…what happened, where’s Goldfinger?
Playing his golden harp…
Miniature Auric Enterprises – Lockheed US VC-140B JetStar – Goldfinger (1964)
After Bond is captured spying on Auric Goldfinger’s smuggling operation, he is flown to the US aboard the villain’s luxurious private jet, piloted by the unforgettable Pussy Galore.
After 007 has foiled Goldfinger’s plot to irradiate much of the West’s gold reserve, he is flown to meet the President on a similar JetStar, only to find mid-flight that the bullion dealer has highjacked the aircraft. In a final showdown, Bond overpowers Goldfinger, and, after a pistol shot smashes a window, the cabin depressurizes sucking Goldfinger to his death. 007 and Pussy Galore parachute to safety while the JetStar apparently crashes into the Atlantic Ocean.
Both scenes involving a JetStar were accomplished using a mix of a real plane, model work, and an interior studio set representing the cabin and fuselage. Exterior shots of the plane mid-flight were achieved using the small model. The filmmakers cleverly finished it with two different liveries—one side representing Auric Enterprises and the other the US military.
A second model was used to stage the crash and was destroyed in the process. The Foundation’s model was filmed on the Special Effects Stage at Pinewood Studios on August 4, 1964. It was then given to Lockheed as a token of appreciation for their cooperation during the filming. The model ended up in the hands of a Lockheed executive whose children played with it and redecorated it as a U.S. military plane. Years later, the miniature was discovered in an antique shop in Georgia with some of the original Goldfinger paint job showing through.
The Ian Fleming Foundation acquired the plane in 2005 and employed a professional model maker to restore it to its dual Goldfinger glory. Fascinatingly, much of the original artwork was lying underneath the grey paint.
More information and some action photos can be found here.