Lotus Esprit, Fujimi, 1/24

[Matt Bacon]

This was inspired by a 50th anniversary magazine article about the Esprit and a celebration of all things Giugiaro. The original Origami production car... Plus I liked the outlandish late 70s colour schemes for the interior....

The plaid panels on the seats and door cards are made using nail art decals. They are true to life, if a bit purple, but if this is a problem you need to solve, I can't recommend "Dippy Cow Nail Art" on Etsy highly enough!

It's a pretty quick build. The chassis detail is nice, and made of few parts. I tried to make the box section backbone chassis look a bit like the galvanized original with some sponging of different metallics.

The body is crisply detailed, and easy to mask...

With luck, I should get it together this weekend...

best,

M.

Edited May 25, 2024 by Matt Bacon

[dietgilroy]

That is pretty nice.? 

[kelson]

That is quite the colorful interior!!?

[Matt Bacon]

This is literally the "make or break" moment, and boy does it seem risky as you do it! The rear end goes in OK, with the exhaust through its slot, and then you have to flex the corners of the body ahead of the rear wheel arches a fair bit to get the floor pan inside, but the real kicker is front valance ahead of the arches. That takes some pretty determined pushing and leverage to get the front end in. I shoved it hard against one side and used a thin wooden stirrer to shoehorn the other side in. With a some quite loud creaks and snaps, it finally popped into place...

Just the body decals to do, and then beauty shots tomorrow I hope...

best,

M.

 

Edited May 26, 2024 by Matt Bacon

[OldNYJim]

Looks awesome Matt!  What trick do you like for those nice crisp dark panel lines?

[Bainford]

Good looking Lotus, Matt. I agree with your comments on the body, it is very nicely done and captures the Esprit's subtle lines very well. I have one of these kits 95% complete, but stalled. I found it to be a fun build.