Building an Esprit S1 from scratch

[tomcattom]

Sorry for the blatent 'click bait' title, but I couldn't resist

I posted a few months ago about Agora Models releasing a 1:8 scale Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me; given I'm not aware of any Esprit modelled in 1:8 scale I took the plunge signed up to the subscription and the first pack of parts arrived at the start of April.

 

So last night I spent a little over an hour or so assembling the all the parts from the first pack.

Better view of the front valance

Interior view of the door

Close-up of the engine

I'll keep this updated as more packs arrive with me in the post over the coming month.

Mods, if this should really be in another section please feel free to move it if you feel this doesn't qualify as an "Esprit Project".

[Gjk]

Are you going to “super detail” the kit or build it straight from the box?

[slewthy]

Does 'super detail' mean putting scuffs where your foot catches the front door panel when getting out of the car?

Or maybe dead flies on the front.

[LotuStuart]

£1400 for a 1/8 model.

 

[tomcattom]

36 minutes ago, Gjk said:

Are you going to “super detail” the kit or build it straight from the box?

I'm just going to box build this one, if I were to go for extra detail I would want a kit of parts, I don't have time to scratch build all the finer details.

That said I do have a boxed original old stock 1:8 Pocher Ferrari F40 with a complete detail transkit to build at some point that I've had for a long time, but that it going to take even longer than this to do. Plus I have a real Esprit that still needs work too 🤣

14 minutes ago, LotuStuart said:

£1400 for a 1/8 model.

 

That's about the going rate for these kind of subscription kits, even retail Pocher 1:8 models about around £1000 mark when not on offer. But if you think that is expensive, don't look at the price of some of Amalgam's 1:8 models.

It all depends what your interests are as to where you spend your money, some people spend thousands on audiophile speakers, I've got a £100 set I'm quite happy with. Each to their own as to what they way to spend their hard earned cash on.

[slewthy]

I once had reason to spend some time on BritModeller.com

Now there are some people with serious time and attention to detail. Very skilled indeed.

I say, if it gives you pleasure and soothes your head, go for it. 

The kit looks very good quality. Do they become collectable when built?

[tomcattom]

4 minutes ago, slewthy said:

I say, if it gives you pleasure and soothes your head, go for it.

Couldn't agree more

3 minutes ago, slewthy said:

The kit looks very good quality. Do they become collectable when built?

To be perfectly honest, I don't really know if they're that collectable once built, especially in the case of Agora models because they're a relatively new manufacturer to the market.

The old Pocher 1:8 Ferrari F40 models (from prior to Hornby taking them over) fetch good money on the used market. I could easily sell my unbuilt F40 model now for probably double what I paid for it a decade ago, not sure about how their values fare once built though.

[Gjk]

The F40 with detail would/will be a stunning model!

I too have a 1:1 scale that now takes up all my spare time 🤣

[Paul Coleman]

On 10/04/2024 at 10:28, LotuStuart said:

£1400 for a 1/8 model.

 

I paid £2,000 for the real thing back in 2007...

https://ibb.co/gVvHm5d

 

[tomcattom]

That's depressing and more to the point makes me wish I'd bought one much, much sooner, not that I'd have had space to keep and run one had I bought all the way back then. Adjusted for inflation thats about £3250 today, but either way makes the real deal look like an absolute steal by comparison. That said I don't have any running costs for the model

Back on topic the second pack of parts arrived a week or so ago so I've now assembed:

• A seat; the covering is actually soft touch and has a cushion under it, a nice bit of unexpected detail
• The inlet manifold and carbs have been fitted to the cylinder head I built in the last pack
• The gearbox and bellhousing - it's made of metal and quite weighty.

[LotuStuart]

On 04/05/2024 at 12:20, Paul Coleman said:

I paid £2,000 for the real thing back in 2007...

https://ibb.co/gVvHm5d

 

is that what it looked like when you bought it? Nice.

[Bibs]

On 04/05/2024 at 12:20, Paul Coleman said:

I paid £2,000 for the real thing back in 2007...

And it's not cost a penny since!

[Paul Coleman]

On 14/05/2024 at 14:40, LotuStuart said:

is that what it looked like when you bought it? Nice.

Yes but it needed a full restoration.

On 14/05/2024 at 14:48, Bibs said:

And it's not cost a penny since!

About £10k to restore it and probably a couple of thousand since

[Gjk]

@tomcattom have you not felt an itch to add some cables and hoses to those carburettor’s?     

[Djs44]

I must say this project has lots of appeal . Looks like it will be fantastic when it is finished. 

Look forward to updates . 

[Fridge]

I find it odd that it appears that the headrests are grey, and there's no centre ashtray in this model.

[tomcattom]

On 16/06/2024 at 12:14, Fridge said:

I find it odd that it appears that the headrests are grey, and there's no centre ashtray in this model.

As far as I know the model is modelled from one of the real film props, so I'm assuming that's what they observed when the designed the model 🤷‍♂️

Progress has been delayed due to me managing an extension build in my spare time here, so I've actually got packs 3 and 4 here waiting to be assembled now, so last night I completed pack 3.

The engine and gearbox are now more or less complete and married together. More metal parts again here and some nice detailing on the spark plug leads and belts.

Yes, I am aware the belt has slipped off the exhaust cam pulley, I corrected that after taking the photos.

The main chunk of the backbone chassis arrived with this pack and its quite a weighty bit of metal too!

[Djs44]

There is a chap on YouTube building one . I’m loving it . 
I do think the real ones have more screws in them 😂😂

[Fridge]

24 minutes ago, Djs44 said:

There is a chap on YouTube building one . I’m loving it . 
I do think the real ones have more screws in them 😂😂

Definitely a lot more rivets!!

[tomcattom]

2 hours ago, Djs44 said:

There is a chap on YouTube building one . I’m loving it . 
I do think the real ones have more screws in them 😂😂

Is he doing it stop motion style like @GTK?

[Djs44]

On 09/07/2024 at 22:58, tomcattom said:

Is he doing it stop motion style like @GTK?

No - it is quite interesting thou .