"Mrs Peel, we're needed!"
The Corgi Avengers gift set featuring John Steed and Emma Peel.
Released in 1966, and continuing production until 1969, this popular set featured a red Bentley Le Mans 1927 from the Corgi Classics range, and a white Lotus Elan S2.
Steed used four different Bentley’s in the series and all were actually racing green.
From time to time The Avengers gift set occasionally crops up with Steed sitting in a green Bentley, the seller using the usual prefix of ‘rare’!
I suspect it’s common knowledge to most collectors that these green Bentley’s being driven by a bowler-hatted figure are actually from ’The World of Wooster’, which was released in 1967.
The driver was gentleman's gentleman Jeeves, played by Dennis Price in the TV series of the time. A standing figure of Bertie Wooster (played by Ian Carmichael) completed this particular Corgi toy .
Not that there’s anything wrong with using a green Wooster Bentley in the set - it’s exactly the same model with the same figure, although Jeeves’ suit is darker. It’s just not from the original Avengers set. But personally I find it much more attractive than the red one.
Emma Peel drove a powder blue Lotus Elan S2 in both the b/w and colour series, although it wasn't the same car. However, Corgi used a white example in the gift set .
It’s still a nicely detail model, with an opening bonnet revealing a chrome engine with ‘Lotus’ embossed across the cylinder heads. There’s a detailed interior with side windows that go up and down, and stuck-on number plates and tax disc.
Corgi model club news as seen in TV Century 21 featured the real cars.
An advert for the Gift Set. Note the green Bentley.
As a post script, Corgi released a finer detailed version of the Bentley with a white metal John Steed figure in 1998.
It’s a very nice model and the Steed figure does resemble Patrick Macnee, but the packaging, unlike the colourful sixties version is quite minimalist and dull and not particularly nostalgic.
To me, The Avengers is all about nostalgia and memories of watching classic TV as a kid. It's also about two iconic cars and a classic gift set from Corgi.
Beautiful post Scoop. I loved my Avengers cars. I always got Emma Peels mixed up witn the 007 Toyota. Well, they were both white!
ReplyDeleteThe Avengers was quite creepy I thought as a kid. the theme music was simply stunning and up there with the Thunderbirds theme. Gives me goose pimple when I hear it now!
The Wooster Bentley has different colour mudguards and wheels to a genuine green Steed Bentley! Jeeves and Steed are not the same figures in different colour suits!
ReplyDeleteHi there, thanks for the comments. As we see in the photos each Bentley does indeed have different colour schemes. I'm intrigued by you saying a 'genuine' green Steed Bentley. As far as I'm aware it was never part of the gift set. I've seen examples on line and at fairs which show green Bentleys with different coloured mudguards and wheels and claim to genuine,
ReplyDeletebut I'm a bit dubious as to whether they are the real thing or as I've found, just restoration jobs that are becoming increasingly common these days. As to a different Steed figure I admit that's a new one on me. Both the figures I have in the Steed and Jeeves Bentleys are exactly the same apart from Jeeves darker suit.
That being said I would welcome any material from you which solves the mystery. I don't claim to be an expert , and as I say would love to think that there really was a genuine '60's Corgi Steed Bentley release.
More details on colour and figure variations are quoted from this special edition magazine:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.modelcollector.co.uk/news/article/classic-tv-and-film-collectables/8745
6 years later I feel I need to correct a few things. There most certainly was a green Bentley issued in the Gift Set. It was a different shade of green to the 9001 model and had red wheels. Not a very attractive model, to be sure, but that's what some people will have had in the box! A green Bentley with black running boards and mudguards was also used and is most certainly rare. However, it is quite distinct from the 9004 World of Wooster model to which you refer. That has dark grey running boards / mudguards and a most obvious red interior. The set version had the brown interior. The drivers, Jeeves and Steed are very different, not just in colours but in the design of their clothes, position of arms and faces. Unfortunately, most reproductions of Steed made are, indeed, Jeeves painted grey. It is a great shame but I know of no correct Steed reproductions at this time.
ReplyDeleteSo there are three possible 'genuinely originally issued' sets. I also suspect that there are others where a Friday afternoon shift at the factory may have seen 9001 Bentleys popped in the box with transfers removed, a folded hood and Steed inserted and, who knows, maybe even some 9002s also found their way into the boxes.
In addition I also quite like to see the silver-blue Elan in an adapted set which, with the Tiger sticker removed, is a pretty close model of the Elan Mrs Peel drove in later series, the white one only being used in the early days. With the cost of an all original set now nearing £500, many collectors, even fussy ones, are content with a good combination of 9001 (minus transfers and with a folded hood) and white Elan on display until they can find something better. Indeed, many Avengers fans I know prefer the adapted sets! Corgi purists know what they want and will, hopefully, ignore anyway the bad reproductions and replacement models and some very poor reproduction characters!
I hope this is helpful to your readers.
Hi Andrew, many thanks for your comment, a lot of info there. Over time I have picked up a green Bentley with red wheels and folded down roof, unlike the World of Wooster one I have in the photos.The green colour appears to be the same, though. I certainly agree with your ideas on the blue elan, that certainly looks better than the white one in the set.
DeleteI'll maybe do an update to the Avengers gift set post, and if you don't mind include some of your thoughts.
Cheers Mike
I understand Corgi stopped making these models because the dyes were destroyed in a fire
ReplyDelete