-production state, with both the models and presentation boxes still subject to change, however, we know you like to see how things are progressing, so we are happy to share their current status with you.

RS00001 - Ford Escort RS Collection

High quality, beautifully presented diecast model vehicles will entice collectors with these fantastic new sets

Ford's RS Escorts - Four Decades of Success. Since 1970, the RS badge has adorned the ultimate fast Fords, cars that have won in motor sport the world over and created an enduring legend of success that proved the old adage, win on Sunday sell on Monday. RS was first seen on the 1968 Ford Taunus 15M Rallye Sport, a front-wheel-drive 2-door saloon or coupé with a 90bhp 1699cc V4. However, the legend really began in 1970 when the Capri RS2600 and Escort RS1600 were launched; both won, prodigiously, and cemented RS in the public consciousness as Ford's glamorous symbol of speed and success. Here we celebrate four generations of RS Escort, the cars with which the magic initials, RS, became synonymous.

Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600 - Le Mans Green. The RS1600 was the first RS Escort but the story started when Ford motorsport engineer Bill Meade, seeing an Escort prototype, said to team manager Henry Taylor, "Blimey, one of those things wouldn't half go with a twin-cam in it!". The resulting 1968 Escort Twin-Cam proved the car's potential but needed more power than the Lotus-sourced twin-cam could provide. Thus Ford's F1 partner Cosworth, at the behest of their legendary public relations mastermind Walter Hayes, developed a 4-valve twin-cam based on the Kent 1600 block; the Belt-Drive Series A, or BDA. Designed by Cosworth employee Mike Hall, it gave the Escort the power it needed when fitted in the new RS1600 in 1970. Few of the original 1,139 RS1600s survive because so many were used for motor sport, but the car modelled is a rare unmodified example. It was built on February 11th 1972 and therefore has the earlier cast iron engine-block; cars made from November 1972 used an aluminium block. It was restored by Escort specialist Andy Stapley Motorsport (ASM) in 2011 to factory specification, albeit subtly lowered to improve its stance, in its original and very vibrant colour. Current and 14th owner, Essex-based Andy Smith, is utterly delighted with the car which fulfils a long-held childhood ambition. He bought it at auction in September 2018, for a then world record price of £72,450, and has had ASM recommission it and up-rate the BDA to 155bhp.

Ford Escort Mk2 RS Mexico - Diamond White. The Mk2 RS Mexico was released on January 14th 1976 alongside the RS2000 with which it shared its rally-bred RS suspension and brake package. Both cars were built on the same production line at the Saarlouis plant in Germany but the Mexico used the 1.6-litre version of the same SOHC 'Pinto' engine found in the RS2000. The car modelled is a very early example made in January 1976 and was initially used by Ford's PR department for TV and magazine work. It appeared with journalist Richard Hudson-Evans in an item comparing the new Triumph TR7 to the RS Escort range on Thames TV's 'Drive In' programme, which was broadcast on May 18th 1976.

Current owners, Cumbria-based father and son Steven and Martin Ogle, bought the car in 2002 from its fourth owner who, like all its previous owners, lived in Essex. It was still in good condition, having only covered 57,000 miles, but had received a new door-skin and respray. They have since fitted new front wings and rear wheel arches. Being an early example it has chrome door-handles, roof-gutter, windscreen-surround, FORD and ESCORT lettering; from spring 1976 all these details were black. Considered one of the best examples in the UK, this car is well known because Steven organises the famous annual Lakes Tour and is the Mk2 Mexico registrar of the Ford RS Owners Club. It also appeared in the book, Factory-Original Sporting Mk2 Escorts.

Ford Escort Mk3 RS1600i - Caspian Blue. The RS1600i was developed in Germany by Mike Kranefuss' team at Ford's Motorsport Division to homologate a competitive 1.6-litre car for Group A racing. This required 5000 examples to be built. Sales were so successful that 8659 were produced between late 1981 and summer 1983, many of which became racing cars. Although it only had 12bhp more than the substantially cheaper and more refined XR3i, it offered a huge amount of motor sport tuning potential because the engine featured solid lifters, a high compression head and what Ford, wonderfully, called a 'hot cam' in their brochure. Unique front and rear spoilers improved the aerodynamics, while the suspension was lower, stiffer, and featured anti-dive geometry.

The example modelled was registered on June 24th 1983 by Ford dealers C.E. Rands and Son, Osgodby, Lincolnshire, to Mr W. Rands. He kept it until April 1986, by which time it had covered almost 22,000 miles. Current owner, Ayrshire-based Grant McKelvie, bought it in July 2019 from Escort specialists The Car Cave, Midlothian, when it had covered just over 64,000 miles. It's unusual because, although it has metallic paint, an option costing £88.43, it has no other optional extras. So no sunroof or opening rear-quarter windows; a specification usually associated with white examples ordered for motor sport. Grant has a large history file showing it has been well looked after and it remains both immaculate and original, even retaining its factory-fitted twin-coil ignition.

Ford Escort Mk4 RS Turbo - Rosso Red. The RS Turbo was developed for Group A motorsport as one of competition manager Stuart Turner's three cars to return Ford to motorsport glory; the other two were the RS200 and Sierra Cosworth. Launched in 1984 it was successful on track but it also sold strongly and boosted the image of the whole Escort Mk3 range. It was the first car to feature Ferguson Development's clever viscous-coupling limited-slip differential as standard and this helped it to handle far better than any previous powerful front-wheel-drive car.

When the Mk3 Escort was revised to create the Mk4 in 1986 the Turbo became a mainstream model and acquired a softer character, whilst retaining the original's electrifying pace. The RS Turbo modelled was built at Saarlouis, Germany, in January 1987 and registered in March by Hendy Lennox, Ford dealers in Southampton, as their demonstration car. It covered 10,490 miles before being sold on July 3rd 1987 to Mr Harold Carter of Winchester for £11,030.70. He kept it in a heated garage but only covered 7,000 miles before ceasing to use it in 1994. In 2006 it was purchased privately by a salesman working at Hendy Lennox after Mr Carter had offered it back to the dealership. Current owner, Hampshire-based fast Ford enthusiast and collector, Kevin Curtis, saw it being recommissioned and managed to persuade the new owner to sell it. This rare unmodified, original car remains perfect and has covered 18,000 miles.

TC00004 - Sporting Triumph Collection

Such a handsome collection, this trio of Triumphs will surely find favour with Vanguards collectors the world over

Post-war, Triumph had become moribund when, in 1945, their Coventry neighbour Standard purchased them to utilize their pre-war reputation for fine sporting and luxury cars. Standard-Triumph, as they later became, launched the TR2 in 1953 to immediate sales and motorsport success. Subsequent TR models evolved until the last 'separate-chassis' TR6, was produced in 1976. The smaller 1962 Herald-based Spitfire emulated that success until production ceased in 1980, while the beautiful 1970 Stag was a car with the panache and performance needed to succeed in the luxury GT market. These models reflect the three families of sporting car emerging from Triumph's Canley factory during an era when the company were triumphant on road and track.

Triumph Spitfire Mk3 - Damson - Brochure Car. The Spitfire modelled here was featured in the 1970 model year 8-page colour brochure. In it an attractive young couple are seen in various poses with the car, which is parked in woodland surrounding a lake, or on one page, a racetrack. The Mk3 had been launched in early 1967 and featured a larger 1296cc engine and a raised front bumper, re-positioned in order to pass US bumper-height regulations. However, for 1970 a range of mainly cosmetic changes were made which, as the brochure exclaimed, included a "black-for-drama grille and windscreen surround", "flat-spoke steering wheel" and "new wide 4.5J rims". This brochure was only used for one year as the MkIV was launched in 1971. The Spitfire was based on the Triumph Herald, launched in 1959, which eschewed then fashionable monocoque construction in favour of a separate chassis because industrial circumstances made it almost impossible for Triumph to source a monocoque bodyshell. Their engineers, however, made a virtue of this, developing several different versions, which would have been more difficult to make had it not been constructed on a chassis. With the TR3 proving both popular and profitable, producing a smaller sports car from the Herald's components to compete with the Austin Healey Sprite was a logical step. The resulting Spitfire styled, like the Herald, by Italian Giovanni Michelotti, debuted to great acclaim in 1962 and ceased production in 1980, by which time 314,342 had been produced.

Triumph TR6 Pi - Royal Blue. The TR6 modelled is one of the first 250 made and so has 'Rostyle-look' wheel covers and the desirable 150bhp fuel injected engine. It was built on 27th January 1969 and despatched to Douglas Garage Limited, Northampton, on April 10th and registered there. However, the car's first owner lived in Greater London and it remained in that area with its first nine owners. The engine was run below the minimum oil level in 1983 and damaged so a USA specification carburettor-fed engine was fitted but the original engine remained with the car. The current owner, Northampton-based Steve Denton, bought it in July 2009 and initially started using it as it was in roadworthy condition. Steve, a trained mechanic, bought the car because the body and paint were good and he knew he could address the car's mechanical maladies. He rebuilt and refitted the original engine in 2010 and reinstated the Lucas Petrol Injection, adding a modern Bosch pump for reliability. To make the car suitable for modern roads he also fitted an overdrive gearbox; an option when new that wasn't specified. In 2012 he retrimmed the poor condition interior in the correct shadow blue and fitted a new dashboard.

Over the winter of 2017/18 he replaced the often repaired chassis with a new CTM Engineering unit, and fitted polybushes while rebuilding the suspension. The result is a smart reliable TR6 that often features on his eponymous YouTube channel.

Again featuring preproduction sample models, could there possibly be a more enigmatic line up of scale British sports cars than this?

Triumph Stag - Emerald Green. When announced in 1970 the Triumph Stag had everything, a mellifluous 3-litre V8 engine, film star looks by Italian styling legend Michelotti, a beautifully appointed cabin, hard or soft tops and a starring role in a James Bond film. Parent company British Leyland were troubled though, and the Stag entered the market with an engine issue which, although it was relatively easy to solve, led to it acquiring a reputation for overheating in both the UK and its target market, the USA. It was discontinued in 1977 after 25,939 had been produced. It has, however, come of age as a classic, and has both a very high survival rate and a thriving owners club.

The Stag modelled has a manual overdrive gearbox and was built at Triumph's Canley factory in Coventry on June 1st 1974. It was registered in West Riding, Yorkshire, shortly afterwards and spent its first few years in that area. It had a reconditioned engine and gearbox in 1989 and was bought in 1991 by Mr N. Chopra, an auto spares retailer in Bedworth, Stoke-on-Trent, from Stuart Marshment. He carried out a body restoration between 1992 and 1998, but only kept the car until 2003. Its next owner, Steve Bennett, then had the engine totally rebuilt in 2004. Current owners, Kent-based Cliff and Catherine Nay, bought it in July 2019 from dealers Stone Cold Classics, and enjoy using this very attractive and cherished Stag regularly.

Both of these highly collectable sets have been receiving plenty of ordering activity so far this year and as both are scheduled for an early new year release, we hope to be able to include a further update within the blog, before they finally come into stock.

Aircraft carrier update ahoy!

An exclusive look at the ‘First Shots’ example of our new 1/1250th scale Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier model

Over the past five years of producing the Corgi blog, we have to admit that we have not been particularly inundated with details of new model tooling projects featuring warships during that time, however, they do say that good things come to those who wait. When a ship model did come along, it came at the double (ok, they are exactly the same design, so we are gilding the lily a little there) and it was a rather significant one - a scale representation of the largest ships ever to enter Royal Navy service. Just two blog editions ago, we were fortunate enough to be in a position to provide our readers with a significant update from this exciting new project, where we not only showed CAD screenshots from the development of this new model, but also pictures of the stereo prototype model produced from these files. We are delighted to say that in this final full blog of the year, we have more exclusive updates from this project.

With these impressive warships finally marking the return of a fixed wing naval aviation capability, the new aircraft carriers will significantly enhance Britain’s naval standing and provide them with one of the most powerful autonomous international offensive capabilities in the world. Equipped with the latest fifth generation Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II multi-role jets, these mighty ships would make tempting targets for any adversary in times of conflict and despite the fact that they are bristling with electronic wizardry and defensive weapons, they will also be protected by a dedicated force of high-tech Destroyers, each one equipped with missiles designed to protect the carrier from air and missile attack. Destined to remain in service for possibly the next half century, Britain’s new super carriers are a highly visible representation of Britain’s naval prowess.

As two of the most impressive feats of military engineering in British history, it was clear that the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers were going to be of great interest to model manufacturing companies and we are absolutely delighted to have this new model in our range. Taking accurate references from technical drawings and referring to our huge photographic research library, our design and development team may have started work on this new model many months ago, but it is only now that actual metal shots from this new tooling have started to appear. You will probably be sick of hearing our development caveat statement by now, but it is important to remind everyone viewing these images that they feature a model which is still in development and one which may still be subject to alteration.

It is unusual for the Corgi development manager to allow these very early first shot images to be shown until he is happy they are exactly as he wants them, but as it’s Christmas, he allowed us to twist his arm

Keen to document the full development story of this important new model, we asked if we could show pictures of the ‘first shot’ raw casting produced from the new Queen Elizabeth carrier tooling and despite some initial misgivings, our development manager finally agreed to let us do so. Absolutely fascinating for the diecast collector to see, these images show what emerged from the tool when it was first used and just how much work still needs to be done with regard to removing the carriage frame. The next two images in this series show the two cleaned up main superstructure components of the model both individually and when married together as they would during the manufacturing process.

The next series of pictures move things on a little and show the first model complete with all its additional components added and sprayed in grey paint - this allows our development team to more effectively assess areas of the tool which may need slight modification, particularly around areas where parts join together. The model is shown fixed to a baseplate which both protects the model during transit and serves as an anchor for the clear plastic box, which acts as its display case. Just as the model itself is subject to change, this display base is also currently still under development, so don’t be surprised if in our next update this has changed slightly.

Even though this is still a diecast work in progress, the new Queen Elizabeth class carrier tooling looks particularly impressive and is surely destined for great things

These final two images show how our talented retoucher Michael has taken the basic painted sample model image, and worked his magic to produce a representation fit for catalogue and website use

The final two images are interesting for a rather specific reason. Basically the same image, the first one features the fully assembled ‘first shot’ Queen Elizabeth, complete with her compliment of aircraft, whilst the second has been prepared for catalogue by our photographer/retoucher Michael. This is a good representation of what the finished model might eventually look like, however, this effect has been achieved using his skill as a graphic artist and quite a lot of hard computer work.

This fantastic new model tooling is now advancing gracefully towards its release date and the next update we will bring you will feature the pre-production sample model in all its glory, the penultimate stage before Queen Elizabeth is unleashed on the diecast collectable world. At that stage, we should also be able to provide a definitive release date for the model, so please keep an eye out for that. With the January edition destined to be dominated by a review of all the new models announced in the 2021 Corgi range, it may be into February before we have that information for you - dare we say, we may even be in ‘signed sample’ territory by then.

A cracker of a Christmas competition

Here at Corgi, we could never be accused of being ‘Humbug’ when it comes to celebrating Christmas and allowing one of our beloved readers to win one of our fantastic diecast models, but which one would be most appropriate? Something with a Christmas link and something many of our readers would love to own would be ideal and we may just have such a model. No doubt many of us will be settling down to enjoy the festive delights of Albert Finney’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge over the holiday period and as everybody knows, he was visited by three ghosts before he miraculously discovered his Christmas spirit - this famous story gave us an idea. What is another name for a ghost? A Phantom … surely this would make the perfect prize model!

AA27901 - McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 XT864/007R, No.892 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Ark Royal, November 1978 is a stunning scale representation of this iconic Cold War jet and the second tooling release from our highly regarded 1/48th scale post war jet series. Presented in the colours of No. 892 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, this unit holds a significant place in the history of Britain’s naval air power - they were the first to introduce British Phantoms to operational service and the last to fly off the deck of HMS Ark Royal, in the lead up to her withdrawal from service in December 1978.

Our 1/48th scale McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 is a competition prize anybody would be pleased to win

The Squadron reformed on 31st March 1969 in preparation for the arrival of the Navy’s first Phantom FG.1 fighter bombers and has the distinction of being the only NAS Squadron to use the mighty Phantom operationally. Receiving their aircraft at a time of great political uncertainly and savage defence cuts, members of 892 Squadron felt that they could quite conceivably be the last of the Navy’s fixed winged squadrons and thought it appropriate to adopt the distinctive Omega symbol on their squadron badge (the last letter of the Greek alphabet). These attractively presented Phantoms were without doubt some of the most distinctive aircraft to ever see British service. Phantom FG.1 XT864 was one of the last aircraft to leave HMS Ark Royal in the lead up to her withdrawal from service in 1978 and after a short period of storage, went on to serve with the Royal Air Force and No.111 Squadron at Leuchars, where it would be called upon to perform QRA duties in defence of Britain’s airspace.

Spreading the Christmas cheer, we are giving one lucky Diecast Diaries reader the opportunity to win one of these stunning models and all you have to do is to head for the Corgi Competitions page and answer the relatively simple Phantom related question you will find there. Our lucky winner will be selected at random from the list of correct entries and will contacted by a member of our team to confirm their success and to arrange delivery. Good luck to one and all!

With the 2021 model range announcement now only weeks away, it remains to be seen if we will be including a second release from this magnificent Phantom tooling - not long to wait now!

This is ‘No Time for our Aston Martin DB5 To Die’

In the previous edition of our blog, we brought you an update from a project we are rightly proud of and a unique interpretation of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 car. With the release of the next Bond film ‘No Time To Die’ delayed until April next year, as our current Bond will be hanging up his Walther PPK after this latest movie, our team wanted to produce something just that little bit special as a tribute, something which not only challenged their own skills, but many aspects of the diecast model production process.

As we all eagerly anticipate the delayed release of this exciting film, clips and trailers from the new film have clearly highlighted that Bond’s iconic classic Aston Martin DB5 has a significant role to play in ‘No Time to Die’. As such, our development team immediately thought that there was an opportunity to excel here, enabling them to recreate one of the most memorable scenes from the new film and to add an unusual twist to the release of our latest Bond DB5 model. This work would require innovation in three distinct areas of the project - the model tooling itself, the finishing process and product packaging - we are delighted to report that they made notable advances in all areas.

Reflecting the status of this fantastic new model, our latest James Bond Aston Martin DB5 will be presented in this high quality presentation box

Within the blog, we have already seen why CC04314 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 ‘No Time to Die’ will be different to any Corgi DB5 that has gone before, so we will not repeat that same information here, but if you missed it, or would just like to revisit the details once more, please use this Previous Edition link. What we did want to include by way of a Breaking News feature was a first look at the high quality presentation packaging this new model will be supplied in, something which will definitely make this model a must for Bond fans all over the world. With this impressive model already being a reason to have us all rushing to the model store to secure one, the luxurious packaging really does set this release apart and will be a fine way to mark Daniel Craig’s time serving as Britain’s most famous Secret Service agent, a man who certainly possessed a licence to thrill us all.

Scheduled to arrive in time for the cinema release of ‘No Time To Die’, CC04314 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 is already certain to be one of the most popular releases of the coming year and it would probably be a good idea if you checked the status of your order prior to release.

Tis the season for giving

We end this final full edition of Diecast Diaries for 2020 with a little festive indulgence by your blog writer/editor - I hope you will forgive the intrusion. Regular visitors to the Corgi and Airfix websites will have noticed that the arrival of this festive season has seen the return of our brand advent calendars and behind some of the doors, various members of both teams have been asked to suggest which item from the current range they would like to see appearing under their own Christmas Tree. I thought this was a really good idea and not wanting to be left out of all the festive fun, I hoped you wouldn’t mind if I made my own selection.

Working so closely with the Corgi team all year round, it really is difficult not to get attached to some of the projects we feature in the blog and the difficulty with an exercise like this is actually narrowing it down to a single model. I have managed it (sort of), but my selection would be a pair of models, but two which are inextricably linked to each other and to arguably the most famous aviation personality of all time. The incredible popularity of our 1/48th scale WWI aircraft series is showing absolutely no sign of diminishing and if anything, the latest crop of models have been attracting even more new collectors to the range. One subject which is guaranteed to produce a release which sells out in short order is anything linked to Manfred von Richthofen, the famed Red Baron who helped to ensure aviation was brought to worldwide attention during the Great War. With historians continuing to study details of both his flying exploits and his demise, von Richthofen is probably as famous today as when his red Fokker Dr.I was terrorising Allied airmen over the Western Front.

The two aircraft models I would like to offer as my gift suggestion were both inextricably linked to the Red Baron and were directly responsible for the situation which brought about his death on 21st April 1918. One aircraft was flown by Allied pilot Wilfred Reid ‘Wop’ May and the other by von Richthofen’s cousin Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, both of whom were novice airmen and both having been warned to keep out on the periphery of any dogfight, just so they could experience what aerial combat was like. Unfortunately, both airmen flew close enough to each other during the fighting, that each man thought they could score an easy first victory over the other and disobeyed the instructions of their commanding officers. With each flight leader on both sides spotting their young charges were in trouble, they both immediately sped to their aid, but little did they know that this avoidable situation would result in the death of the world’s most famous fighter pilot just minutes later, one of the most significant actions of the First World War.

This trio of 1/48th scale Aviation Archive releases help to tell such a fascinating Great War story that they simply have to be displayed together

For the reasons above and the fact that I already have the model of (AA38308) Manfred von Richthofen’s final Fokker Dr.I on my display shelf at home, my personal gift selection would be one of either (or preferably both) AA38309 Fokker DR.1 Dreidecker 161/17, Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, 21st April 1918 - Death of the Red Baron, or AA38110 Sopwith Camel F.1, D3326, Lt. Wilfred Reid ‘Wop’ May, RAF No.209 Sqn - Death of the Red Baron. As I have been a particularly good boy this year, I am hoping that I may be in with a chance of adding both of these stunning models to my collection in just a few days’ time.

We will not extend our blog season’s greetings to readers just yet, as we have not quite finished our Diecast Diaries schedule for the year. In support of the Corgi advent calendar, we will be publishing one final edition of Diecast Diaries next Friday, where our subject will be a review of a most enjoyable occasion when thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world headed for Dorset to catch a glimpse of one very special tank. With a host of exclusive images to bring you, this is one Christmas treat you will not want to miss.

Finally and with Corgi Christmas gifts in mind, this is an incredibly busy time for our warehouse staff, who will need to be fortified with chocolate and mince pies over the coming few days, as they attempt to process the thousands of orders we are expecting. They have asked us to remind everyone that UK orders must be placed by 11:59pm (GMT) on Thursday 17th December to ensure Christmas delivery and for the rest of the world, that cut-off time is 11:59pm (GMT) on Monday 14th December. Please don’t leave it until the last minute, as things are certain to get a little hectic as we approach the big day.

We are afraid that’s all we have for you in this latest edition of Diecast Diaries, however, you can be sure we will be back with more updates and exclusive Corgi content in four weeks’ time. In the meantime, we are always interested to hear from our readers, especially if you would like to suggest a subject for future inclusion in our blog.

Better still, if you would like to send us pictures of your own model collection, or details of a Corgi model release which is special to you, you may even find yourself featuring in a future edition of Diecast Diaries. As always, we would be grateful if you would address all correspondence to our usual diecastdiaries@corgi.co.uk email address. 

If you can’t wait for the next edition of our blog, there is always plenty of Corgi model related news, views and conversation taking place on our official Facebook  and Twitter  social media pages, which welcome your contributions. We look forward to reading about all the latest Corgi collecting discussions and pictures of your favourite models over the coming few weeks.

Finally, we would like to thank all our readers for their continued support. We look forward to bringing you much more Corgi related news, features and updates in future editions of our blog. The next edition of Diecast Diaries is scheduled to be published on Friday 11th December.

The Corgi Die-cast Diaries Team