THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON 18 FEBRUARY 2014 One of the presents that I got for my birthdaywas a model of the AugustaWestland AW1010 helicopter that featured in the climatic end scenes of Skyfall. Made by Italeri this die-cast model with some plastic parts is in 1/100 scale and is very detailed - especially when you consider it's small size. You can clearly see the Exit writing on the door! It comes presented in a box featuring stills from the film and an interesting variation on the classic Bond gunbarrel logo. I also like the way in which the helicopter model and the Skyfall logo are on the stand to the helicopter. Here are some photo's I've taken of the model: For a bit of background about the helicopters featured in Skyfall here's the press release issued by AgustaWestland in the run-up to the films release in 2012: AUGUSTAWESTLAND HELICOPTERS FEATURE IN SKYFALL(31.10.12. PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of Ian Harding) AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that its AW101 and AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters are featured in SKYFALL, the 23rd James Bond adventure, which had its world premiere in London on 23rd October 2012. Ray Edwards, Managing Director, AgustaWestland said “Quintessentially British, James Bond, is one of the world’s best known and most successful movie characters ever, so we are delighted to have partnered with this iconic brand in its 50th year. Our new technology and high performance AW101 and AW159 helicopters, that are built in Britain, fit perfectly with the Bond image.” Led by AgustaWestland test pilots, the scene required very precise flying due to the proximity to the film set and camera helicopter. Almost 15 hours were spent rehearsing and shooting the scene with the aircrafts. A team of AgustaWestland technicians also supported and modified the aircraft for filming at various locations in the UK earlier this year. The AW101 is a new generation three-engine helicopter that is in service with nations around the world. It can be used for a wide range of military and government applications including Head of State transport. The most capable helicopter in its class the AW101 can carry up to 40 troops or 10 VIPs in ultimate luxury. The AW159 Lynx Wildcat is the very latest helicopter to enter service with the UK Ministry of Defence for operation by the Army and Royal Navy. Bristling with the latest technology the AW159 is the successor to the world famous and record breaking Lynx helicopter. Sixty two of the new generation helicopters are now being built at AgustaWestland’s factory in South West England for delivery to the UK Ministry of Defence. Daniel Craig is back as James Bond 007 in SKYFALL, the 23rd installment of the longest-running film franchise in history. In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M (JUDI DENCH) is tested as her past returns to haunt her. 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The film is from Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. For further information and an exclusive video showing the AW101 in action during the filming of Skyfall please visit www.agustawestland.com The aforementioned video clip showing the behinds the scenes filming of Skyfall below is no longer on the Augustawestland website. However, you can view it below: Comments are closed.
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