These days, filmmakers often turn to computer graphics for scenes of destruction that would otherwise be too expensive or dangerous to stage in real life. But Skyfall posed a different problem. Namely that the effects crew didn’t want to damage a priceless 1960 Aston Martin DB 5 that appeared in the original Bond film 50 years ago.
So, instead of turning to 3D graphics, they turned to 3D printers.
The effects crew modelmakers called on a company called Voxeljet, who used a massive 3D printer with a capacity of eight cubic metres to reproduce three 1:3 scale models of the Aston Martin. Each pseudo-miniature was actually assembled from 18 individual components so that they could be assembled with real-life functionality such as opening doors, trunks and bonnets.
Unfortunately one of the models met its untimely death in an elaborate Hollywood-esque explosion, but its sacrifice ensured the original DB 5 was not harmed in the making of the film. [3ders.org via Damn Geeky]