ESCI model compant: a brief history
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- Опубликовано: 22 апр 2020
- A quick overview of the ESCI kit model company, 1967-1993 (2000 via ERTL).
best wishes for all of those in Italy in these challenging time. Stai attento.
Max 
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I built many of the tanks for my son in the '80s, but the ESCI product he really liked were the boxes of soldiers-he had all the major combatants of WW2, and we would set up massive battles that spread across the floor. All those soldiers, and the tanks and planes are waiting down in the basement for his son to get old enough to play with them....
That's great! Saving them for the next generation to play with!
I Believe the motorcycle models are the best in the industry even today.. they were designed by a famous Spanish gentleman from Barcelona...I remember seeing those models at the model store back in the late 70s , I couldn't afford them then but today I have them all! (a short wait of 30 yrs)
I loved their 1/72 Troops..I had so many sets! Thousands of troops fought on my battlefields ....on my tables of sand! I still have many of them. I collected several Vietnam boxes..those and the Afrika Corp were my favorites.
David R Lentz, USA
Again, thank you, Max, this time for your overview of ESCI’s plastic scale-model assembly kits. If my source is correct, I may have acquired several of their 1:72nd-scale aircraft, at the time under AMT’s label. These were several of Boeing’s KC-135 Stratotanker USAF Aerial Refueler series, including the experimental test-beds. I planned to build the different variants, e.g., the KC-135A, -E, -Q, and -R. I had intended to build them in flight, with a model of an appropriate jet positioned to undergo refueling.
Also the 1:72nd-scale kits of the later variants of the Boeing B-52G and H Stratofortress USAF Strategic Bombers. (Round this time, my finances had eased some, as I had received disability benefits, and I had relocated to subsidised housing.) Over the subsequent years, I also had acquired monographs on the actual aircraft, toward my efforts to research them.
I built an ESCI 1/24 scale CJ-7 Jeep and still have it. It is 'Promo-like' with non-opening hood and the engine is molded into the chassis. I does have steerable wheels.
I still have in my display case the two cockpits of the F-104 and the F-16. Stunning still, and many friends say that they are still the best and only ones of their type.
Greatly enjoy your history of these companies including the people who created these.
I did alot of tabletop gaming in the early 80's and the ESCI 1-72 armor and figures were huge. I built many of their tanks along with Matchbox.
I had so many Matchbox tanks plus Hot Wheels! and they were perfect for the battlefield!
Still have em
I had both the Zundapp and BMW motorcycles and the F-16 and F-104 cockpits. They were all very impressive models with lots of detail.
The Squadron Shop in Chicagoland (83 & North Avenue flooded a couple of times in the late 70s. I bought TONS of 1/72 armor, vehicles, and infantry...mostly ESCI...at a flood damage discount.
Good times for me.
(And great music, as usual!)
I went to the one in Maryland near DC. I loved that place.
Always loved there kits, Had some nice stuff produced by anyone else love 1/72 armor series
I got a few ESCI kits but the 1 that make me always remember ESCI a was a Diaroma with 2 tanks and 2 units of soldiers in 72nd scale that my mom bought for me on my 20th birthday during the 70s.
back in my days i collected several 1/72 armor kits, now i have a ketenkrad, kubelwagen the bmw and the zundapp solo and with side car, love those big bikes
Thanks for posting. Keep up the good work Maximus
I built the 1/12 scale F-16 cockpit model, but mine was branded AMT. I must've spent an entire month studying the drawings trying to figure out how to assemble this model and paint it. In the end, I threw the instructions out and used books, technical drawings, and aviation magazines to build it. Took me two years, but in the end, I had a model I was extremely proud of.
ESCI kits were ( are ) absolutely brilliant, their 1/72 scale armor is outstanding and 1/35 scale figures are awsome.
ESCI was a real ray of sunshine for braille scale armour modellers. Such a wonderful variety of lesser known vehicles as well as the old favourites. Pretty decent on the accuracy although they did tend to simplify suspensions, especially on their modern tanks. I was pretty sad when I noticed them disappearing from the hobby shops.
I vaguely remember building a 1/72 jet fighter in the 70s from ESCI and playing with it in the neighborhood streets. I would hold it up to my eye and run through the streets in a POV style pretending to fly.
The Cessna 172 is so far (currently building it) a great model, fits are good and details are amazing for the time.
Thanks for the video maxmodels! Very well done and informative as usual. Keep it up!
When my father was stationed in Germany in the mid 80's I built quite a few ESCI 1/72 scale tank kits to go along with my 1/72 scale soldiers, I have the "82nd Screaming Eagles" box still. I never thought too much about how they went together, I just needed support for my troops.
I built a bunch of their 1/72 armor also their 1/72 WW1 aircraft (still have a few of those in the stash). And I was a big, big fan of their aftermarket decals. As I recall, sometimes their was a theme for that, sometimes a random assortment of aircraft whose markings just happened to fit together on a sheet of paper. And yes, sometimes I would buy and build a kit just because I had found some decals that matched a scheme I had seen in a Profile and had wanted to have for years.
I built loads of ESCI stuff back in the day. Their aircraft models were great, some of their 1/35 vehicles less so. Now I know why some of their kits were so different in style. Cheers Max!
Nice video as usual. Always wondered what happened to Esci. Built a 1/35th Esci T72, while I was stationed in Germany from 88 to 91. Bought it athe a local hobby shop off post in Bamberg. I think I got the kit in 89. Pretty easy build, if I remember correctly, except for the tracks.. I used a USAEUR vehicle recognition book on Russian Armor they gave us, (it had tons of pics of T72's) as guide on some of the details. Although it was painted in a Russian flat green, one of the officers in my Battery used it in a class on vehicle recognition prior to us deploying to Desert Shield. I bought another Esci T72, with the thought of building a diorama of an abandoned Iraqi T72, but it never materialized. Sold it to another model builder in my unit before PCSing stateside to Fort Ord, CA. Interestingly enough
the assembled one did make it stateside in one piece. I packed up my models real well. They all made it to my former home in Pennsylvania😄 Sadly their all gone.
I'm not really massively into model making, but I find your video's endlessly fascinating, please keep them coming.
thanks
I LOVED the ERTL ESCI F-4 B/J Phantom from VF-111. It may not have been super accurate or complex but it went together well.
I built several ESCI 1/24 cars and thought the engraved detail and overall quality left something to be desired. But those Cartograph decals were awesome!
Italeri have recently been selling both their own mold for the 1/72 scale C-47, as well as the ESCI mold. They look very similar, with the biggest difference being how the parts are layed out on the sprues. They´re both very nice kits. I built the ESCI as a kid, and am now building the Italeri kit as a Swedish air force TP-79 (the Swedish designation).
Wow, so many memories of ESCI kits. Particularly the oddballs like the 1 ton semi-track with 75mm feldhaubitz.
Esci tanks and the inf and long with the battle line stuff for back in my Old cadet days as my dharma for the model contest that where run over the few years i was in! Hard to believe seeing now the many cross over I did not pick up on back then!
Nice short history, I always thought they where from Spain.. Bloopers..... thanks for taking the time to make this videos!
I've built a few of the 1/72 aircraft.. pretty solid!
I knew there was a reason I like your vid's so much. AIRBORNE Leads the Way! 1/509th ABCT here.
...so the Italian tunage was appreciated.
Thanks from Italy: your historic lessons are amazing.
Hahaha. New subscriber all from 2 videos with the highlight being the “Lone Ranger” song and the Italian version of “Wake me up when it’s all over “ 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Max, you make good videos, keep them coming pal, greetings.
I still have some unbuilt figure kits, German Green Devil, British Red Devils, Nebelwerfers, etc. I also still have the horse drawn convoy with two wagons, this is one of the nicest kits that they ever marketed.
Built many ESCI kits. I find their 1/72 marder III to be quite impressive. A fair few of their 1/72 armor kits still have little to no competition, and hold up very well. Needless to say, I'm a fan. Sad they're gone.
I liked their M1 tank that came out in 1984 or -85. ECSI 1/72 miniatures were of a decent to high standard. I liked their early WW2 Germans and American paratroopers.
Yes, I made their Aermacchi MB326H.
I would have made their Mirage IIIO but didn't know of it's existence back in the day
There weren't many OOB R.A.A.F. aircraft kits back in the day
I have even sat in a Macchi when I was in the Air Training Corp.
Being 186cm (just shy of six two) it wasn't very easy
Grazie, Max! It’s nice to revive a little of good the old Italy ☺️
Hi Max. Love your channel. Yes, I am Fred's son and loved Chris.
Fantástico, bombastico! I was really waiting this video! ESCI was my favourite till Hasegawa did their better moulds! F-5A, F-100 till today. F-104, F-4, F-15, F-16, Mirage F1, Tornado, Sea Harrier... some might be better, deacades later! OK, there were detail issues... I'm surprised Max, You haven't made joke about their unusual boxart with aiming crosshairs, let alone patrol formations of 2 quite remote land's air forces... funny, BUT e.g. 1/72 F-104... from 1982... much better than the 1995(!) Revell in shape and fit! And the 2 Henschel attackers and the Storck in 1/48 deserve a remark: for very long these were the only ones...
Still got nearly a hundred of their kits from the 1980s. Mostly 1/48 aircraft , 1/72 scale armor diorama kits and bunch of their decal sheets. Still great. Still regret not getting their 1/12 scale cockpit kits.
I made a lot of ESCI kits in 90s. Nice, sharp molds and very good hard plastic. It wasn't as expensive as Japanese models and much better than Italeri. I am glad Italeri currently bringing back 1/9 th scale series.
I remember those separate track links were going to drive me nuts.
I enjoyed building ESCI's 35th scale Nebelwerfer as kid in the 80s. Their 72nd scale armor kits were generally good. I always wanted to try ESCI's 48th scale jets, but it seems that every time I walked out of the shop with a jet, it was always Revell/Monogram or Hasegawa.
My local Woolworths somehow had a good selection of ESCI 1/48 kits in the early 80's. There was no LHS within 40 miles of my home town. I think I had the best success with their aircraft kits compared to any other single manufacturer. Good fit and relatively simple. Also, they usually had a paint scheme I could brush on.
My first ESCI was F-14A, (1:72) omg .. i was blown away, i still remember how many days i have spent gathering all paints, tools, planning how to do it.. one of the happiest periods of my childhood for sure!
Forty years later I still regret not buying the 1/48th ESCI Henschel 123 I saw on a shelf.
always wondered about their history and we all have made an ESCI and probably never known it lol
Used to love their whole line of 1/72 scale kits. Maybe they weren't the 'best' or the 'fanciest' but I always felt like they were good, honest, enjoyable kits to build.
Built several Esci tanks - great quality.
The tanks and AFV's were superb for their time and you could often find some ESCI figures to go along with them in dioramas (or if you played with them).
Ynffy I can see that. I never was into the diagrams. Just enjoyed building them for their significance. I did have a phase where I built every single surface to air missile built. There were some good models.
Back in the late 70's, early 80's I was obsessed with ESCI tanks, the detail was and still is outstanding and I also had the El Alamein battle set.
Just finishing ESCI S-3 Viking, a fantastic kit.
Love those kits, I still have two or three armor kits in the stash. 1/72
Another marvelous, entertaining and extremely informative video. Good on you, man
thanks
I had, in 1:48 scale: Mirage III, F5-E, A-4 and the one I miss more: F-8E from the Oriskani. Sadly that was when I was a children and now as a grown up man its almost imposible found that models.
Good to know more about the ESCI history after building a few of their kits over the kits.
Once again, another great video. Thank you!
I still have the Viggen in 1/48... Y even bought a resin ejection seat and a set of aftermarket decals for it in preparation... one day I will get brave enough to tackle that camo... one day...
Great to hear the story, yet another from the past... Thanks a lot!
I've seen a very few of these for sale at second-hand shops and I should have picked them up...blast it!😕
I was in my teens or early twenties and I wasn't into collecting older models. Though now I dig'em and I've got a Zaku 2 Desert Type of Gundam fame from the mid eighties, along with that Hasagawa Veritech fighter trainer from Macross.
I loved the ESCI M-113 Hammerhead I built during Desert Storm. I even added a long antenna, and Coalition Forces Chevron. I've got an ESCI T-55 somewhere. These were great models at very reasonable prices. Miss those days!
It seems there's a lot of reboxing of old kits, as my old favourite manufacturers go the way of the dodo.
*Wake me up when it's all over, Max!*
Building and painting a ERTL ESCI 1/48 BA Jaguar GR1 at this very moment ,loving it .Have that 1/12 f-104 cockpit too and looking for the f-16 so to build them at the same time .
Their 1/48 F-86E/F was a nice kit...it fit together rather well and had recess panel lines...I felt it looked better than Mongram's F-86. I also liked the 1/72 F-100 and F-104....all their kits decals was loaded with a variety of markings and stencils....much better than the first generation decals they sold separately....but even though their old decal sets was not the best I still used them!..A bit thick and more paper like but I got them to work...I wish I made all that I had in my stash back then...I felt their kits were pretty good and if you were a good modeler the model can win in contest and in bigger shows.
So here I am in Canada, stay at home, staying safe and just loving your videos. So informative. I run down to the basement and just have to touch all the ESCI boxes (still unopened) and the Italeri and so many more. I thought I was weird because I have 20 to 300 unopened models, but apparently that is normal for old plastic model makers. May I post some manufacturers that I have, but are either rare or never heard of.
Hi max.just listening more about kits.I've never heard of.your a good narrator. And thanks again from Ohio
Ever look at Plastic Soldier Review? They have all the 1:72 scale figures by everyone. ESCI made the most lax German "Green Devil" Paratrooper figures you could imagine. One guy is leaning on his MG with the barrel to the ground, just taking it easy. We used to buy tons of ESCI figures and war gamed with them. One of their best was the VC/NVA set, they were so aggressive.
Their armor was very nice there 1/48 scale aircraft were o.k. depending on the kit some were better than others.
I built a few of their 1/72 diorama kits back in the '70's. My friends and I would table top war games with them. Your videos bring back a lot of good memories thanks Max another Great job
Fantastic 🙂 I've always like Esci kits. Always nice to build, and good, useful details🙂
My first ever kit was an ESCI F16 in 1:48!
I really like the 1/72 armor kits and have most of them. The loco kits were also really good.
Well done! Keep 'em coming!
How about Cartograph? They have become THE go to decal manufacturer us model builders and other kit manufacturers!
"cartograf" .That would be an interesting insight .
I immediately thought of Cartograf as well.
One of the very best Esci kits was the Ford-sponsored (Ford Europe) Transit van of 1984 which came in a "Ford" box and was sold through Ford dealerships as well as normal retail outlets in an Esci box. The box arts were completely different. It is still available in an Italeri box both as a UK police van or a panel van in British Gas colours. The kit contains both right and left hand drive parts which is a rarity and despite being over 35 years old is still comparable to a modern kerbside kit. Get one if you can - it's definitely worth it.
Beautiful, thanks so much.
I was withing for individual link tracks on their 1/72 scale tanks after building a Stug III and it looked like it had about ten extra links per side. On the other hand, the Italian M75/18 had tracks too short. I couldn't get them on without breaking the fragile rear idler. Still have a few of the old 1/72 scale kits in the stash, many purchased from Squadron for as little as $.49. Built a Matilda, T34/76 w/'43 turret, and Panzerjager I.
Tracks too tight! Argh! Their M13/40 had the same problem as the 75/18, not a surprise since the running gear was the same. A shame too because it was a nice little kit otherwise as far as I can remember.
Just got my paws on four ESCI Phantoms. I have always liked their kits. The decals do tend to disintegrate when they get a bit old though, including the aftermarket sheets, even if they look OK.
Now on the lookout for the F4 Bicentenial sheet in 1/72.
I built a few of their 1/35 kits back in the day , always thought the figures were more 1/32, so I ended up building more Tamiya . I've gotten back into model kits over the last few years and have built some of their kits under different company names as a nostalgia trip ,and I've had fogotten how great they were for the time . Plus I always thought they were a Japanese company
I have build kits from ESHA/Ertl and the earlier mentioned Japanese company ! And to tell the truth they really made some nice and detailed models for the Price !!! I wished I would’ve had the opportunity to have done some of the fine military ! I remember that orange Porsche I wanted so Badly ! Now besides a couple of airplanes and an aircraft carrier! 🌊🐺
I built the F-16 cockpit. I still have it, helmet and all.
I built that one too. I found a figure the same scale and the helmet fit very well. I gave it to my buddy a air force. Armmorer on f-16s.
Tom Andrews I remember that kit. They made an F-104 cockpit kit as well, 1/12 scale, I think.
@@danielcarlson7002 you are correct sir. I did not however, build the 104. :(
ESCI: Probably the BEST kits I’ve ever had the pleasure of building.
Great company review, I have a few ESCI kits in the stash, pretty decent stuff and some of the racing subjects are greatly sought after to this day.
Hi Max, enjoyed your video on ESCI, here in New Zealand found that towards the end of ESCI a lot of their kitsets were warped, specifically the aircraft, I had their 1/72 scale AC-47 ,C-47 both had warped fuselages sad really because they were lovely models when assembled. I also get the feeling that their 1/72 scale C-47 were scale down Monogram / Revell 1/48 scale C-47 having had both.
sounds like Ertl's imports from China
Never saw an Esci kit in my modeling days or didn't know it for what it was. The motorcycle kits look like fun builds. Glad to know of them though.
The big motorcycles and kettenkrad are crazy good kits. Masterpieces.
There's still thousands of old ESCI kits on the market, EBAY and swap meets are a great way to get your hands on some, give them a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
9:14 I, on the other hand, love tracks in a single piece of rubber
Nice video!
I remember building a few 1/72nd scale armor, as well as Japanese ordenince.
Thanks for sharing.
The Best, by far, model company of Europe! I love esci!
ESCI was nice. I still have their 1/48 Starfighter with the green Canadian air force livery , a 1/72 F104C and the full detail F104 cockpit , very impressive which also includes a helmet with the oxygen hose. This was left on the shelves, nobody wanted to buy that so it seems. Glad I did! Nice channel, thanks and regards from France.
Max +, Max 😆👍👍. From ESCI, prefer 1/48 a/c. Yeah, know how lame some kits are but hey. Mid 70's to early 80's we were getting planes that no body else offer. The tornado, a-10, g-91, F-8, kfir& the AM- 326(lmpala). When they surface, I snag'em, craving A-7's. Again many thanx 👍👍 😉, be safe!
DESDE MÉXICO SALUDOS Y MUCHAS GRACIAS POR COMPRTIR ESTA HISTORIA.....YO TENGO ALGUNOS POR NO DECIR BASTANTES DE ESTA MARCA ...COMO LOS CONSEGUI ....NO RECUERDO....SALUDOS Y CUIDENSE MUCHO ...EN ESTOS TIEMPOS DEL "COVI-19"
, Gracias y Tu tambien
Enjoy these Max! Thanks! Some of their 72nd aircraft were outstanding and detail/tech leaders for their time. I built over a dozen of their F-104 kits in the early 80s (I still have two in my display case) and those kits were not topped until Hasegawa released theirs in the late 90s. Their Skyhawk, F-100, and F-4 kits were not outclassed until Fujimi and Hasegawa third generation offerings. The same couldn't be said for their 48th offerings; the only one of those that was decent was their Mirage F1. Most of the rest were poorly detailed and poorly engineered (to be fair, they could be built up with a lot of work and many of their subjects would not be kitted by other companies until fairly recently). Those cockpit kits were great! Some of the detail was a bit thick, bit some of the early developers of aftermarket resin and PE made detail parts for them (IIRC somebody offered pilot figures in that scale). Had them both* and eventually gave them to my nephews. Wish the line would have been more popular and I recall a lot of speculation and "wishful thinking" regards future offerings. Everybody wanted a Tomcat pit! Danger Zone!!!
*I worked as a test engineer with McDonnel-Douglas Escape Systems late 80s-early 90s on various ACES II updates and improvements, and I built a half dozen or so of the seats in the F-16 cockpit for some of my co-workers. One of them paid me with a HGU-26/P and MBU-5/P helmet and mask that had been used on test sled dummies =D
In high school I did ejections systems as my science fair projects every year even making a full size mock up from conduit tubing. Went to state. I even called Pensacola NAS and they mailed me a stack of ejections seat brochures including the ACE II. I probably still have it somewhere...I hope I do. I thought that seat was the coolest thing since pockets.
@@maxsmodels I was fascinated by ejection seats since I was a kid too! One of the first books my parents bought us when we came to the US was one on the XB-70. Those escape capsules hooked me. I tried to buy a seat several times in the early 80s...the scrap yards around Tuscon were full of them, mostly Century series and B-52 seats, but that never worked out. At McD-D and the test sites, there were piles of scrap seats (ESCAPAC and ACES) left over from testing, but they were all USAF property and I could not pull off a "One Piece At A Time" type operation. Do have various pull handles, used an ACES seat cushion in a couple of my race cars, and brought home a well used orange flight suit they used on some dummies =D. Worked on tests at Holloman, Hurricane Mesa, and China Lake. Good times.
I accumulated a lot of info over the years, photos, drawings, etc. and donated nearly all of it to Kevin Coyne at The Ejection Site a few years ago.
@@maxsmodels By the way, this discussion encouraged my decision to order one of the 1/10 scale ACES II models from Squadron. Been putting it off since they were first released. They are on sale!!
Superb kits and figures
I think ESCI actually acquired the 1/1200 scale ships from a company called Casadio. Those eventually ended up in Revell/Europe's catalog.
Eagelwall in the UK produced a line of 1/1200 ships, too, which Pyro in the US distributed under their label, along with some original toolings, like the Essex-class carrier. Those passed to Lindberg, and some are available today from Round2.
Airfix was the third producer of 1/1200 injection-molded ships, including some subjects that Eaglewall and Casadio/ESCI produced, like the Bismarck.
They made one nice DC-3!
Hey ,I love the history your bringing to light on these model manufacturers, i never had a ESCI kit, seen a few around used but also read up on the the inconsistently on the quality, maybe someday I'll pick one up.
Thanks for continuing to produce these historical overviews. They are especially welcome during this time of isolation. When I was a kid I had no idea just how many model kit companies existed. It wasn't until I got a Classic Kits by Arthur Ward from our local library that I got an eye opener into the extensive range of companies. I later bought a company of the book. It's a bit Airfix-heavy (the Author is British, so that's not unusual), and doesn't cover all companies (Hobbycraft is one of the ones that got missed), but it was a very good primer.
One of my favorite kits of all time is their 1/72 F-5A/B. A Gem! You can still get that kit to this day, in RoG boxings.
I have been building them since the late seventies and like most of the kits. Exceptions were the 1/48 F-8, Tornado, and the Jaguar were not for me. I still have quite a few to be and being built right now. The 1/72 armour and 1/24 cars were great.
Wow! I still have that 1985 catalogue. I didn't build many of the ESCI 1/48th aircraft,only the Mirage F-1c which was a pretty good kit for the era with recessed panel lines, extensive underwing stores and a choice of like 4 marking options,one being South African Air Force. Their 1/48th F-4 Phantoms were popular and much sought after for conversions and kitbashes. IE; Take the ESCI Phantom with recessed panel lines, swap out the decal cockpit for Monogram's Phantom cockpit, which with minor surgery could easily be made to fit the ESCI fuselage. Their 1/72 scale armour is something I still look out for at shows and obscure hobby shops because they were great kits that had in many cases ,more detail than their 1/35 scale contemporaries. The only complaint I could have about the 1/72 armour is that the tracks were the weakest point in any of them, very stiff,not ,rubbery like other manufacturers small scale tank tracks. I must have built 15 or 20 of the armour, for wargaming, and just plain fun!
Thanks again for an entertaining and informative history on a great model company! Looking forward to the next one!
I built the ESCI Zundapp and sidecar in 1/9 scale. A very impressive model but there are some scale issues around the size of the jerry can, making it look about a 10 litre instead of 25. Still being produced under the Italeri label.