Hot Wheels' James Bond

As we walked into the model hall at the recent Nuremberg Toy Fair, it was impossible to miss the Hot Wheels stand with a real Aston Martin DB5 as a centrepiece.

Based on Ian Fleming’s novel, the 1964 film Goldfinger was directed by Guy Hamilton and starred Sean Connery as the fascinating and irresistible Agent 007. In the film, James Bond investigates the gold smuggling operation run by Auric Goldfinger, who is planning an attack on Fort Knox. The iconic Aston Martin DB5, in the distinctive Silver Birch colour, was Bond's car of choice in the film and has appeared in six James Bond films to date including the most recent blockbuster, Skyfall. The DB5 was launched in 1963 and was designed in conjunction with Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship, the blueprint for all Aston Martins remains constant – they are characterful and exciting cars built to the highest standards. All are imbued with power, beauty and soul – combining pure performance and true sporting ability with refinement, luxury and exceptional beauty.

The model forms a very important part of the 2014 line-up, even though it won't be in the shops until December 2014 (that's the top of my Christmas list sorted then!). To be made available in 1/18 and 1/43 scales, the beautiful lines of the DB5 are sure to make this model a success.