James Bond Aston Martin 261 variations

Having just acquired a nice original gold model which someone wants me to sell for them, I thought I had better make sure I described it properly. I had read about there being two types of cast used but I hadn't actually looked very closely at any of my models until now. Now I can see that there are some pretty obvious differences and thought I might also share these with whoever passes by.

So here we go. Let's start with the most obvious one.

Type A with sidelamp, sharper front edge to vent and bumper extends all around wing

Type B no sidelamp, softer vent edge and shorter bumper

Type A better-defined wing vent, angled forward

Type B less well-defined wing vent, angled back

Type A indented centre of rear light cluster, rectangle below plate, square corners to plate

Type B rear light cluster has protruding bottom and centre sections, a curved edge to shape below plate, rounder corners to plate

Type A angled recess for ejector button on base

Type B square recess for ekjector button

Now I am sure there are many other differences but these were the main ones I noticed that seem to be consistent across a batch of models. I don't know which came first. the #218 Aston Martin DB4, on which this is based, had two sidelamps clearly showing so I am inclined to think that Type A was first and they got erased later. Someone will know but I haven't been able to find an answer elsewhere. As and when I do I'll update this.

For those who may be interested here are the items that have just come in and will be appearing for sale on the site soon.

A beautifully clean and original #270 first edition with silver chromework

An excellent #336 Toyota 2000GT with its original box

The 1:36 Lotus Esprit in an original 1977 type box

An excellent and original #261 Type B