Are you a fan of James Bond movies? Do you know someone who is?
I’ve been enjoying James Bond films since I was a child. Most of the James Bond films I saw back then featured Roger Moore, however I saw a few films staring Sean Connery too. They are by far my two most favorite James Bond actors. I think I like Roger Moore, only because I saw more movies that he starred in. Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan are my least favorite James Bond actors. Daniel Craig is my favorite James Bond actor in a swimsuit. Hubba hubba! 🙂
Aside from the handsome, debonair, charming and crafty character of James Bond that I found appealing, I also enjoyed his “tools of the trade” as well as his cars. James Bond after all cannot be seen driving around Europe is a junky old clunker. James Bond needs a cool, sweet ride. James also does not drive cheap cars. All of the cars he drives, no matter what movie it is, are super expensive cars. Some of them are not easy to come across either.
Some of James Bond’s cars include;
- 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (Skyfall)
- 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day)
- 1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo (For Your Eyes Only)
- 1996 BMW Z3 (Golden Eye)
- 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me)
- 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 (Diamonds Are Forever)
- 1961 Sunbeam Alpine Series II (Dr. No)
- 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
- 1974 AMC Hornet (The Man With The Golden Gun)
- 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (Octopussy)
- 1997 BMW 750iL (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Some cars totally scream coolness, like the Aston Martin cars. Other cars, like the Alfa Romeo Bond drove in Octopussy, just don’t come off as Bond-worthy cars.
In total there have been 23 James Bond Films starting with Dr. No (1962) until the most recent installment, Skyfall (2012). That is a lot of amazing (and expensive!) cars.
In celebration of 50 years of James Bond, Danjaq LLC, the film production company behind the mega movie franchise, has teamed up with Toy State (an award winning manufacturer of lights and sounds toy vehicles) to release a line of toy cars under the 007 brand.
These motorized cars have working head and tail lights, realistic vehicle sounds and even the classic James Bond theme music.
Currently the available models include;
- Aston Martin DBS (Quantum of Solace)
- Aston Martin DB5 (Casino Royale)
- Lotus Espirit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me)
And the featured car from the latest James Bond Film, Skyfall (sorry, I don’t have that make/model information).
I have three of the four cars that I received to review.
I tried to take a video of one of the cars in action. Please excuse my poor video skills. It’s hard to video tape and press buttons at the same time. You can also find the video here, http://bit.ly/17Gu3k0.
I had a little problem pressing the button to make it move. The button is fine. I was looking through the view finder and I couldn’t judge where to put my finger to push down.
The cars are really cool. You can keep them as collectibles if you wish, or you can give them to your child to play with. I think they were made with children in mind because the side view mirrors on the Aston Martin DBS (Quantum of Solace) car (the black one) are actually made of a rubber-like material. They bend. Unlike other die cast cars that my son had to play with when he was younger where the side view mirrors would always be the first things to fall off. I like that these stay on and won’t break (unless a child pulls them off that is).
Another cool feature is that they are motorizes so you can set them down on the floor, press the button on top and what it “burn rubber” as it tears out across the floor. A non-carpeted floor is best (although it will work on carpets). Watch out for dogs and cats because they will either be afraid of the car or chase after is.
The cars retail for $12.99 and are recommended for ages 12 and up.
I currently have the cars “parked” on top of my desk. I’m waiting for my son to clean his side of the room before I’ll let him have them. He says he doesn’t want to play with them (he’s “too old” for “toys”). I don’t buy that one bit. I’m sure once he has them he’s going to enjoy playing with them (even if he does it secretly – LOL!). My husband also wants these cars. He thinks they are pretty cool. These might even make a fun Father’s Day gift for the man who enjoys collecting cars, or maybe even a James Bond fan.
Look for Toy State cars and trucks at Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart, Target and Amazon.com.
For more information about Toy State visit www.ToyState.com.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Megan S says
I’m a HUGE fan of 007!!!!
Would LOVE to own one or all cars!! Especially: Goldeneye, Skyfall, Casino Royal, Quantum, Die Another Day, and Tomorrow Never Dies
Austin Baroudi says
My dad would love these! He’s a huge James Bond fan! Thanks for the post!
Tyrell Tomlinson says
The spy life, many would want
June S. says
My husband would really like this car & collect them also.
ANN*H says
Dann dann dann – 007 to the rescue. Have to get one of these my son is a avid car collector too . thanks for the info