Sources reveal that a new line of Johnny Lightning Bond cars will be hitting the market in September. Additionally, MGM will be releasing a DVD version of the 1967 film “Casino Royale”.
The new line of Johnny Lightning cars commemorate 007`s greatest exploits. The new set of six collectible Bond cars will include:
Pola Ivanova`s Corvette from A View To A Kill
1957 Chevy Convertible (Dr. No)
1964 Aston Martin (Goldfinger)
1965 Mustang Convertible (Thunderball)
BMW Z3 (GoldenEye)
BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough)
The popular “World Is Not Enough” Z8 will be an especially welcome edition as GoldenEye`s BMW Z3 was more widely released in other collectible models from makers around the globe, while the Z8`s have been somewhat less affordable to collectors.
Sources say Johnny Lightning is very interested in fan feedback on their latest line of Bond cars and plans to tailor future runs of vehicles to fan wishes. Perhaps a “comprehensive” Bond car collection is in the offing for memorabilia completists. Can anyone say, “Extra large cars display box, please?”
Also to be had soon is the “many-Bonded” Casino Royale on digital videodisc. Despite the fact that the soon-to be-issued “Casino Royale” will not be a part of the Bond Set 3 special editions on DVD, MGM now only has to release their recently acquired “Never Say Never Again” product to bring all 21 Bond titles, “legal” and otherwise, to home video disc players.
According to DVD/Laserdisc Newsletter, the On Her Majesty`s Secret Service Special Edition DVD is missing 27 seconds of footage (20 seconds from the stock car race and 7 seconds/3 lines of dialogue). If this is true, it`s a travesty of justice in more ways than one. Bond fans shelled out big money to buy special edition DVD titles in the second wave of films that were released and they deserve every second of the movie and then some. Not only should the film be presented in its original, full state, but it would have been nice had MGM included bonus, additional footage that was shot but not used (this is standard practice for many DVD Special Editions, such as Independence Day). The DVD/Laserdisc newsletter encourages readers to write John Cork to complain, but John`s comments on the matter are:
“I think it is closer to 10 seconds of footage missing, but it is irritating! MGM certainly knows as they called me to apologize. I did not have anything to do with the print. The only time I saw the particular print was when I was in the recording booth doing the interstitial commentary.
Oddly, there are ALWAYS timing issues between the print we first use (a letterbox transfer) and the new 16 X 9 transfers of the films with which they have to sync up our audio commentary track. There are many reasons this can occur, from a bad negative telecine to an inexact reel change during telecine, to a slight change in the pull-down rate, to damaged materials that have to be replaced from alternate prints that might have cuts.”–John Cork