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!

I have had many visitors ask about the tools and supplies that I use to build my partworks, so I have created a ‘Shop‘ over at my main build site with Amazon links to most of the items I have used along the way. All proceeds go towards supporting my site costs, not for profit. I hope you all find this helpful!

Go to Shop

If you want to build this specific partwork, check out the Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 ordering page! You can also get the Terminator from Agora Models in the US.

This Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 model consists of hundreds of parts and screws! I have put a small page together that lists the number of parts and screws in each issue as well as running totals for the entire build. Check out The Parts!

Go to Page

I live in the US. However, this 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 partwork model was only available from Hachette in the UK. In order to get my hands on the build, I had to have the issues forwarded to me from the UK every two months. This is not ideal, nor is it cheap.

Well, there is a new kid on the block: Agora Models. They are a new partwork model company based in Florida, USA with offices around the world. While their first kit is the 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake, they have just recently started offering our T-800 as well. This is the same exact model as from Hachette, but can now be obtained by any builder in the world!

Agora is currently taking pre-orders and they will sell the T-800 in a slightly different way than Hachette. Instead of Hachette’s 4 issues per month, Agora will release the entire build over a 12-month period (10 issues per month). Agora charges $65 for the first month, then around $130/month plus shipping for the remaining 11 shipments. Another difference is that the magazines/instructions will be in digital format and downloadable from their website. This likely means that there will not be any physical magazines sent with the parts. It also appears (from YouTube videos) that the finish on this T-800 is slightly different than Hachette.

I did reach out to Agora to see if I could start a subscription with them at Issue 51 and they said yes. However, it would not be available until at least October 2020. Therefore, I will continue to move forward with my current subscription with Hachette to keep my build going. Still, if there are builders out there who have wanted to build the T-800 model, but were not in the UK or able to sign up, you can now purchase it via Agora Models!

If you signed up for the subscription-based version of the Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 model build, you will receive four FREE gifts along the way. The first three gifts were OK, but this time, we get this magnificent Replica Plasma Rifle!

I had a heck of time getting this shipped through customs to the US, but it made it safely. I had seen other builders open theirs and were very impressed at the quality. I feel the same way. I know it is plastic, but it looks fantastic! The details are good and the weathering is decent too. It arrives in a nicely ‘felted’ package in four parts:

There are no assembly instructions, but it is pretty straightforward. Insert the magazine until it clicks, screw on the barrel, and insert the forward rod into its D-shaped hole until it snaps in place. I originally thought the trigger was the only moving part, but there is a tiny magazine release on the side that works too:

It does not weigh much, but that is a good thing as the endoskeleton needs to be able to hold it. I wonder how long it will take the modding community to create mods with lights and sound that others can buy. I might just have to jump on that when it happens. Until then, I am super impressed with the plasma rifle and look forward to arming my Terminator T-800 in the future.

If you signed up for the subscription-based version of the Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 model build, you will receive four FREE gifts along the way. The first gift was the Toolkit and the second a Binder. But this time, we get this small T-800 Skull Keyring.

It is a cute gift, if I used these kind of things on my keys. The skull is plastic and is not super detailed, but it’s free so who cares!

If you signed up for the subscription-based version of the Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 model build, you will receive four FREE gifts along the way. The first gift was the Toolkit. This time, we get a Collector’s Binder to store the magazine in.

Unlike other partworks I am building (which use plastic pins), this one has a nice two-ring metal clasp system inside:

These simply pop open and you can slide the matching staple of each magazine over them. So easy!

The next FREE gift should be the Skull Keyring arriving with my fifth shipment.