New Aston Martin DB5 an ageless icon

Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.

At the risk of repeating what has been said in our other blog posting for this week, there is so much going on in the world of Airfix at the moment, that we find ourselves in need of playing Workbench blog catch-up this weekend. With several new 2023 kit releases having already arrived in our warehouse but have yet to feature in one of our update blogs, the only appropriate course of action is to have the latest of our dual post weekends, two project updates for the price of one.

In this second post of the week, we are returning to the fascinating subject of new Starter Set kit design and production, as we welcome the newly tooled and recently released 1/43rd scale Aston Martin DB5 to the current Airfix range. With the benefit of input from the kit's designer and a host of exclusive CAD screenshot imagery to bring you, we will be discovering some of the many challenges faced when introducing such a classic vehicle into this new breed of simplified construction kits.

The other blog just posted marks the welcome return of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1/AV-8A kit in 1/72nd scale, where we take a look at both the British and US markings this delightful little kit includes, covering schemes which graced those early Harriers in service on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. 

As usual, both blogs have been posted separately for web search and keyword purposes, however, both can be accessed either from the foot of the main Airfix webpage, or by heading to our main Workbench blog hub. 

Motoring class is timeless

Even though it was designed and manufactured in the 1960s, many people consider the Aston Martin DB5 to be the most famous car the world has ever known and a true icon of the motoring world.

Considered by huge numbers of people to be the most famous car in the world, the Aston Martin DB5 is a quintessentially British combination of style, luxury and performance, a Grand Tourer which is both elegant and exciting. To this day, the DB5 is a real head turner and can still hold its own with the very latest supercars when it comes to the desirability stakes and without doubt, if you have the means to do so, no matter what your motoring collecting taste may be, you will always make room for an Aston Martin DB5. If you are fortunate enough to own one, you know that you truly have one of the most famous and desirable cars in the history of motoring within your collection.

There is a famous old saying which states that style is temporary, whilst class is permanent, but when talking about the Aston Martin DB5, we have to concede that in motoring terms at least, this car has both in equal measure, something of a timeless classic. The DB5 was as much about performance as it was about style and comfort, with a new 4 litre 282 bhp engine capable of powering it from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and boasting a top speed of 142 mph. Other improvements over its predecessor were either a 5 speed fully synchromesh manual gearbox, or three speed automatic alternative and the option of both saloon and convertible models, the DB5 was aimed at the discerning motorist. With a price tag of £4,175 for the saloon back in 1963, the DB5was very much aimed at the wealthier end of society and allowing for inflation, this figure equates to around £112,000 at today's prices, still the price of a small house. If you were to find a pristine example today and were hoping to prize it away from its owner, you would be looking at a figure somewhere between £600,000 and £1 Million for a fine example.

Within the history of the Aston Martin vehicle range over the years, the DB5 probably stands as the most famous and most desirable of their models, and arguably the most famous prestige car of all time. This is surely in part down to its position within popular culture and its association with a certain fictional British secret service agent, but also just down to the sheer aesthetic appeal of the car. An evolutionary development of its predecessor the DB4, the DB5 was actually designed by the Italian coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, so we should not be surprised that the car simply oozes style.

An early built sample of the new Aston Martin DB5 Starter Set kit, unusually finished using the only can of spray paint available at the time! Just look at all that beautiful grille and wheel detail.

This latest Grand Tourer design featured a more powerful all aluminium engine, new transmission technology and a host of other internal improvements which really did make this the ultimate vehicle of its kind in the world at that time. Interestingly, the famous DB abbreviation in the car's title refers to Mr David Brown, the businessman who purchased the Aston Martin company in 1947 and the driving force behind this iconic series of grand tourers. Also the man behind the David Brown range of tractors and agricultural machinery, could two vehicle types linked to the same owner possibly be more diametrically opposed?

Tractor man produces a classic Grand Tourer

Due to Brown's influence, he combined the stunning good looks of the Aston Martin chassis with the power of a Lagonda developed engine (another company from within his growing portfolio) to create the Aston Martin DB2 Grand Tourer and the rest, as they say, is the stuff of motoring legend.

The Aston Martin DB4 and DB5 shared many external similarities, however, because of its impact on popular culture, it was the later model which captured both the hearts and imaginations of people the world over, creating a motoring legacy which is as powerful today as it was when people first clapped eyes on this beauty back in 1963. With a total production run of only 1,059 cars (during the official, original production run), finding a pristine example of the DB5 is quite a challenge these days, as the vast majority of original vehicles are no longer in existence, but if one does turn up, you had better have deep pockets, because this motoring icon doesn't come cheap.

Arguably the most famous and most desirable car in the history of motoring, the Aston Martin DB5 was fast, powerful and refined, but most of all, was a beautiful thing to look at. With its iconic front profile and eye-catching spoked wheels, this product of the 1960s can still hold its own with any modern classic and if you arrived at an event in one of these beauties, you would definitely find yourself the centre of attention. Modern supercar or timeless motoring classic, if you have the money, the choice is yours - which way would you lean?

Airfix and the most famous car in the world

Ageless beauty, the Aston Martin DB5 really is a stunning design and even if you're not into cars, you are still in danger of becoming infatuated with this beautiful machine.  

As famous vehicles have always been of interest to modellers over the years, the Aston Martin DB5 attracted the attention of Airfix designers back in the mid 1960s, with our first scale model kit representation of this iconic car appearing in an Airfix range for the first time in 1966. Back then, the traditional scale for car model kits was 1/32nd scale and the DB5 was produced in this scale as a consequence and since that date, the kit has been released numerous times and has even been released as a starter set complete with poly cement, paint and a paint brush. Always proving to be an incredibly popular component of any range in which it appeared, this iconic subject was definitely deserving of a little time with one of our designers, so they could produce a modern version of this motoring and indeed Airfix kit classic. 

As the Airfix team are always monitoring current modelling trends and have years of robust sales data to call upon, we were only too aware that kits based around car subject matter are always amongst the best-selling product lines in larger retail/hobby stores and as such, how our reps are regularly being asked to feedback requests to our development team for new car kit subjects to be added to the range. That being the case, with our new breed of Starter Sets being specifically aimed at first time and less experienced modellers, we always knew that kits featuring cars were going to have a significant future role to play for Airfix, something which has certainly been reflected in the investment the range has benefitted from to this point. 

Although maintaining the appealing spread of subject matter the Airfix range is famous for providing, the weighting to this point has favoured famous cars from the past 60 or 70 years of motoring, and with a definite leaning towards Supercars. With that being the case, surely a car which millions of people regard as the most famous car in the world should be considered for inclusion as a new Starter Set and we are delighted to say that happy day has now arrived. As of two weeks ago, the beautiful Aston Martin DB5 is now available as a 1/43rd scale Airfix Starter Set, and it's already looking like being our latest kit classic.

Design assembly screenshot of the new Aston Martin DB5 kit, but how did Chris get to this stage?

Clearly, we couldn't let this significant range development pass without making a little Workbench fuss and we are delighted to confirm that regular blog contributor and Airfix design expert Christopher Joy is in our development spotlight once again, this time with a new Starter Set kit to his name - is there nothing this man can't do on the design front? Chris has once again been so generous with his time, as he not only took time out from his busy schedule to talk us through some of the aspects of this new kit's design, but also provided us with a fascinating collection of CAD imagery to better illustrate the various design details we discussed. Thanks to Chris, prepare for some quality Airfix Aston Martin DB5 time.

New Aston Martin DB5 kit a thing of beauty

As we are posting this review after the new Aston Martin DB5 Starter Set has already been released, we unusually have the benefit of the first modeller reviews and comments regarding the new kit, all of which appear to be incredibly positive. Many already in possession of the kit who have taken to social media to post their thoughts describe how impressed they are with the beautifully produced single piece main body shell of the kit, whilst also citing the impressive levels of detail the kit displays throughout. Our initial question to Chris was regarding the design of this impressive main body component and whether this distinctive feature posed any particular design challenges?

Chris informed us that from a design perspective, this might well be the most impressive feature of the new kit, however, the technology behind it has been around for quite some time now and if you are mindful of the parameters you must always consider when designing a plastic scale model kit, you shouldn't really have too many problems here. Essentially, this design uses the same basic technique perfected by Scalextric over the years, who have mainly always produced their model body shells as single piece mouldings, even though this might be less common on Airfix designs. The physical depth of a traditional Airfix kit might typically be made up of several separate parts to be built up, but as this was to be the latest addition to our new breed of Starter Sets, Chris had to adopt this design strategy.

In actual fact, Chris told us that the design of this part was the result of close collaboration between himself and the toolmaker, as he needed to produce the part to the exact scale dimensions required, without introducing any potential moulding issues when the kit advanced to production, something which required the combined experience of both parties.

A rather complicated process, but one which isn't too hard to master, the main mould consists of 4 separate slide moulds, with each one being offered to the main mould at exactly the precise moment during production, allowing the correct gap for the injected plastic to create the iconic shape of the DB5, with the correct thickness of material creating this single, impressive component, and without introducing any unsightly manufacturing join lines. Chris described how the real skill here is in allowing all this to happen simultaneously and how if manufacturing design compromises have to be made, how they should be as unobtrusive as possible, following the natural panel lines of the subject vehicle. After all, what we are talking about here is one of the most instantly recognisable cars to have ever been made, and therefore, no quarter could be given with regard to this iconic shape.

Body shell design image which leaves us in absolutely no doubt as to what this modelling subject is.

This skeleton view of the DB5 marks the early stages of this significant new project.

The left hand image in this montage shows body shell section draft analysis investigation, with the right hand image showing the corresponding body shell design.

Dashboard and seating design detail, all areas where the new kit boasts impressive levels of detail representation. 

A truly impressive piece of design engineering, when inspecting the single piece body shell of this new kit, you are left in absolutely no doubt whatsoever as to what you are looking it - this is 100% an Aston Martin DB5, only in plastic and in miniature. This does come at a price however, and this type of moulding technology is both technically complex and very expensive to produce, with just this one part requiring a mould tooling all of its own.

With the design requirements of a new Starter Set being so specific, the assembly simplification and lower part count which are a feature of these kits do bring with them their own set of challenges for a designer. Not only do they have to create a faithful representation of their subject, but they also have to see where individual details can be combined to form larger parts, whilst retaining both detail and the integrity of assembly. In addition to this, the layering of these parts has to allow the modeller a sense of depth to these components, particularly when your subject is as iconic and instantly recognisable as this. You have to be on your game all the time with a Starter Set, however, Chris told us that he loved designing the DB5 kit and found it to be an incredibly satisfying project to work on.

A design challenge around every corner

Another feature of the new kit modellers have been commenting on is the amount of fine detail it exhibits and how even though this is a Starter Set, once completed, it produces a stunning re-creation of this iconic car in scale form. Chris told us that when it comes to the latest incarnation of Starter Sets, there is no substitute for design experience, because they can have challenges at every stage of the design process. Even though he has many Airfix years under his belt, there are still times when a particular aspect of a design has him questioning the best way to go about it and seeking the opinions of his colleagues in order to arrive at the most effective solution.

With projects such as these, the designer always has the novice or first time modeller at the forefront of their minds and how every aspect of the kit's assembly must be as intuitive as it is enjoyable and rewarding to build. Chris described how using the colour split of parts creatively is something he believes certainly helps to achieve this and he therefore finds particularly satisfying. Not only does this help to produce an aesthetically appealing finished model, it also provides the additional assembly reassurance a less experienced modeller might appreciate.

Another design screenshot showing how Chris built up the interior detail for the new Aston Martin DB5

The mark of a motoring classic, this new kit features the beautiful spoked wheels which helped to earn the DB5 its iconic reputation.

From a wider detail perspective, we wanted to ask Chris how he designed both the iconic front grille of the DB5 and also the spoked wheels, both of which are such distinctive features of the new kit. Chris described how this was very much a joint effort between him and the toolmaker, as it really was all down to the finesse of the resultant tool production. As always, certain design compromises have to be made, however, the real skill and professional satisfaction comes when the designer finds a way of effectively hiding these compromises within the design, but this will count for nought unless the toolmaker can replicate it efficiently.

Chris told us that the grille could actually have been moulded as an integral part of the main body shell component, however, he felt that designing it as a separately moulded part made it look much better on the finished model, providing the modeller with clearer painting guidance, in addition to allowing all that fine detail to be replicated in all its glory. In typically modest fashion, Chris concluded by saying how this aspect was really all down to the quality of the tooling and how they (the toolmaker) had done an excellent job with the DB5.

Newly designed kits for all to enjoy

During our conversation, it was interesting to hear Chris' views on the Starter Set range and how from a design perspective, he doesn't see them as being a kit exclusively for less experienced modellers to enjoy, he wanted them to be enjoyed by all modellers, regardless of either age or experience. At the end of the day, it’s all about fun, building something which brings people a little bit of pleasure, be that some quiet, alone time, or a social build as part of a wider group project. At the end of the day, if what you end up with is an appealing representation of an Aston Martin DB5, then surely everyone will be happy with that. In this regard, we think Chris has created a little modelling masterpiece here.

So good it demanded to be shown on its own. This fascinating image shows an exploded screenshot view of the new Aston Martin DB5 design.

With as much rich detail inside the new model as there is following the exterior contours of this motoring classic, we wanted to ask Chris if he had the benefit of scan data files at the outset of this project, or if things were a little more 'traditional' with this kit. He said that he did have scan data and whilst this proved vital in replicating the shapes and surfacing detail of the car's exterior, in only yielded limited information when it came to details inside the car. Fortunately, he was later afforded the opportunity to visit a car collector who had a magnificent example of a DB5 within his collection and was allowed to inspect every aspect of the car, taking measurements and lots of detail photographs - Chris said this was a very good day!

For someone engaged in the design of a scale representation of this motoring icon, this was a fantastic opportunity and one which gave Chris an even greater appreciation of the beauty and build quality of this car. He could clearly see why many regard this as the most famous car in the world. It was after securing information during this visit that Chris discovered how the car's centre console unit isn't actually centrally located and is slightly offset to the passenger side.

With some extremely complicated Airfix kit designs already to his name, Chris informed us that this BD5 project actually served as a really enjoyable break from working on a larger model design, but actually only took him around 6 weeks to complete. This information does come with the caveat that he is an incredibly experienced designer, however, this is still a surprisingly short time, particularly when factoring in features such as the impressive single piece body shell design. 

Chris did say that whilst the lower part count requirement of these models does undoubtedly save time overall, prior experience in knowing which parts can be amalgamated and how to do this certainly helps a designer remain on schedule, even though they know there is probably something much more time consuming waiting for them just around the corner (and another new design). He was at pains to stress that these Starter Set projects still provide plenty of opportunities for a designer to excel and innovate, but how they must never be considered a lower grade of model kit, because nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it could be argued that these kits have a more demanding design brief to satisfy than most other projects and will typically be coming into contact with more modellers than other kit types.

Another exploded design view, this time showing detail on the underside of the new kit.

More underside detail, this time in CAD assembled format.

Over to the modelling community

To end our latest discussion with Chris on the subject of his new Aston Martin DB5 kit, we felt it was only appropriate to ask him if there were any aspects of the design that he was particularly pleased with, something perhaps modellers would come to appreciate in the very near future. He told us that he was really pleased with how much of the kit's interior detailing turned out, particularly the amount of detail he was able to include in the plush seat cushioning representation. In addition to this, he was also more than happy with how the engine and exhaust detail and overall assembly came together, something he hopes those building the model will remember from spending time with the kit.

In conjunction with the clear assembly guidance provided by the instruction booklet and the modelling introduction sheet included with the kit, Chris hopes that thousands of people will enjoy recreating this classic car in model kit form over the coming years and how this first experience might start some of them on their own modelling journeys. Ultimately, he's very happy with how everything has turned out and feels that even though the finished model looks great, it's now over to the modelling community, and how they view his latest model design endeavours.

The Workbench team think Chris has done a fantastic job with the new Aston Martin DB5 kit and how this is already proving to be a stunning addition to the Airfix range. As ever, we are indebted to Chris for spending even more time with us and for guiding us through what has been another successful kit design project for him. Now, we can all have an example of the greatest car ever produced on our shelves and in our display cabinets, allowing us all to dream of the day when our numbers come up and we can have a real one tucked away in our garage. Until that day, this scale version helps remind us that when it comes to classic prestige cars, Britain can boast arguably the most impressive example of them all.

A final selection of images which show two different angles of an assembled and decorated advanced sample of the new Aston Martin DB5 Starter Set kit, with an image of the full box presentation file sandwiched in between.

Our new A55011 Starter Set - Aston Martin DB5 is available now.

Please don't forget that we have a second update feature for you this week, with our latest 1/72nd scale Hawker Siddeley Harrier kit being the focus of our attention on that blog.

We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence. 

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