By 1977 the majority of Mettoy’s Corgi die-casts were 1:36 scale and if the James Bond DB5 was to stay in production, it needed to fall in line. So the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 was retooled for the 4th time and the C271 was released in May 1978 at a cost £3.00. Now 130mm in length, the model also featured the return of the Aston Martin winged badge on the bonnet and the addition of the DB5 badge on the wings and boot.
The quality in this retooling did not leave us with the same standard of model of the previous versions. The machine guns no longer protruded from behind the indicators as in the “real” car, but now popped out from behind the radiator grill. Despite the larger scale, the rear bullet proof screen was thinner than before and activated by pressing the extended sections of rear bumper rather than the exhaust pipes in the earlier model. The front bumper design was different too.
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| 1977 1:36 Scale "WhizzWheel" Issue (C271) |
The figures of bond and the baddie had less paint, relying on black and blue coloured plastic to provide colour to their suites while shirts, face & hands were painted. The centre plated wheels were of the then must have four spoke “WhizzWheels” design. This model stayed in production through many box variations and changes in company ownership until 1990, when production at Swansea ceased and moved to China.
The early models shared the same black/yellow boxes as 1:43 scale model, even down to the mistake of referencing a picture of its predecessor, but had ‘1:36’ printed on the widow tag to highlight the change in scale. Later C271 models came in black/yellow boxes omitting the window tag and the final boxes were black/red/yellow.
The model was re-issued again in 1981, identical to the earlier 1978 issue, but the packaging (still depicting the 1:43 scale model) now had the operating features highlighted on the front header card and the instructions on the rear panel. Bond now only had face and hands painted and the baddie, still in blue plastic, devoid of any other colour. Two versions were issued, a red or white interior and dished or 4-spoke wheels.
In 1983 Mettoy re-boxed the C271 and released its final official James Bond Aston Martin DB5. The car, with the same variations as the 1981 model, was unchanged. Bond, for the first time, however, together with the baddie came in unpainted blue plastic. The box had lost its header card, gained a small stand up card stating the title of the model and the secret instructions were now printed on the inside of the box and viewable through the cellophane window.
By October 1983 Mettoy Company Limited had called in the receivers and a management takeover was looking to be the only way Corgi could be saved.
