Car crazy . . .
E-Type model that costs £888 – and takes TWO years to make
MANY motorists dream of owning an iconic E- Type Jaguar. But the closest most will ever get is to buy a model kit of the car. This is the message behind a new TV advert that is encouraging viewers to ‘ celebrate the heritage of this legendary sports car’, which can command a price of £100,000.
The commercial features a middle-aged man getting out of his own classic motor and then settling down at his garage desk to put together a model kit, an eighth the size of the real deal.
As t he alluring marketing points out, it comes with ‘real rubber tyres’ and is built with ‘breathtaking detail – functioning suspension, genuine leather and working lights’.
De Agostini is the company behind the advert and the model is a 1963 Series I E-Type.
Ye t look underneath the advert’s bonnet and you will spot the small print detailing that issue two costs £4.99, though it comes free with issue one if you sign up online. Thereafter it is £8.99 per issue. The first issue is a snip at £1.99.
Then there is the small detail of ‘model complete in 100 issues’. The total cost to build is therefore £883 online or £888 if the magazine is bought in the high street. It takes two years for all parts to arrive, though you can start putting it together as the issues drop through your letterbox.
Customers subscribe by direct debit, which they are told they can cancel at any time.
David Cropper runs model shop Croppers Models in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and is a critic of such offers.
He says: ‘It is tempting to fall for the slick marketing, but the reality is you are far better off buying your own model kit to put together at leisure. Often with subscriptions, people lose interest after just a few issues. It is far more enjoyable to tackle a project in one go with all the parts to work at your own pace – alone or with family.’
He adds: ‘With a subscription you can find yourself spending a small fortune on a model that ends up costing as much as a real- life, second- hand budget car, although it will not be quite as stylish as an E-Type.’
The model shop owner, who inherited his business from late father Kenneth, says £100 will get you a model kit comparable to the quality offered by De Agostini. For example, manufacturer Revell sells a 1: 8 scale E- Type to build that can be purchased online for £ 100. Among the extras is a bonnet that lifts to reveal a model of the engine, steerable front wheels as well as doors and windows that open and close. Other quality model manufact urers i nclude Tamiya and Trumpeter.
A great source of information for those considering building a model – not just a classic car but maybe an aeroplane, ship or remote-control model – are website forums where enthusiasts can share advice.
They include HyperScale.com, Missing- lynx. com, finescale. com, modellingmadness. com and rightonreplicas.com.
Marcus Nicholls, editor of magazine Tamiya Model Making International, says model-making has moved on in recent years and is far removed from the image many people have of kids getting glue everywhere as they vainly try to stick a pilot into the cockpit of an Airfix Spitfire.
He says those interested in model-making should search out specialist magazines, shops and online forums.
He adds: ‘Model-making provides lots of fun for the family and can develop manual dexterity skills you will not find by playing games on a computer. But the growing complexity and quality of kits have also turned it into a fascinating pursuit for adults.’ Nicholls believes offers such as the De Agostini E-Type have a market but only a limited one. He says: ‘You might get sent a wheel one week and then another a bit further down the line.
‘What you really need is all four wheels, an axle, chassis and other key parts to make it a proper engineering project straightaway.’
He adds: ‘The De Agostini offer does not seem much when paying in i nstalments but overall you can buy a quality kit t o buil d f or a fraction of its cost.’
De Agostini did not respond to repeated requests by The Mail on Sunday for a comment.