From LEGO with love (see what we did there?), comes the release of the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 #10262 set.
Cue minifigure walk on, pivot and shoot scene
Licensed themes have been somewhat of a regular occurrence for LEGO, with over forty franchises released, including Star Wars, The Simpsons and even Winnie the Pooh.
However, the announcement of the James Bond Aston Martin came straight out of left-field as one would think it goes against LEGO's stance against violent themes. Having said that, that rule seems to have been broken plenty of times if you look hard enough.
Brand fit aside, you'll be hard pressed to find a non-Bond fan out there, and the combination of everyone's favourite Mi6 with LEGO makes a killer combo that has lots of fans from either side salivating at the possibilities.
Once LEGO started releasing product images, there was a mixed reception of excitement and disappointment with the James Bond set.
Firstly, the pros. The Aston Martin DB5 in silver-birch is a classic car that first appeared in the James Bond franchise, Goldfinger (1964). It resurfaced again in the highly acclaimed Skyfall (2012).
For car aficionados, the allure of an Aston Martin set, let alone being James Bond-branded, would be enough of a drawcard to the set. Overall, the LEGO set draws a good resemblance to the actual vehicle.
However, this set is far from perfect.
Despite being a Creator set, this model just screams for a James Bond minifig. Obviously, there is a precedent for a lack of minifigs for Creator car sets, including the VW Beatle and VW T1 Campervan.
But let's face it, folks, this set could have been stratosphere of demand if it included a Sean Connery or even a Daniel Craig James Bond minfigure (or why not both)!
Take note LEGO, this was a real missed opportunity.
Anyway, on to the set itself.
The Aston Martin DB5 set comes in a nice branded box, emblazoned with the signature "007" logo.
Inside the box are 12 polybags containing 1,290 parts and sticker sheet. One of the nicer touches is the instruction booklet. Designed to look like a top-secret file, the document outlines the history of the DB5, James Bond and the prototype vehicle used in the Goldfinger movie.
Another disappointment was the sticker sheets. In particular, the Aston Martin logo not being directly imprinted on the LEGO parts themselves. For a premium priced set like this, it would have been nice to have had little things like this included.
Despite these gripes, the actual build process is quite enjoyable (is it ever not an enjoyable build when it comes to LEGO?). Like the actual James Bond Aston Martin, LEGO's rendition comes with a few tricks up its sleeve.
One of the cool functions built into the DB5 is the revolving license plates for incognito missions. In the rear compartment is a concealed bullet-proof screen. With the wheels itself, there are mounted scythes for dispatching would-be followers. Additionally, there is a mounted machine gun and functional ejector seat to make a quick getaway.
Overall, there are lots of hidden features that can make this build an interesting addition to one's collection.
We still can't get over the missed opportunity of the Bond minifigures, but putting that aside, the Aston Martin DB5 is a rewarding build that should appeal to a wide variety of fans.
James Bond Aston Martin DB5 Lighting Journal
Being an automobile, albeit one with lots of hidden gadgetry, we knew that the Aston Martin would be a pretty straightforward lighting experience.
Here at Light My Bricks, we have an extensive range of cars, trucks and vans that we've lit up.
Because of that, we knew what we had to do.
The first step was the front headlights. For this model, there were four front headlights that needed to be wired up. Due to the shield plate, there wasn't a great way to conceal the wires for this light, so we had to feed them over and under the piece itself.
The lower headlights were a lot more accommodating for concealment and were simply threaded through the brick.
Then we fed the wires underneath the front wheel chassis and connected it with our expansion boards to create a connection.
The final step were the rear lights. This was a fun process, as there was a 3x1 Technic bar that housed 3 lights for the indicator, brake and reserve lights.
To keep things tidy, we fed the wires back into the rear compartment and stored another expansion board in there to create a circuit.
Overall, for those that have experienced our LEGO light kits will find that this is a rather quick and simple build. For newcomers, the set will make a good entry into the foray of LEGO lighting!
To check out the final lit up version of the Aston Martin DB5, check out our promotional video below.