BigToyTalk

Corgi Ford Lotus Cortina MkI and Austin A40 Farina

by David Smith
Corgi’s new Ford Lotus Cortina MkI is a 1:43 scale replica of the car driven by Sir John Whitmore in the 1965 European Touring Car Championship.

Having narrowly missed out on the championship in ’64 (despite five stage wins), Whitmore nabbed the title the following year. Corgi’s model recreates the car as it appeared at the Snetterton 500km, round six of the 1965 Championship. The car is priced around £18.99.

Though not quite as nippy as the Cortina, the Austin A40 Farina was a stylish car thanks to the infusion of a little Italian flair from stylist Pininfarina. The car launched in 1958 and is recreated here in 1:43 scale. It is priced around £13.99.

Hot Toys Sarah Connor Action Figure

by Eleanor de Bruin
Pre order from Sideshow Collectibles now to get this lifelike 1:6 scale figure of Sarah Connor, from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

The limited edition collectible is 11 inches tall and has the distinctive hairstyle, slender but wiry body shape and bulging arm muscles of actress Linda Hamilton who plays the tough girl fighter in the film.

Dressed head to toe in black and including lots of details such as a wristband, tactical vest and belt, sunglasses, combat boots and cigarette, Sarah looks poised to do some serious damage. She’s certainly equipped for it, as she’s armed with a pistol, shotgun with folding stock, assault rifle with a silencer and a combat knife in a leather sheath.

The figure stands on a base bearing Sarah Connor’s name and the movie logo and can be posed in lots of different ways thanks to rubber arms, 28 points of articulation, changeable hair bangs, and interchangeable hands, including two extra right hands. She’s due to ship in the second quarter of 2010 and is priced at $149.99.

LEGO Radio Alarm Clock

by David Smith
Alarm clocks are not the most popular gadgets, always rudely dragging us away from our precious sleep, but the new officially licensed LEGO Radio Alarm Clock, available from Firebox, could change all that.

At more than 24cm wide (that’s 10 times the size of a regular LEGO brick), this clock packs in an AM/FM radio and digital clock display with variable backlighting. The familiar LEGO studs on the top are put to good use, functioning as volume and tuner dials, and the whole thing can be mains-powered or run off four AA batteries (not included).

The LEGO Radio Alarm Clock is priced around £24.99 and might just be worth waking up for.

Revell Porsche 550 Spyder and BMW 320 DRM

by David Smith
Whether you like to race or collect, these two new 1:32 scale slot cars from Revell should catch your eye.

The Porsche 550 Spyder finished fifth at the 1955 Le Mans, with Gustave Olivier one of the drivers. The car has since been lovingly restored and now features in historical races.

The BMW 320 DRM commemorates the many talents of Bengt Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Peterson, who excelled both at F1 and in the German Motor Racing Championship (DRM).

Each car features painted driver figures and is compatible with all commercial slot racing systems. They are priced around £39.99 each.

Corgi Spitfire with Doodlebug

by David Smith
An unlikely double act is the focus of this release from Corgi. The Spitfire MkXIV, of 610 Squadron, is paired with the Fi 103 ‘Doodlebug’ flying bomb in a set recreating a day in September 1944.

The V-1 flying bomb, the first of Germany’s ‘revenge weapons’, first appeared over Britain in June 1944 and more than 2,400 would follow. RAF pilots developed the knack of flipping the V-1s over and thus forcing them to crash before reaching any potential targets.

Squadron Leader Richard Newbury, DFC, of 610 Squadron, built up nine V-1 kills in his Mk XIV Spitfire, DWD/RB159, and the squadron as a whole tallied 50 by the end of September 1944.

Corgi’s set is in 1:72 scale and is priced around £39.99. The Spitfire has a wingspan of 153mm.

Italeri AB41

by David Smith
Italeri has released a 1:48 scale model of the AB41 armoured car, the successor to the AB40 (available as a 1:35 scale model – see our story here).

With decals for marking the vehicle up as either a German or Italian version, from three theatres (Tunisia early 1943, Libya 1942 and Italy 1942) the armoured car is priced around £12.50.

Life-size Cylon Centurion and Robby the Robot prop replicas

by David Smith
If your figurines seem a little on the small side, you could always try these two stunning life-size prop replicas from Fred Barton Productions.

The seven-foot tall Cylon Centurion (the version seen in the recent BSG series) will certainly attract plenty of attention with its sweeping red visor light and menacing hum.

The Centurion has a fibreglass body with aluminium, brass and acrylic detail, and it is completely hand made.

Priced at $7,900, you can order from Sideshow Collectibles and your Cylon Centurion will be ready in eight to 12 weeks.

A non-refundable $3,950 deposit is needed to secure each order.

If that isn’t enough for you, Fred Barton Productions is also offering this life-size Robby the Robot from the cult sci-fi film Forbidden Planet.

The replica comes with some cool lighting effects and also stands at seven-feet tall.

Robby is priced at $16,999.99, with a non-refundable deposit of $7,500.99 required when ordering from Sideshow Collectibles. Robby will also be ready in eight to 12 weeks.

LEGO Grand Emporium

by Eleanor de Bruin
Joining the LEGO Modular Buildings series is the glorious three-storey Grand Emporium, with seven minifigures and everything they might need under one roof.

Priced around £139.99, the huge department store set contains an amazing 2,182 pieces, including some rare pieces. Sixteen-year-olds upwards should enjoy the challenge of putting together the detailed and realistic store using some special building techniques.

When complete, the Emporium stands at a grand 15 inches high and 10 inches wide and features lots of the great little details that add a touch of realism both on the inside and outside of the building, such as mannequins in the window, an ice-cream stand nearby, a mailbox, a window washer and a billboard on the roof.

When the little minifigures go through the revolving doors, they find a clothing department on the first floor with lots of fun accessories such as hats, a cash register, clothes, jewellery and perfume.

A well-stocked housewares department is suitated on the second floor, and accessed via a buildable escalator and right at the top of the building is a toy department with a mini doll house and scooter that every LEGO minifigure child will be begging their parents to buy.

Sideshow Collectibles Beachhead 12in. action figure

by David Smith
Sideshow Collectibles has added to its G.I. Joe range with the announcement of the Beachhead 12in. action figure. Not expected to ship until the end of the year, you would be well advised to get your pre-order in early if you want to snap up one of these limited edition figures.

Wayne R. Sneeden overcame a poverty-stricken background to train as an elite soldier in the US Army and eventually became the ranger for the G.I. Joe team, taking the codename Beachhead.

With more than 30 points of articulation, the Beachhead figure has detailed clothing and armaments including an XMLR-3A Laser rifle, a .45 1911 Pistol, a Robinson Arms XCR(R) Short Barrel Rifle, a Tactical Railed Crossbow and fragmentation grenades.

The figure is priced at $119.99 and is also available as a Sideshow Collectibles Exclusive, featuring a removable red beret, for $129.99.

Corgi RAF Land Rover

by David Smith
The versatility of the Land Rover led to it being quickly snapped up by the RAF after it first launched in 1948. It was used in a variety of roles, including towing planes and ferrying personnel around airbases.

The Land Rover also saw duty as a ‘Follow me’ vehicle, carrying a sign on the back to guide pilots who were unfamiliar with an airfield’s layout.

Corgi’s 1:43 scale version of this indefatigable vehicle looks pretty good in its RAF blue, and the limited edition model is priced around £15.99.