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MI6 reviews the third 1:18th scale James Bond
car from RC2 - James Bond's Chevrolet
Corvette
from the 1985 film "A View To A Kill"... |
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RC2 1:18th Chevrolet Corvette Review
21st September 2005
A View To A Kill saw not only
the return of Roger Moore for his final mission as James Bond,
but also the appearance of an American muscle car in the form
of Chevrolet Corvette.
Exterior
The model has a metallic silver finish that is lifelike to the
actual car. On this model even the parts that are not metal such
as the wing mirrors and front plate carry the same colour as the
rest of the body. Its obvious that a lot of attention has gone
into making sure that this is the case, as with the reflectors
in the mirrors themselves which are separate inserts. The paint
job on the model leaves a little to be desired with slight blemishes,
however this could be a one off fault with this review piece.
Above: The 1:18th scale The Chevrolet
Corvette by RC2 |
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The hood sports a Chevrolet logo thats sit in between the two flip top lights,
although there are represented by simply byindents. Logos
can also be seen on the top of the trunk and on the rims.
Moving down the side of the car we can see black beading
with faint text saying "TUNED PORT INJECTION",
so RC2 have paid attention to the more subtle details -
something that is not always visible on all models. The
cars wheels move independently and freely as well as being
well crafted with realistic tread and are made of firm rubber.
The only moving parts of bodywork are the doors, which
open out, and the hood, which when opened reveals a basic
yet well thought out engine design. Both doors and hood
can remain opened without any additional force. The car
initially comes without it's roof in place (this can be
found in the box). Once fitted it fixes snuggly into the
recess. Front side and taillights are all made out of clear
coloured plastics that give the model a more realistic feel.
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Interior
The cars interior is made solely out of black plastic.
A textured back window hides away most detail in the back, which
is minmalistic yet well finished. Both seats are modelled to look
like black leather and are low to the floor, as you would expect
from a real sports car. One aspect of the model that seems to
be missing are the seat belts, neither the drivers or passengers
side have them like the earlier models.
Modelling on the dashboard is well done with the controls clearly
visible. Some items on the dash have their displays represented
using stickers. When used to represent such small details they
work very well and is a credit to RC2. The steering freely moves
the front wheels, however there is not much movement allowed due
to the size of the wheel arches. It seems obvious that RC2 are
primarily concerned with the cars look as apposed to the functionality
of the steering. Once again they have to be given credit, both
the wheels and the cars ride look very realistic.
The engine is made up of several individual pieces, of which
some have different finishes. Primarily made up of plastic with
a matte finish, two parts are chrome making them look realistic,
as does the gunmetal finish on the upper section of the engine.
One potential flaw to the design are the fixings located behind
the headlights. It would have been nice to have these covered
by a separate fixture, however being as they are black and generally
located out of immediate sight they don't detract from the models
appeal.
Above: The packaging displays all
of the Chevrolet Corvette features. |
Packaging
Clean collector friendly packaging the box has windows on four
faces. A small montage of clips of the car is show on the front
and side faces. The rear face gives pictorial details a little
information on the car. There is no documentation on the car and
its famous role in "AVTAK". Even if included on the
Q-CD it would have been a welcome addition.
The car comes taped up and screwed to a hard plastic base. The
plastic base fights snugly into the box and only allows the flaps
to be closed in a securing order. There is no tape seal on the
externals of the box which ensures your don't damage. A finishing
touch would have been a inscription on the base.
Gadgets
Unlike previous models the Corvette has no gadgets. This is a
shame but RC2 have to work with what was in the film.
Q-Card
With RC2's second attempt at this new business card size CD-ROM,
it features 2 wallpapers, an interactive gallery of stills and
a 360 degree view of the car with images of the cars features.
The quality of the presentation and images are still poor, requiring
a re-think. Sound is lacking and would be a big improvement to
the cards.
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Above: End face packaging
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Overall
The Chevrolet Corvette is RC2's fourth attempt at a 1/18
scale Bond car. The model is impressive and realistic -
but not perfect. Some of the smaller details need to be
looked at, especially paintwork, which on this model contained
several minor flaws. That being said the colour of the car
is realistic, which for silver is something RC2 should be
very proud of.
As with previous models, the Q-Card needs some improvements,
however it's still a nice little extra to have in the box
for rainy days. Something out of RC2's control are the gadgets
featured on the car, which equal a staggering zero. This
is a shame because it leaves the Bond fan with a feeling
of emptiness, yet for the collector owning this car is a
must. It has some nice fine detail added to it and the problems
with paintwork blemishes could be a one off with regards
to the model under review.
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MI6 Rating
Other Models
Joyride Entertainment (part of the RC2 group) secured the James
Bond license in 2004 and plans to release twelve cars over the
two years. The range will visit a mixture of famous cars from
the 20-film canon. The models are expected to retail at £34.99
in the UK, and $39.99 in the USA (prices may vary). Updated release
dates are estimates and are subject to change. RC2 had a proposed
Bond 21 car for a 2005, but due to the film being moved to 2006
its unclear what will happen. Expect a further four cars to be
announced in the near future.
