Esci Jeep CJ-7

[Fabrux]

Does anyone know if this is the same kit as the Monogram CJ-7? I know Esci had some collaboration with Ertl back in the day, not sure if this kit may have been shared with Monogram or if it was their own tooling...?

[jeffs396]

Hey Chris, the ESCI CJ-7 kits (I think there were only two different versions, I have the other one unbuilt if you want pics) are completely different tools from the R/M kits and better in MOST ways, although they are curbsides

[Fabrux]

I wonder how close in size they are to the Monogram kits? I have a spare Monogram kit that I could use the under hood compartment and engine from...

[Luc Janssens]

Does anyone know if this is the same kit as the Monogram CJ-7? I know Esci had some collaboration with Ertl back in the day, not sure if this kit may have been shared with Monogram or if it was their own tooling...?

As Jeff said, the kit doesn't share anything with the Monogram release, I had this one back in the day and beside curbside, the only downside was, that it didn't include chrome parts, yet the headlamp buckets, wheels rear-view mirrors etc, were grouped together on one tree.

If my memory serves me right, the tires looked great as did the wheels

[jeffs396]

I wonder how close in size they are to the Monogram kits? I have a spare Monogram kit that I could use the under hood compartment and engine from...

If you need comparison pics Chris, just let me know as I've got plenty of R/M kits too. I think these two are very close in size...

[Chuck Most]

I've seen them side by side, and they're nearly indistinguishable size-wise. Even though the Esci is a curbside, I seem to remember it having a bit better chassis detail than the Monogram Jeep.

[Fabrux]

I wouldn't mind seeing shots of the two kits side-by-side.

I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that the Esci Jeep kits have the most accurate wheels for the CJ, although not having chrome is a bit of a downer.

[hjracing]

I wouldn't mind seeing shots of the two kits side-by-side.

I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that the Esci Jeep kits have the most accurate wheels for the CJ, although not having chrome is a bit of a downer.

as I know, the ECSI Jeep is most acurate than the Revell, even it's a curbside. The body, interior, wheels are better than any other kit.

[ZIL 111V]

ESCI made this one back 30 years ago, was indeed a very, very, nice curbside kit of the CJ7, guess ESCI made this one to "break" the US Market back then....prior to get "absorbed" by ERTL a bit later in the 80's, remember seeing a few ESCI kits in AMT/ERTL boxes back in late 80's early 90's... but not the CJ7 kit....Superb ESCI boxart!

Mold with Italeri? ROG?...Round2?

[kalbert]

Mold with Italeri? ROG?...Round2?

Seems like I heard the tools for ESCI were damaged/destroyed/lost/stolen/held hostage? Seems like there was some urban legend around what happened to them, it was kind of a JoHan like tale, but I'm not able to recall right now.

[Fabrux]

I did have an ESCI/Ertl co-branded model of a BMW something-or-other; ended up trading it away.

[ZIL 111V]

Italeri got most of ESCI's molds in the early 2000's (a few ESCI 1/24 car kits have been reissued in the last decade in Italeri boxes...expensive!!!)

BUT...what mold is available or lost/destroy is still a mystery indeed!!! Revell Germany did box a few kits too many years back, as for Round2 maybe the EX ERTL/AMT (ESCI) Porsche 935 or Lambo Diablo molds? from 20 years ago still around in a crate!!!