James Bond 007 The Spy Who Loved Me 1976 Lotus Esprit

       

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Original Kit:
Lotus Esprit
Made By:
Nichimo (kit #ZP2401)
Scale:
1/24
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The white Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me easily ranks as one of the most recognized Bond cars of all time, probably second only to the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. As with most Bond cars, 1/24 scale replicas aren't that easy to come by: the only first generation Esprit available is an old Nichimo kit that was originally set up to be built as a motorized toy. Not the most detailed replica out there, but it builds up as a decent curbside.

The kit was essentially built box stock. I hand painted the tartan interior with no problem, but the body trim was a bit tricky. Thanks to a suggestion from the Scale Auto forum, I decided to try using a black Sharpie and it worked perfectly. I was able to do the side trim, windows, and door handles with minimal cleanup required. The only real change I made was to replace the kit-supplied sideview mirror with a more movie-accurate piece. A set of custom license plates finished the car nicely.

 

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