50 Years of Bondage

I've just bought another painting from Solly at SM Artworks who predominantly paints TV and film subjects.  Since it's fifty years since the first Bond film (and next year, it'll be sixty years since the first Bond novel), this painting is called "Legacy" and depicts three of Bond's Aston Martins - the DB5 from "Goldfinger" (and later films), the V8 Vantage Volante from "The Living Daylights", and the DBS V12 from "Casino Royale" (and trashed at the beginning of "Quantum of Solace").

And here it is in the slot room, pushing Starsky & Hutch round the corner of the chimney breast so that it can pair up with "Super Pursuit" (bought two years ago and featuring KITT, Airwolf and the A-Team van) on the other side of the race monitor.

And speaking of Starsky & Hutch, I managed to track down some flashing LED units for Starsky's Ford Gran Torino, and fitted one into the Plymouth Road Runner police car that I had previously wired in a Maplin flashing LED (which worked when static but stayed on when driving round the track).  The official Scalextric part does the trick.

Another Lotus

I don't have many models made by Ninco but their Lotus Exige model has always tempted me because (a)  the NSCC selected it as their Club Car in 2009, and (b) it's a Lotus.  And one of the online stores had it half-price last week so I grabbed one.  It looks delicate with the long mirror stalks and high spoiler, but the mirrors and the struts for the spoiler are rubber not plastic, so should provide some flexibility if/when the Lotus goes rolling at one of the tight bends.

This model has a fast anglewinder motor as you can see in the last picture - the motor is mounted on a slant and engages directly with a gear next to the right rear wheel.  A great little car.

1960s Formula 1 cars

These were my birthday present from Louise -  Formula 1 cars from the late sixties.

A sunny Kyalami hosted the 1968 South African Formula 1 Grand Prix, the opening race of the season on 1st January.  Jim Clark won the race from pole position, confirming the strength of Colin Chapman’s Lotus 49 with its Ford Cosworth DFV engine.  Clark led for the final 79 laps of the race with Graham Hill making it a 1-2 for Lotus. Clark’s victory was his 25th, improving upon Juan Manuel Fangio’s record Grands Prix wins.  This was to be Jim Clark’s last GP victory, and indeed race, before his death in an accident at Hockenheim in April.

This Eagle Gurney-Weslake was raced by Dan Gurney to third place at the Canadian Grand Prix of 1967, so it seemed a good pairing to race against the Lotus.

Both cars are fantastically detailed and handle brilliantly (if anything, a little too quick - they are more controllable with the old Scalextric handsets).  They are tiny and it's quite impressive that a motor fits in the model so well.

I always had a soft spot for the Lotus F1 cars in John Player Special livery and I found this 1972 version in good condition on eBay.  I guess the model dates from the seventies and it runs very well for a 35-year old toy car!  Now to find something of similar vintage to race against it.