Corgi 270 "Second box"

 

This is an extremely hard to find Corgi Toys 270 James Bond Aston Martin DB5, all original model and box, complete with sealed instructions envelope with ALL unused contents, from 1970, in silver with gold detailing, red interior, red tyre slashers on silver wire wheels.

It is the most outstanding example of this hugely collectable and increasingly scarce model you are likely to find anywhere.

All the gadgets are fully working - the ejector seat, front weapons, revolving number plates and rear shield, all fully sprung and all clicking neatly back into place. The suspension is strong and perfect in all four wheels, the interior is immaculate, both James Bond and ejector seat baddie figures are in place.

A stunning model like this needs a superb box to go with it, and that's exactly what it is - this slimline blue-and-yellow window box is one of the rarest of all, and this one is in completely unmarked 'shop stock' immaculate quality throughout... the blue and yellow card is perfect, very crisp, clean and unmarked, and the original cellophane is all clean and 100 per cent intact, with a great 007 James Bond artwork scene on the rear. It is definitely the best box you're ever likely to see for this great model!

Inisde, the original secret instructions envelope is still sealed and will have all the original contents in place - the fold-out instructions leaflet, the number plate stickers sheet, the unapplied original 007 lapel badge still on its backing paper, plus the spare baddie figure.

In 1969 the blister packaging was replaced with a window box of the similar size and utilised artwork of the original. There were two variations, although very slight: the first had Playcraft’s name printed on the reverse which was in a later release was altered to Mettoy-Playcraft.

 

The bubble pack was replaced already in 1969, not 1970. Why? – Because the bubble pack was already out of style by the time it was released in February 1968. It still has the old Corgi logo while the new logo was introduced already in November 1967 with the Batboat, Daktari set and Green Hornet's Black Beauty. I guess that the 270 was planned for a late-1967 release for the Christmas season but for whatever reasons got delayed to February 1968.


Add to this the fact that the bubble packs were awkward to handle (they could not be stacked properly at the toy stores) and complex and probably more expensive to produce, I don't see Corgi using this design up to 1970. Without doubt they produced a lot of these boxes for the initial release and had so much that they could even change the bumper colour while still using these boxes, but I guess they also got a lot of complaints from toy dealers and would have changed the design as soon as possible. So, taking into account the change to gold bumpers, I think this would have been in 1969.


So, when did the change from type A to B occur? I don't think that type B was only made in 1973 as there are more of the type B around than A. Most A boxes come with the red/black instructions, and most B with the black. Looking at other Corgis, the article number on the front was added sometime late in 1970 – again probably after complaints from toy dealers.

The releases from the first half of 1970 (e.g. Ford Capri, Corvette Stingray, Toyota 2000 GT, Marcos 3L, Saint's Volvo) did not have the number initially, but the number begins to show on most (but not all) releases from the second half of 1970. 1971 releases all but a few have the number those without – like GS 26 – obviously made with boxes printed earlier.

With the 1972 releases the size of this number was reduced, as can be seen on the James Bond Mach 1 Mustang from February 1972.


The DB5 B box still has a large 270, so I would assume it was introduced sometime from July 1970 to late 1971. As I cannot pinpoint the date more exactly, this would still allow both instructions with both box types and the prices before and after decimalisation.

However, it would make clear that the B box had to be introduced before early 1972 at the latest. But adding the fact that the changed name Mettoy-Playcraft and the MP logo were already used on the James Bond Corgi Rockets (introduced in October 1969) and on the 1970 catalogue, I'd say that the change to the B box occurred likely rather sooner than later, probably in late 1970.

 



• Box A type as been introduced in 1969
• At that time currency in UK was still the old one.
• They changed it with the decimalization on the 15 February 1971.
• The old currency was composed by shilling and old pencies and they were used to write as per following example: 2/6
• On the back side of the instructions, the coloured ones, you can find the instructions to join the corgi model club, and they are writing that the cost to is 1/6 or 2/6 depending from were you are.
• This means that they were still with the old currency. So, printed at least before or till beginning of 1971.

So, this means that , if the A Box was produced between 1969 and 1971, this means they were containing the coloured ones.

The B&W instructions do not have printed the instructions to be part of the club (they have been cut out).

Now, depending how long the A box stayed on production and when the B type went in production, we can guess that some (if not all) of the A type were with coloured instructions, and the B type were some with and some not, or all of them in B&W, depending when productions run started.

We need to take into consideration that may be some stock of the Coloured were still available and Corgi decided to put them into the boxes without taking into consideration the currency change, just to get rid of the stock they had.

The yellow boxes A type come from 1969 to
sometime from July 1970 to late 1971.
The yellow boxes B type
was introduced sometime from July 1970 to late 1971.

Or, on the opposite, knowing the date of the currency introduction, they could have printed the B&W in advance and putted them along with the A Box.

But looking at Ebay, and considering that some complete box and cars and instructions , have been put together by the sellers and they are not really as they were when fresh of stock, despite this, the majority of the A Type boxes, show coloured instructions, and the majority of the B type, shows the B&W.

 

In conclusion :

Color instructions come gone until about 15 February 1971 and perhaps after… but not until 1973.
BW instructions come gone from 15 February 1971, aniway before end of 1972.


The yellow boxes A type come from 1969 to
sometime from July 1970 to late 1971, most A boxes come with the red/black instructions,
The yellow boxes B type
was introduced sometime from July 1970 to late 1971, most B with the black instructions.

 

 

 

1969-1971

The first had Playcraft’s name printed on the reverse.

The first had Playcraft’s name printed on the reverse.

 

 

1971-1973

The second had Mettoy-Playcraft name printed on the reverse.

"270" on the upper left front

 

 

Why they are "FOR SPARE TYRES ASK FOR - FRONT - N°1457 REAR - N°1456" printed on the inside flap ?

Its the Batmobile tyres (1456) and trailer's Batboat tyres (1457) !!!!

 

 

1971-1973

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second had Mettoy-Playcraft name printed on the reverse.

"270" on the upper left front