Following on from my previous post on the Product Enterprise
Supercar, here’s a few photos I’ve taken of their stunning
die-cast Fireball XL5.
It’s just 10”
(255mm) long, but nevertheless a fine model with plenty of detailing,
and some subtle weathering.
It features a
detachable Fireball Junior which is held in place by a powerful
magnet.
I particularly like
the retro packaging which definitely has that sixties vibe.
The box design is
credited to Graham Humphreys, and the model maker is Ian Crichton.
The model, which
comes with it’s own ‘v’ shaped display stand, is dated 2005,
and like the Product Enterprise Supercar, was based on a much earlier
previous die-cast model release which was available through Comet
Miniatures.
Unfortunately as
I don’t have access to an original Comet Miniature XL5 to
photograph, I had to reluctantly use a photo I found on the web, so
credit to the original photographer. Here’s a
comparison photo; the Comet Miniatures XL5 is the one at the bottom.
This earlier Comet
Miniatures XL5 looked to be fairly good, although I don’t know
whether it has a detachable Fireball Junior. It comes with a display
stand made from MDF similar to the C.M. Supercar stand, and like the
Supercar had a limited run of not more than 100.
However, it looks to
have slightly less detail than the superior Product Enterprise model,
and lacks any weathering.
A simple sticker
attached to a plain cardboard box makes up Comet Miniatures packaging
for both the Supercar and Fireball XL5 die-casts.
Unsurprisingly, both
models are well out of production. I don’t know how well the
Product Enterprise Fireball XL5 sold at the time. I was lucky enough
to purchase mine at one of the Birmingham NEC Memorabilia events when
the model was first released.
I’ll resist the
temptation to say ‘my heart is still a Fireball!’
