This Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 partwork build was fun, but expensive. At the time I signed up, the T-800 was only available from Hachette in the UK. I had to use a forwarding service to get the issues sent every two months to me here to the US. Add all that shipping and handling to the price of the model itself and the overall cost added up quick. Thankfully, for new builders, this partwork is now available from Agora Models and they ship all over the globe.

The T-800 build itself is not too difficult, but there are quite a few wobbly parts and the pieces do not all have the same finish. Some bits are silver, others are somewhat golden. Perhaps they changed how the parts were created along the way, who knows. For the most part, I don’t even notice the difference, but it is worth noting. The parts fit together well and I did not need to replace any missing or damaged parts.

Because the endoskeleton ends up being three feet long, it becomes more difficult to attach parts as the build progresses. He likes to flop all over the place when you move him around. Still, I am glad I build him and he ended up looking fantastic! Once I finished the model, I even found a small Santa hat at a pet store and dressed him up for the holidays:

The electrics do work on my model and are fully operated by the included Remote Control. I am glad I changed the position of the base Searchlights, it gives him ever-changing shadows at different angles. Here, I posed him with the Plasma Rifle on my bookshelf. Of course, without the Finger Mod from Model Modz, I think it would have been impossible for him to actually hold the rifle:

To be honest, I am happy this build is behind me. It took a lot of patience to wait for parts from the UK and then to find that most stages only involved adding a bit here and there. I feel this build could have been half as many issues, but I suppose Hachette needed to make their money on the magazines. Overall, this T-800 endoskeleton model itself is good, and he looks mean as hell, but I don’t think I would do this one again.

Late into the build of our T-800 Terminator partwork, I heard about another builder who had found a perfect place to store the Remote Control and I knew I had to pick one up.

This is the T-800 Terminator 2 18cm Skull Box from Nemesis Now Ltd.. It is beautifully crafted from hand-painted polyresin with a chrome finished, crystal red eyes, and yellowed teeth.

But, the best part of it is that this skull can be opened and things can be stored inside. Well, it turns out our remote fits in there perfectly!

It doesn’t do much more than that, but it does give you a really nice place to keep the remote close to your model. I love it!