A Guide to Upcoming SPECTRE Merchandise

With SPECTRE only a few weeks away following the release of the trailer and the new posters, I think it’s safe to say that our man 007 is back and he means business.   Let him reign for many more years with Mr Craig donning the dinner jacket.

With the hype of the film gaining momentum, I thought I would give our fellow JBR listeners ideas for their Christmas lists.

First, Hornby have announced their SPECTRE Scaletrix edition that will no doubt sit nicely next to their other sets.

The first James Bond Scaletrix was the Casino Royale and Goldfinger set (C1254T) that featured the DB5 and DBS.  This was then followed by the Quantum of Solace set (C1222) released to accommodate the film.  This included the DBS and the Alfa Romeo 159.  Also, an Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (C3664A) was released alongside with a DB5 from Goldeneye (C3163A).  To celebrate the release of Skyfall, Scaletrix once again delivered the goods with a set that featured the DB5 and Range Rover (C1294).

As a Bond aficionado and collector, it is a thrill that Hornby/Scaletrix are continuing their relationship with Mr Bond for the upcoming release of SPECTRE

Also for the toy and model collectors, Hotwheels have announced a 1:18 scale die cast of the DB10 that will be released under the Hotwheels ‘Elite’ brand.  With a hefty price tag of around £140, I can assume that this is purely aimed at the adult collectors.

I wouldn’t be surprised if other manufactures jump on to the wagon and produce their own DB10 at a cheaper price point, however, I can guarantee it won’t be in Bond packaging since only Hotwheels has the licence so far and the DB10 was specially made for SPECTRE.

While there has yet to be confirmation, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hotwheels produces a 1:64 scale of the DB10 and possibly the Jaguar C-X75 that would be part of their Bond line, which at the moment consists of the Aston Martin DB5, DBS, Mustang Mach 1, Lincoln Continental and the Lotus Esprit.

Those editions were considerably more affordable with the price of £2.99 and can be made available at supermarkets.

For Bond fans and collectors who like their drinks shaken and not stirred, Belvedere Vodka has released a limited edition bottle with the 007 emblem on the bottle.All I know is that they are available in Tesco’s and that an ordinary bottle is around £30, so expect to pay bit more for the Bond edition.

While Bond will be drinking Belvedere vodka, Heineken have also returned for a bit of SPECTRE promotion.   After first appearing in 1997 for Tomorrow Never Dies, the Dutch based brewery has since had a good relationship with the Bond films. This time, however, they have thus far released limited edition packs of lager decorated in Casino Royale, The Spy Who Loved Me and Goldfinger packaging, which allows you to use your Q phone to download a Bond film.  I’m sure….(I will rephrase that), I hope more will be released perhaps commemorating all 24 Bond films.

DK Books also returns with a good selection of reading material.

Firstly and the most amusing one I think is this “James Bond Sticker Book“.  For us JBR listeners, why not wind our other halves up by planting James Bond stickers everywhere.  Bond in the bedroom, Bond in the kitchen, Bond on your Mrs’s forehead, Bond in the office….LETS GET STICKY with the James Bond Sticker Book.  Actually, this sticker book might make a decent Christmas gift for Bond fans with young children.  If you have little ones curious about James Bond but perhaps a little too young to watch one of the films, this might be a great way to introduce them to the franchise and spark their imagination.

The second book and one that I think will definitely be on my Christmas list is ‘Bond By Design: The Art Of James Bond films.’   It includes never before seen images from storyboards, production designs, and costume designs.

As of now there has been no confirmation of a ‘Bond on Set’ book by Greg Williams.  Greg Williams’s Bond series can be traced back to 2002 when he photographed the behind the scenes of Die Another Day going on to do three more wonderful books with fantastic photography for Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, and Skyfall.

Instead, DK have announced ‘Blood, Sweat and Bond: Behind the scenes of SPECTRE’ with photography by Rankin.    One can only imagine that this could well follow the same vein as the ‘Bond On Set’ series.

The current publishers of the Fleming Bond books Vintage are releasing their ‘SPECTRE’ Trilogy, which features three Fleming Bond stories that are Thunderball, On Her Majesty Secret Service and You Only Live Twice.   If you, the JBR army, can guess what these three stories have in common then I will give you a free copy of ‘Grice’s Guide of Dancing to Moonraker.’

I think this might be the closest we will ever get to a novelisation of the latest Bond film.

Some fans and collectors may be pleased to hear that Jack Is Back!!!  Jack was of course the bulldog ornament that we first saw in Skyfall, sitting on M’s desk.   The ‘bloody thing’ that Bond calls it was available to buy in commemorative James Bond packaging, which I own.  While I believe the Skyfall edition has been discontinued, Royal Doulton have announced a SPECTRE edition of Jack, this time with a crack down his face as seen in the film.

If you have an understanding partner who is happy to get you this then brilliant, but if you have a partner like mine who doesn’t understand that the SPECTRE edition of Jack is NOT the exact same as the Skyfall one, and just cannot fathom why I would want an ornament that has been broken and glued together for around £80 then you are better off getting it yourself.

But if you do have a partner who is happy to spend anywhere between £3,000 to £5,000 on the limited edition Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Omega Watch then, well…you’re a very lucky person!!

And last but not least!

Fans who desire a stylish fragrance will be pleased to know that P +G have a new release for their 007 line.

Beginning with their Signature fragrance in 2012 and then following up with their Quantum fragrance the following year, 007 Fragrance has never failed to impress.  They subsequently unveiled 007 For Women in January of 2015, which I bought for my other half… but in reality it was just an excuse for me to buy it for my collection.   Now to commemorate the release of SPECTRE, 007 Fragrance has launched their new product simply called SEVEN.

I’m sure other SPECTRE related items will soon be announced and released such as posters and of course the soundtrack very soon.

– Article by Matthew Grice