I've worked for Esci company in late 80s and 90s as modeller and master developer.It was a very cool company and I am still good friend with the very skilled ex-owner.
He always had a special interest for those kinda subjects, also replicated yrs later with another company he did making die cast in 1/43, after the selling of Esci main factory in Cernusco sul naviglio (MIlan-Italy). For just a matter of time and money there was no way to make in 1:24 the 1976 RSR.
Many modellers as me liking those cars would be too happy to have it still today,even if just decent bodyshell.
The recent kit made by Tamiya should be a good challenge for this vintage model done by Esci too many years ago and reboxed for other decades by Heller. Misteriously, at the time of the develope of those models, we sent all material and documentation to China for the final moulding pre-production, and we had no idea of what was coming back to Italy. Sometimes it was a great model (in planes some masterpieces as the MB.326 or the F-4 phantom) and in cars...as the Beta montecarlo or this...934.
What we suspect was that down there chinese engeneers had a central office dividing the job to other sub-companies, sometimes really skilled, sometimes not so much.Incredibly everytime the price for this work was all the same.....
Coming to us, the 934 I will use for this kit comparison is the rebox done by Heller, that is basically the same identical model of the racer, just without decals. Not a so big problem today, cause too many decal sheets are available on the market to make too many different liverys used worldwide.
The boxart are both nice ones.Tamiya as its usual has stunning boxart, and I really would love to know much more about those msiterious painters. Sometimes there is an "M.O." signature in a corner of the painting. Tamiya wellknows a cool boxart is half sale of a model kit.I just wonder why they dont sell separately books with those incredibly nice paintings.It would be a really cool commercial idea, imo.
..but also Heller had a cool image on its box.They shoot the nicest angle of the body of this car,3/4 back. Too aggressive, even if replicating an incredibly rare street version of the 934..
and now lets look at whats inside those cartons.Many of us already seen all the single Tamiya styrene parts from the model shows around the world.I will mostly focus on the bodyshells of those cars, being curbside,even if Esci/heller provides a very basical plastic part also for the interiors, for the couragiuos modellers planning to build it full open...
First of all the dimensions are pretty identical.This is good cause many other models as Fujimi ones looks dramatically smaller when palced near other company 911's.
Of course there are too many moulding panel lines on the old esci body,but is quite easy to fix theme, unless we are talking of the nasty rear part near the spoiler.Nothing impossible btw,just needs patience and some good sandgrip papers.
From this last pic you also can see there is the lack of the door window lower frame in the esci kit.We are anyway talking of a mould really old showing all its age.
Also tamiya model isnt anyway perfect,cause also they left a moulding line in that area, even if much more lighter.
Consider I always assume modern Tamiya bodies, done with actual technologies should raise the perfection..so I expect just this from theme
.
A part surprising me is the front "frog eyes" lights part of this models.Here they look a little different, looking more bigger and wider in the Esci kit.
The scary part of this one is anyway mostly forcused on the lower front air intakes. Completely open in tamiya model with PE grilles, and totally closed in old Esci kit.
even if I think any modeller can easy drill and rebuild those grills,the main problem remains for the 2 smaller brakes air intake holes in the spoiler, starting squared and ending round deep inside. In this Tamiya looks much better.....even if, the picture of the real car says it is probably mistaken too...being in reality much more lower in position
The rear part of the roof is otherwise really different.In this, honestly, old Esci beats new Tamiya, cause italian model had the upper air vents on the rear windshield, present in real cars and missing in the japanese one.This is a detail nearly impossible to make.
actual car:
a dramatical difference is indeed mostly on rims and wheels.Here Tamiya made a simple and quite wonderful mould of the BBS, while Esci ones are too smaller and thick in the rubber border (smaller more than 2 mm in scale in diameter
)
totally unuseful,unless u like sand beach toy look.
while Tamiya ones are too nicer, even with a ugly fake looking chrome paint, coming directly from the 80s..
I just wonder why in 2013 they still make such ugly paint. expensive and totally unrealistic for this kinda static models.
Of course this is not a majior problem, cause there are already too many nice (even much nicer than Tamiya box ones) BBS around.Some of theme with PE parts also.
The 934 also leaves a lot of space to phantasy for more modern historical racers..as this:
finally clear parts.Of course they are nicer and thinner in Tamiya modern model. The rear ones looks also quite smaller between the 2 kits. Not bad anyway in both.
Note in Esci model there is no front light lamp cups, so it is a must to rebuild theme to avoid the ugly holed space inside effect.
and newer tamiya:
Conclusion:
basically I was expecting the perfect car from Tamiya.It is very near, but still not.
It surprised me this old Esci model looks still so good after too many years. If u take a look at our 911 tribute gallery you all can see how nice this model can turn out in proper modellers hands.Sure, the wheels are the main issue to correct, but as we all know it is not so hard to fix theme, as well as choose one of the too many racing decals available on the market today.
Even more now cause this nice news from Tamiya.
The nasty stuff in Tamiya car is the missing of some decals, mostly about Dunlop logo sponsor on the body and typical writings on tyres, forcing you to search for alternatives or detail extra decals, vanishing the trial of Tamiya to keep the price lower than usual.
This is mostly in you buy it on internet, cause in italian shops this model is priced at 44 euros (nearly 60 USD). foolish if we think it is listed in HLJ for 18 euros.
I will personally make the Tamiya car into Kremer Vaillant car. Just lost some time in choosing which color can be appropriate for this and finally will use the Gunze H46 acrilic paint,looking perfect after some plastic painting tests.
the unuseful jagermeister decal sheet from tamiya will be re-used for a 935K3 model coming soon.