ESCI - (Page 2)

Box lay-outs 8000 series

Esci-Ertl no longer exist, their models are getting hard to find. A major loss to the 1/72 scale. But, you can some time find the kits in the shops and shows. Where are the old moulds? Lost? Fortunate not all !!!! --- See the Italeri page for re-release from a lot of old Esci/Ertl kits

Click on the picture

Kits from early series - (8000 series)

Part 1 - "White Box":

The Esci Whitebox 8000 series (1974 - 1978) To make things a little complicated the Esci Armor white box 8000 series and the Polistil variants should be seen as seperate series. They ran parallel to eachother but the ones with the Polistil prints and/or stickers were produced mainly for France. The Polistil issues will be discussed in another part.
The original Esci Modellistica Armor 1/72 series starts its life in 1974 numbered 8001 and on. The first releases have the "ARMOR" logo on the box, the highest numbered one beiing the SdKfz 251/1 mit Wurfrahmen (8022).
But not all numbers are released in sequence, so some numbers below 8022 are produced with a slightly different box : no "ARMOR" logo but a black edge with the kitname and a nationality flag on the side. These are called Esci white box 8000 Flag series. The highest Flag" number is probably the Dodge 37mm M6 AT (8040). Again the releases are out of sequence as below this number starts the third different box type : These still have the white front with black kit name edge but the flag is replaced by a black square with Esci logo annd kitnumber. Possibly the kitnumbers 8038, 8039 and 8040 exsist in both "FLAG" and black square variant.
This complete "whitebox" series has as highest kitnumber the SdKfz 250/10 (8051). They all carry a color profile on the backside of the box Kitnumbers Esci Whitebox series with their respective boxart type : Esci Armor logo series : 8001 to 8006, 8008, 8010, 8011, 8013, 8014, 8021, 8022. Esci Whitebox Flag series : 8007, 8009, 8012, 8015 to 8020, 8023, 8026, 8028 to 8031, 8035 to 8037, 8039.
(unconfirmed also : 8038 and 8040). Esci Whitebox Black Square series : 8024, 8025, 8032, 8038, 8040 to 8042, 8045 to 8048, 8051. (unconfirmed also : 8039). ----------------- Alfred van Netburg , august 2010

Part 2 - "White Box":

The complete early ESCI 8000 numbered series which had the color profiles at the backside of the box. Numbering from 8001 up to 8057 (Flammpanzer III). After number 8057 none of the ESCI armor kits had a color profile at the backside anymore.

NOTE : The REVELL-ESCI, POLISTIL-ESCI and AURORA ESCI releases also had the same color profiles but the colors of the artwork often varies considerably !! The Sherman is a good example of this variation. Also shown is two pictures (front and back) of all the different releases of the ESCI Sherman M4 A1 from 1974 up to 2005. There are 12 of them. Only the very rare Hasegawa-Esci box is missing.
Alfred van Netburg, april 2011

8001 -

8002 -

8003 -

8004 -

8005 -

8006 -

8007 -

8008 -

8009 -

8010 -

8011 -

8012 -

8013 -

8014 -

8015 -

8016 -

8017 -

8018 -

8019

8020 -

8021 -

8022 -

8023 -

8024 -

8025 -

8026 -

8028 -

8029 -

8030 -

8031 -

8032 -

8035 -

8036 -

8037 -

8038 -

8039 -

8040 -

8041 -

8042 -

8045 -

8046 -

8047 -

8048 -

Part 2 - "Full Color Box":

The Esci 1/72 Armor full color boxart series. This series started in 1977 when new kits, that were already promised from 1975 onwards, were released. When this series stopped late 1986, all kitnumbers from 8001 up to 8073 were accounted for.
In my opinion this is the most complete and representing "pure eighties" Esci kitlist. It formed the fundament under my complete 1/72 armor collection and that of many others. It all happened in the early eighties when other 1/72 and 1/76 armor plastic kit manufacturors were dying out or impossible to find like Airfix and Matchbox in the first catagory and Nitto and Fujimi in the second. It would take us well into the new millenium to revive the 1/72 plastic armor kit hobby with the appearence of Dragon and Trumpeter, complemented by Revell and, finally the re-releases of the old Esci kits by Italeri. With that Esci returned to its roots in Italy
In 1977 Esci started with kits in flipopen boxes with at the front a full color landscape boxart and a black band kitname. The same vehicle/soldier pictures were taken from the Whitebox series with the landscape painted behind them. (The same happened with the Revell-Esci releases but with different landscapes). Some changes were made in details and the first four kits (8001 to 8004) got whole new boxart.
These "re-issues" came later though, and the first full color boxes were the ones sofar not released in the early series, starting with the Nebelwerfer and the Red Devils kits (8033 and 8034).
These boxes usually have a very dark-blue Esci logo on front and sides and, more special, have a color profile at the backside of the box, like the Whitebox series !!
This configuration only appeared throughout 1977 and maybe early 1978 and is to be found on the following kitnumbers : 8033, 8034, 8043, 8044, 8049, 8050, 8052 to 8057.
The Flammpanzer III (8057) is the last in this "crossover" series. All these kits were re-issued from 1978 onwards with the normal, well known, full color boxart at both sides of the box.
All kits had white sides with pictures of other kits in the series and the kits were usually shrinkfoiled, sometimes so tight it warped the whole box... Several importers put stickers on top of the shrinkfoil like Humbrol, Squadron, Soldat and Polistil.
In the beginning of 1984 the kits were reissued in the socalled "Red Box" format. All kits from 8001 to 8068 were released in these boxes, which now had the Esci logo printed in the boxart picture. The sides changed with only text info about the plastic in serveral languages and the Esci adress in Italy and a date : febrary 1983 on all issues. The Brummbar (8065) is the last kit to also appear in the whitesided box and from the SdKfz 251/7 c Pionier (8066) onwards, the kits only appear in Redbox livery.
In 1986 the last 8000 series are released and for the first time modern armor is made by Esci. Also for the very first time the tracks are moulded in hard plastic !! A new standard is set but the larger number of parts because of the tracks takes its toll. the boxes are still the same small, thin size and roadwheels of the tanks are made in one part, not split in two. This will persist well into the nineties.... Kitnumbers 8069 to 8073 also have a slightly different boxart : the famous black-band kitname is dropped and on one side of the box nations flags are printed to show decal variation.
In late 1986 kitnumber 8073 (Leopard A1A1 Turmverkleidung) Is the last in the longlasting 8000 series that started in 1974. This last five modern armor kits only appear in this full color boxart for one year as in 1987 the infamous 8300 series is about to start, taking Esci further into modern armor ............ Alfred van Netburg , august 2010

Kit 8001 - PzKpfw. III Ausf.M

Kit 8002 - SdKfz. 251/1

Kit 8003 - PzKpfw. II Ausf. F

Kit 8004 - 105mm Wespe

Kit 8005 - Sturmgeschütz III Ausf.G

Model built by Kenneth Schweitzer

Kit 8006 - 8006 - Elephant

Kit 8007 - Opel 3tons Truck

Kit 8008 - Kingtiger

Kit 8009 - Jagdpanther

Kit 8010 - Marder III

Kit 8011 - Hetzer

Kit 8012 - Jagdpanzer IV

Kit 8013 - Hummel SPG

Kit 8014 - Jagdtiger

Kit 8015 - SdKfz. 11

Model built by Lo Baars

Kit 8016 - U.S. Soldiers

Kit 8017 - Russian Soldiers

Kit 8018 - Africa Corps

Kit 8019 - 8the Army

Kit 8020 - Guns

Kit 8021 - Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. M/N

Model built by Kenneth Lee Schweitzer

Kit 8022 - SdKfz. 251/1 w Rockets

Kit 8023 - Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. H

Kit 8024 - Pz. I Ausf. G

Kit 8025 - Skoda 35T

Kit 8026 - Pz.Kpfw V Panther

Model built by Erhan Atalay

Kit 8027 - SdKfz. 250/3

Model built by Olaf Klein

Kit 8028 - M4A1 Sherman

Kit 8029 - M12 GMC 155mm

Model built by Mick Hill

Kit 8030 - Fiat Ansaldo M13-40

Kit 8031 - Fiat Ansaldo 75/18

Kit 8032 - T34/76 m1942

Kit 8033 - Smoke Unit

Kit 8034 - British Paratroopers

Kit 8035 - Opel Ambulance

Kit 8036 - Matilda MK-II

Kit 8037 - KV-1C

Kit 8038 - M3A1 Scoutcar

Kit 8039 - Dodge 3/4 ton

Kit 8040 - Dodge 37mm gun

Model built by Al Magnus

For an "All Magnus" review about kit 8040 - Dodge 37mm gun visit:
"On the Way" Website

Kit 8041 - Pz. Ib Command

For an "Christopher Benjamin" review about kit 8041 & Modell Trans Kit MT72014 tracks - Pz. Ib Command visit:
"On the Way" Website

Kit 8042 - Quad Gun Tractor

Model built by Christian Drojecki

Kit 8043 - Churchill MK-IV

Kit 8044 - Bishop MK-I

Kit 8045 - 25pdr Field gun

Kit 8046 - Pz. I with pak L/43

Kit 8047 - T34/76 m1943

Kit 8048 - SdKfz. 250/9

Kit 8049 - Churchil MK-IV AMCR

Kit 8050 - Valentine MK-III

Kit 8051 - SdKfz. 250/10

Kit 8052 - Opel & flak 36

Kit 8053 - SdKfz. 251/10

Kit 8054 - SdKfz. 11 & Pak 40

Kit 8055 - SdKfz. 251/16 Flame

Kit 8056 - PZ. IV SdKfz. 162 Aus. F

Kit 8057 - PzKpfw III - Flame

Kit 8058 - Pz.IV Ausf. G

Kit 8059 - M4A1 Sherman "Galliope"

Kit 8060 - Diorama Accessoires

Kit 8061 - Japanese Infantry
Kit 8062 - Iwo Jima Landing

Kit 8063 - PzKpfw IV Wirbelwind

Kit 8064 - M4A3 Sherman

Kit 8065 - Pz. IV "Brummbar" Ausf. 2

Kit 8066 - SdKfz. 251/7c Assault Bridge

Kit 8067 - SdKfz. 251/8c Ambulance

Kit 8068 - White Scout Car

Kit 8069 - OTO Leopard 1A2

Kit 8070 - Abrams

Kit 8071 - Leopard 1A3-A4

Kit 8072 - M1-A1 Abrams

Kit 8073 - Leopard 1A1A with "extra-armour"

"1/72 Esci/Ertl"
Part 3 Revell-Esci - H2300 series
Part 4 Dioramasets and Kits with Figures sets

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