ESCI's infamous Ferrari 250 SWB

[1959scudetto]

Modelers beware:  Here are 2 models built from ESCI’s  infamous Ferrari GT 250 SWB. In 1985 or 86 I bought all 3 versions of the kit, built 2 with several modifications and sold off the 3^rd: The only difference were the decals! While the detailing is not too bad (full engine!), the hood is molded shut, in the original ESCI versions is NO chrome tree, the glass is too thick and distorted, the wheels are totally useless – very ugly, too small diameter, heavy spokes and tires that would fit probably as mud and gravel tires on a rally car.

But most of all: the body is totally misproportioned: clumsy and hunchbacked, it is truly missing the aggressive elegance of the original - the best is the artwork on the box !

 

Nevertheless, as this was before Italeri  released its own version of this classic, I decided to build 2 in different versions - the builts are from 1986, the pictures from last week:

 

Stock version (strada, 1961) :  headlights are pirated from another kit (don’t remember which one), side window line is slightly altered, bumpers have been covered with bare metal foil, and wheels/tires are from the Italeri 250 GTO – Paint is Ferrari “Giallo Fly” from the can.

 

Race version (corsa, 1960): should represent 2021 GT, the silver/blue car which took 6 th place in Le Mans 1960 (3rd in class): once again, wheels from the Italeri GTO, stripe is masked, # 22 is from Revell GTO (Italeri reissue). Modifications are:  no bumpers front and rear, additional indicator on the right front fender, brake ducts made from drinking straws, hood cut open, scratch-built bug deflector, altered side window line without vent windows (1960!), rear fender flares, repositioned fuel cap and new rescribed trunk line and a deflector plate to prevent overflowing fuel to flow onto the left exhaust snaps. I’m not quite sure if I have made all the necessary modifications… (my only reference material have been 2 pictures in Jess Pourret's book "250 GT Competition Berlinettas")

 

Here are the 1:1 comparison pics:

[1959scudetto]

Just now, 1959scudetto said:

Modelers beware:  Here are 2 models built from ESCI’s  infamous Ferrari GT 250 SWB. In 1985 or 86 I bought all 3 versions of the kit, built 2 with several modifications and sold off the 3^rd: The only difference were the decals! While the detailing is not too bad (full engine!), the hood is molded shut, in the original ESCI versions is NO chrome tree, the glass is too thick and distorted, the wheels are totally useless – very ugly, too small diameter, heavy spokes and tires that would fit probably as mud and gravel tires on a rally car.

But most of all: the body is totally misproportioned: clumsy and hunchbacked, it is truly missing the aggressive elegance of the original - the best is the artwork on the box !

 

Nevertheless, as this was before Italeri  released its own version of this classic, I decided to build 2 in different versions - the builts are from 1986, the pictures from last week:

 

Stock version (strada, 1961) :  headlights are pirated from another kit (don’t remember which one), side window line is slightly altered, bumpers have been covered with bare metal foil, and wheels/tires are from the Italeri 250 GTO – Paint is Ferrari “Giallo Fly” from the can.

 

Race version (corsa, 1960): should represent 2021 GT, the silver/blue car which took 6 th place in Le Mans 1960 (3rd in class): once again, wheels from the Italeri GTO, stripe is masked, # 22 is from Revell GTO (Italeri reissue). Modifications are:  no bumpers front and rear, additional indicator on the right front fender, brake ducts made from drinking straws, hood cut open, scratch-built bug deflector, altered side window line without vent windows (1960!), rear fender flares, repositioned fuel cap and new rescribed trunk line and a deflector plate to prevent overflowing fuel to flow onto the left exhaust snaps. I’m not quite sure if I have made all the necessary modifications… (my only reference material have been 2 pictures in Jess Pourret's book "250 GT Competition Berlinettas")

 

Here are the 1:1 comparison pics:

Here is the rest:

[1959scudetto]

And this is the one to look for if you want to build a good SWB – I still have 3 of these in my stash waiting to be built.

(I cannot comment on the Gunze because I have never seen one in reality)

Also good proportions has the Burago 1/24 diecast (this is in the works at present and needs some TLC and detailing but the proportions are pretty good:

[Rich Chernosky]

Lovely bunch of Ferrari's Helmut....even the  (ugh) Esci ones which are very well done. 

[Brian_R]

Is the AMT / Ertl version a re-box of the ESCI model ?

Sorry, I was thinking about the GTO

Edited May 17, 2021 by Brian_R
Wrong model

[cobraman]

Your models look good to me.

[Bainford]

Nice work, even if the kit has issues. The builds look good, though there are a couple pics of the yellow car that reminds me more of a TVR Griffith. Thanks for posting. 

[MrObsessive]

3 hours ago, 1959scudetto said:

And this is the one to look for if you want to build a good SWB – I still have 3 of these in my stash waiting to be built.

(I cannot comment on the Gunze because I have never seen one in reality)

Also good proportions has the Burago 1/24 diecast (this is in the works at present and needs some TLC and detailing but the proportions are pretty good:

Yes, I agree! I built the Italeri one years ago as a Sterling Moss car and while it was not a bad kit at all, it could have stood to have a bit more detail as far as the engine for example. I have another one and yes........they are VERY hard to find on eBay these days.

I ended up getting mine on a Japanese auction (Buyee) and the price wasn't bad at all.....somewhere around $60 IIRC. You have the 1/24th MFH kits out there, but good luck finding one of those for less than $300 and the kit is discontinued on top of that.

Good job on the Esci kit! I had that one too, but could never get past the wonky body shape and other issues. I've not seen the Burago one before.......that looks pretty good coming from them and it's 1/24th scale no less. 👍

[iBorg]

Maybe the ESCI kits are one off rebodies? Seriously nice builds of rather misshaped kits.

[Hard_2_Handle_454]

nice

[1959scudetto]

18 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Lovely bunch of Ferrari's Helmut....even the  (ugh) Esci ones which are very well done. 

Thank you Rich - beware of the Esci's, if you want a SWB (back then this was the only option!)

[1959scudetto]

18 hours ago, Brian_R said:

Is the AMT / Ertl version a re-box of the ESCI model ?

Sorry, I was thinking about the GTO

Brian, you are absolutely right - amt reissued the ESCI kit little later under its own brand and chromed the tree with wheels and bumpers.

 

18 hours ago, cobraman said:

Your models look good to me.

Thanks, Ray - over the course of time, the putty has shrunk so you can see the contours of the antenna and fuel cap holes on the overhead view of the silver version.

 

17 hours ago, Bainford said:

Nice work, even if the kit has issues. The builds look good, though there are a couple pics of the yellow car that reminds me more of a TVR Griffith. Thanks for posting. 

Thanks, Trevor - I wanted to show that the kit has indeed issues - with the original kit wheels and side window line it looks really awful.

[1959scudetto]

15 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

Yes, I agree! I built the Italeri one years ago as a Sterling Moss car and while it was not a bad kit at all, it could have stood to have a bit more detail as far as the engine for example. I have another one and yes........they are VERY hard to find on eBay these days.

I ended up getting mine on a Japanese auction (Buyee) and the price wasn't bad at all.....somewhere around $60 IIRC. You have the 1/24th MFH kits out there, but good luck finding one of those for less than $300 and the kit is discontinued on top of that.

Good job on the Esci kit! I had that one too, but could never get past the wonky body shape and other issues. I've not seen the Burago one before.......that looks pretty good coming from them and it's 1/24th scale no less. 👍

Hi, Bill - I would say the Italeri SWB is rather good detailed, although not always correct because it shares most engine and chassis parts with their 250 GTO. But the greenhouse looks very good!

In 2015/16 in Italy the 1/24 Ferrari "Le grandi Ferrari" diecast series was released, unfortunately  mostly relatively new models, but a few classics in between, here is a link: http://diecast24.blogspot.com/2016/03/le-grandi-ferrari-2015-coleccion.html  (# 25 is the mislabelled 1959 SWB - it is indeed a dark metallic blue 1961 model!)

All these models were made by Burago, and some of them (the 250 SWB !) were avaliable for a short time for about  € 17,00 in their regular program.

[1959scudetto]

15 hours ago, iBorg said:

Maybe the ESCI kits are one off rebodies? Seriously nice builds of rather misshaped kits.

Mike, the ESCI kits were new molds in 1983 when they were first released - some reissues were from Esci with different decals and one from amt (which owned ESCI at the time) in their own line with added chrome parts.

 

14 hours ago, Hard_2_Handle_454 said:

nice

Thanks, Eric!

[PappyD340]

Vert nice!

[Snake45]

Very nice, they both look good! I bought one of these in the AMT box back in the '80s or '90s and had it out and put it away in disgust as hideous and unbuildable several times. Last year after doing several 1/24 '60s Ferrari diecasts, I decided, "F it, I'm gonna squirt that backbirth with Model Master Italian Red and Snake-slap it together and toss it on the shelf." So I went looking for it in the Snakepit where it SHOULD have been and it was nowhere to be found, nor anywhere else either. Near as I can figger, about 20 years ago I took a big box of "junk" kits--mostly 1/72 and 1/48 airplanes, but a few cars too--to a club meeting and tried to sell them off CHEAP. Looks like that one sold--prolly for $2 or $5 or some trivial sum.  Anyway, yours look good! Model on! 

[1959scudetto]

15 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Vert nice!

Thank you. Larry !

 

13 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Very nice, they both look good! I bought one of these in the AMT box back in the '80s or '90s and had it out and put it away in disgust as hideous and unbuildable several times. Last year after doing several 1/24 '60s Ferrari diecasts, I decided, "F it, I'm gonna squirt that backbirth with Model Master Italian Red and Snake-slap it together and toss it on the shelf." So I went looking for it in the Snakepit where it SHOULD have been and it was nowhere to be found, nor anywhere else either. Near as I can figger, about 20 years ago I took a big box of "junk" kits--mostly 1/72 and 1/48 airplanes, but a few cars too--to a club meeting and tried to sell them off CHEAP. Looks like that one sold--prolly for $2 or $5 or some trivial sum.  Anyway, yours look good! Model on! 

Thanks, Richard - I don't think that you have missed much of you sold this one off ! Imagine my disappointment when opening the kit boxes! If I only had known that Italeri would release their own version only a fwew years later, I had not bought them - the ugly wheels and the upper side window line - these were the minimum alterations you had to make to let it look a little more acceptable.

I certainly will model on, but not with kits like that - for the same reason I sold ESCI's Lamborghini Miura off too (presently reissued in Italeri packaging) and am glad to have the Hasegawa version in my stash. Sometimes you have only one choice: take it or let it be, but sometimes better things are coming along.

Hard to believ, but kits like that are demanding outrageous price on ebay!

[Matt Bacon]

On 5/17/2021 at 9:38 PM, 1959scudetto said:

And this is the one to look for if you want to build a good SWB – I still have 3 of these in my stash waiting to be built.

(I cannot comment on the Gunze because I have never seen one in reality)

I think you've made an excellent job of those Esci kits -- they look as goodd as they are ever going to without major surgery, and the Italeri is much better. Not wanting to hijack your thread, but for the sake of comparison, this is the Gunze:

And, well... we all know whose "model" this is...

best,

M.

[1959scudetto]

22 hours ago, Matt Bacon said:

I think you've made an excellent job of those Esci kits -- they look as goodd as they are ever going to without major surgery, and the Italeri is much better. Not wanting to hijack your thread, but for the sake of comparison, this is the Gunze:

And, well... we all know whose "model" this is...

best,

M.

Superb model of Stirling Moss'  1961 Touring Trophy winning car, Matt - I have seen some Gunze SWB's over the years on the Internet, but not one in reality.

I want to convert one of my Italeri SWBs into this Rob Walker-owned dark blue model - main work will be the conversion to LHD.

[slusher]

Beautiful pair..

[1959scudetto]

10 hours ago, 1959scudetto said:

Superb model of Stirling Moss'  1961 Touring Trophy winning car, Matt - I have seen some Gunze SWB's over the years on the Internet, but not one in reality.

I want to convert one of my Italeri SWBs into this Rob Walker-owned dark blue model - main work will be the conversion to LHD.

I meant of course RHD !

[MrObsessive]

30 minutes ago, 1959scudetto said:

I meant of course RHD !

That's one of the reasons I wanted to do Sterling Moss's car.....to make it a not often seen RHD car.

The one I did is here with a number of pics. I have no construction pics of it as far as the dash conversion as this was done loooong before I had a digicam and internet. 👌

[1959scudetto]

7 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

That's one of the reasons I wanted to do Sterling Moss's car.....to make it a not often seen RHD car.

The one I did is here with a number of pics. I have no construction pics of it as far as the dash conversion as this was done loooong before I had a digicam and internet. 👌

Fantastic model, Bill - I never would have the patience nor the ability to go that deep into detailing - super!

[MrObsessive]

5 hours ago, 1959scudetto said:

Fantastic model, Bill - I never would have the patience nor the ability to go that deep into detailing - super!

Thanks Helmut! ☺️

[spencer1984]

Hats off to your efforts here, these look great! I built the AMT rebox of this kit, so I know all too well how much work you had to put in to get them to look as nice as they do. I went with wheels from a Danbury Mint diecast, bumpers from Italeri's 250GT California, and a black paint job that hid some of the body flaws I couldn't/didn't correct.

Edited May 21, 2021 by spencer1984