algerian love knot

“Heart-shaped balloons and pastel-shaded cuddly toys are a marketing staple on Valentine’s Day, but here we feature alternative gifts for those whose notions of romance are scented with petrol rather than flowers”, writes Simon Arron in The Telegraph.

Corgi James Bond range

Price: from £4.99 for individual models to £30 for boxed sets

From: retailers of distinction or www.corgi.co.uk (first models on sale in April)

When it hit multiplex screens last year, Quantum of Solace became the first Bond movie whose release was not commemorated by an associated Corgi model… but that omission is about to be rectified. Hornby, which purchased Corgi in 2008, has just secured a deal to produce licensed Bond goods and a flood of collectible vehicles is scheduled to follow.

As well as established classics such as the Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 and the (non-amphibious) Lotus Esprit Turbo from For Your Eyes Only (available as individual, 1/36-scale models, for £13.99), there will be a range of themed collections pertaining to the various different Bonds. These include a Daniel Craig set (on sale in May, price £30) with the Aston Martin DBS models that featured in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

The game’s Bond…

Recommended: Sean Connery; Sunbeam Alpine; Aston Martin DB5; Ford Mustang Mach 1; throwing Robert Shaw out of train windows.

Not recommended: Roger Moore; alligators (slightly less dangerous than Rosa Klebb, but undesirable nonetheless).

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