Bond...James Bond!

November 20, 2002

If nothing else, Carrera certainly brings us cars that no one else does. In fact, they have produced many Limited Edition cars that are very unique, and either they catch your interest, or they don't. When I learned that Carrera were to begin producing cars and sets based on the latest James Bond installment, I knew then that we were in for yet another original model.

And sure enough Carrera delivered. Based on the car driven in the movie Die Another Day, this Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is as unique as they come. When I first seen the photographs of this car, I just smiled and knew it was time to pre-order. Upon its arrival here, I was eager to open the case and get a closer look.

My oldest son knew right away what car it was, and I allowed him the honors of opening the case. There is no price tag on a reaction like his, and even if the car would never see the track, it was well worth the purchase.

Make no mistake, one of the first things you will notice is the 2 automatic weapons protruding from the hood. I thought this really set the car off, and added to the Limited appeal. After all, this is 007 we are talking about, what would his car be without gadgets and weapons coming from all possible (and impossible) directions?

Although the photos do not reveal it, the interior in this car is nicely done. Carrera has went a little further in the detail effort, and in the case of this model, it works perfectly. The rest of the model does a good job of capturing the overall look and feel of it's 1:1 soon to be famous (perhaps) counter-part. Mold lines and clear-coat were clean throughout the model, with the tires and wheels having a good scale appearance.

Under the hood I didn't find any bombs or missiles, but rather the standard Carrera chassis components. An inline drive system, coupled with the VMS (Variable Magnet System) and polarity switch. I removed the body from the chassis strictly to inform you that nothing here is new in the case of power and chassis design.

In case you decide to remove the body from the chassis, a couple items bear mentioning. One is that after removing the 4 screws, the body is very tightly attached to the chassis, and removing it will take a slight amount of elbow grease. You may start thinking that you might break it, however, it will pop free. Secondly, the front grill assembly will most likely come loose as well. This is fine, it isn't broken, but make sure you install it evenly, so the chassis will line back up correctly. The chassis has a plate molded in it that holds the front grill firmly in place, so getting in in right will make sure the chassis seats properly.

For this review, I didn't make any efforts on lap timing or improving performance, however, straight out of the box, this car ran quietly and smoothly as expected. Driving this machine around our track is nothing less than fun. I moved the magnet to its most forward position and let this car slide all around our Carrera track. Sometimes "maximum magnet speed" is not always the most fun, as this car certainly proves. I wouldn't mind having a few more of these models, as one could have some close, challenging racing with them.

Is it a "collectable"? That is up to you. Some have argued that ALL these cars are. I don't knock anyone if all they do in our hobby is simply collect the beautiful cars. If that is what they want to do, fantastic. 99.9% of my collection sees track time, regardless if it is a Limited or Special Edition car. I don't purchase a car based on what it MIGHT be worth years from now, I like adding cars to my collection that are unique and have an identity all their own, and Carrera certainly accomplishes this. If you are looking to add, or possibly start a collection of your own, this car should be on your "hit" list.

Harry

As always, feel free to email me at wiseone@yhti.net about this technical tip, or just the hobby in general.

For some great photos and background on this movie head over to www.jamesbond.com

Thanks again goes to Slot Car World for helping me remember my pre-order once again!!