The Story of ESCI: 1967-2000 (Models & Figures) (Models and Figures)

The story of Esci is both interesting and sad; the Italian kitmaker started out as one man's dream, which saw its heyday and then passed into history.Author Jean-Christophe Carbonel has written a very good account of the rise of Esci; the company began as an importer of toys and model kits from Asia in 1967. Esci's founder, Mr. Dino Coppola, then proceeded to develop Esci into a viable plastic model company. Esci's very first kit onto the market was a 1/9 scale model of a WW2 BMW R75 motorcycle and side car. Other models followed so by 1976, Esci was marketing a few kits in its range and also a yearly catalogue.As the author describes, all was not so straightforward, the company had to get over a number of obstacles along the way, from government 'red tape' to partnerships with other kit makers and toolmakers that didn't work out, together with finding the right staff who could come up with the ideas of making the products appealing to customers in a very competitive international marketplace.As well as describing the searching and sorting out of various challenges that confronted the company, the author has included the range of Esci products in various photos such as art work, boxing and built models, which appeals to the nostalgia buffs among us. Unfortunately as the years progressed many of the original people who made Esci departed the company and in 1999, the company stopped operations. Its kit moulds were sold off to Italerai and Esci passed into history.I like this book as it describes the rise of an important kit maker of the time and also provides the nostalgia of seeing all the old kit line in living colour. The book also contains various appendices at the rear dealing with: products that were announced, but not produced; products from outside toolings and a full listing of the entire Esci range.In summary a well written and interesting account of one of the interesting model kit makers of the early years of the model kit industry, this book will appeal to those of us who wistfully remember plastic model kits and the joys of assembling them. Well done, Jean-Christophe Carbonel!

I love to study model companies and there products and this book is well doneI wish I could get the book he did on Matchbox Models too but not available from Amazon

Author provides some great information on the original company and the selection of kit subjects with good coverage of the kits released by ESCI through 1999.

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A very useful and readable history of ESCI.The book is mainly divided into chapters covering a single year of production from their inception to their demise.As one might expect, you get a lot of box art, but by no means all of it. There are photographs of boxed, unboxed and completed kits, (sometimes by the author) and sections on the people behind the firm. There is a lot of emphasis put on their 1/9th scale kits and we learn that they first entered the market purely as a decal producer and these feature heavily too.I would have liked to have seen a lot more focus on their 1/72 AFV range. More coverage seemed to be given to their 1/72 polyethylene figures which were covered in "Airfix's Little Soldiers" by the same author and publisher. Also, as far as I can tell, the reverse of the boxes, bar one example, were ignored. If I remember correctly, this was where they placed their profiles and painting/decal guides.The Appendices are very useful and focus on a complete listing of all their kits and decals (I will always think of them as transfers) including the expected Aircraft, Tanks, Trucks, Cars etc to the unexpected "Products announced but not issued".The book could have been substantially larger and still not covered everything. I presume it is limited by the publishers to fit their "Models & Figures" Series. Unfortunately as a consequence, it barely scratches the surface. And don't be fooled-the only reference to their large scale cockpits, apart from in the text, is on the front and back covers!Happy modelling.

Kit collectors, nostalgic modellers will need no prompting to buy this book!

Excellent book loads of information good pictures

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Sometimes good to look back!!