Lamborghini Countach 5000QV (1985)

[89AKurt]

Love it!  I read through this topic, see it's the Aoshima, not the Fujimi which I have 3 different versions in the stash.  I had the poster of the same colors, with a neeked blond on the front.  Looks good from here!

[70 Sting]

21 hours ago, Force said:

Good work and it looks nice.
The Fujimi Enthusiast kits of the Countach are not easy to build, I do have a couple Countach LP5000 Quattro Valvole Enthusiast kits myself from the late 80's early 90's.
I also have the Aoshima Countach LP5000 Quattro Valvole from the 2010-ish and it's a bit less detailed but not much, and looks to be easier to build.

Looks like you have your bases covered.?   I built a Tamiya kit 30+ years ago, the one with the battery powered motor (and only survivor from my youth). The motor still works and the doors seem to fit better than the Aoshima kit.

I would definitely build another Countach - might be worth while looking into one of the Enthusiast kits.?

 

[70 Sting]

21 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Harry ..that turned out great.  Luv the engine and interior detail. The wheel color makes the model.  Just for your info...orange peel is the result of the paint drying too fast.  Usually too much air in the paint stream.  Mr Color leveling thinner will help as well as lowering your air pressure slightly. 

Thanks Rich. I’m a big fan of the gold rims, too.
The compressor regulator is set to 18 psi, assuming it’s anywhere near accurate. I have been using MCLT at a 1:1 ratio with Tamiya’s lacquer paint. I’m going to try dropping the psi down to 12-15. I know AK Interactive’s Xtreme Metal paints go on beautifully in this range. I have no issue with smaller parts or rounded surfaces - it’s always the larger, flatter surfaces like the hood and roof. Fingers crossed.

[ismaelg]

Beautiful! The perennial poster car of the 80's!

[70 Sting]

21 hours ago, AMT68 said:

Definitely a stunning looking build from the pictures. I like how you list what issues were presented during the build. Makes a nice reference especially when building the same model in the future. 

Much appreciated Tom. That’s why we’re living in the golden age of the hobby. A wealth of information available at our fingertips plus an incredible amount of products available. 

[70 Sting]

19 hours ago, Bainford said:

Very cool Countach. Good, clean work, and the paint shows very well. I like the texture you achieved on the airbox in the first photo. Looks good without the big, greasy wing. Love it.

Thanks Trevor. Pretty sure that texture came from dusting on the semi gloss clear as opposed to flooding it. 

“big, greasy wing” ?

[Tommy124]

Hi Harry,

yes, you made another great model! The "bull" looks great in that color scheme. I was surprised that the (usually well-designed) Aoshima kits can be a PITA in terms of fitting, too. I built the 5000QV kit from Fujimi (Enthusiast Model) around 1989 and I remember it was hard to fit all the underneath details into/ under the tiny body. So I hoped the Aoshima would be a improvement to that. 

By the way, your photos are always top-notch too, and I really like your approach which is both informative and entertaining.

[Force]

8 hours ago, 70 Sting said:

Looks like you have your bases covered.?   I built a Tamiya kit 30+ years ago, the one with the battery powered motor (and only survivor from my youth). The motor still works and the doors seem to fit better than the Aoshima kit.

I would definitely build another Countach - might be worth while looking into one of the Enthusiast kits.?

 

Fujimi has done lots of versions of the Countach and the first one seems to have come out 1987, some are full detail and some are curbside.
You can check the Fujimi kits instructions on Scalemates, they have instructions for a couple of them but not all, and see if you are up to the challenge, because it can be a handful to get the body and fender flares to look right and some pieces of the chassis are kind of fiddly...but the detailing is a bit better than the Aoshima kit.

[70 Sting]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:17 PM, 89AKurt said:

Love it!  I read through this topic, see it's the Aoshima, not the Fujimi which I have 3 different versions in the stash.  I had the poster of the same colors, with a neeked blond on the front.  Looks good from here!

Thanks Kurt. Those Fujimi Enthusiast kits look very tempting, but not for the faint of heart me thinks.  Had 2 posters myself ?.

[70 Sting]

On 1/3/2023 at 10:00 AM, Tommy124 said:

Hi Harry,

yes, you made another great model! The "bull" looks great in that color scheme. I was surprised that the (usually well-designed) Aoshima kits can be a PITA in terms of fitting, too. I built the 5000QV kit from Fujimi (Enthusiast Model) around 1989 and I remember it was hard to fit all the underneath details into/ under the tiny body. So I hoped the Aoshima would be a improvement to that. 

By the way, your photos are always top-notch too, and I really like your approach which is both informative and entertaining.

Thanks Tommy, it had to be black/gold. If I build another one I’d probably go with red/gold.

You’re a braver man than I… from what I’ve read the Fujimi Enthusiast kit takes some real patience to assemble. I had to (chose to) hack up the interior in order for the body to slip over the chassis. Pretty sure I didn’t do anything wrong during assembly as this fellow encountered similar problems with his kit.

The photos and forum post almost take as much time as building the kit. :^o   Always looking for the very best angles to accentuate the car and trying not to sound like a total moron when I’m typing (as I’m sure my English teachers did).

[70 Sting]

On 1/3/2023 at 6:35 PM, Force said:

Fujimi has done lots of versions of the Countach and the first one seems to have come out 1987, some are full detail and some are curbside.
You can check the Fujimi kits instructions on Scalemates, they have instructions for a couple of them but not all, and see if you are up to the challenge, because it can be a handful to get the body and fender flares to look right and some pieces of the chassis are kind of fiddly...but the detailing is a bit better than the Aoshima kit.

Well you certainly hit the nail on the head when you said “up to the challenge.” Found this post today: 

Fujimi Enthusiast kits look to be a magnum opus build. Might need a pallet cleanser or two before tackling something like this. ?

[Tommy124]

One thing about the Fujimi kits, that's really annoying me, is that the rear tyres are way too small in ALL their Countach kits except for the LP 400 (which had much smaller ones in 1:1). This is one point that Aoshima certainly did much better, looking at your build. It's very hard to get correct replacement tyres in that rare dimension!

I'd like to mention that the Italeri Countach kit (probably sold under the Testors brand in the US) is a pretty good and detailed kit aswell. It goes together well and has good detailing, of course, not as extreme as the Fujimi kits. The "only" downside is the really bad wheels and tyres. I built the 25th Anniversary Countach from Italeri some years ago and managed to get some replacement parts on the internet. 

 

 

[radiohd10]

wow - awesome job!  i always get scared off by the lambo kits because they just look so finicky, but seeing them turn out this good is making me reconsider...

[70 Sting]

10 hours ago, Tommy124 said:

One thing about the Fujimi kits, that's really annoying me, is that the rear tyres are way too small in ALL their Countach kits except for the LP 400 (which had much smaller ones in 1:1). This is one point that Aoshima certainly did much better, looking at your build. It's very hard to get correct replacement tyres in that rare dimension!

I'd like to mention that the Italeri Countach kit (probably sold under the Testors brand in the US) is a pretty good and detailed kit aswell. It goes together well and has good detailing, of course, not as extreme as the Fujimi kits. The "only" downside is the really bad wheels and tyres. I built the 25th Anniversary Countach from Italeri some years ago and managed to get some replacement parts on the internet. 

 

 

That’s interesting. I bought the Italeri kit 3 years ago for my son to build… I will have a look at the tires. I checked the link to your build and realized I had bookmarked it previously :^) 

Your Countach looks fantastic, flawless really. Better interior detail than the Aoshima kit and the doors fit perfectly. ?

[70 Sting]

4 hours ago, radiohd10 said:

wow - awesome job!  i always get scared off by the lambo kits because they just look so finicky, but seeing them turn out this good is making me reconsider...

Thanks Ryan. The windshield pillars are thin (Aoshima includes a dummy windshield you tape in place to protect them), the 4 fender flares require a little attention to make sure they line up nicely, the door fit seems to be off a little on some kits, the glass isn’t perfectly clear and can’t be polished out and fitting the body to the chassis is… fun. Other than that it’s a breeze. ?

[Tommy124]

13 hours ago, 70 Sting said:

Your Countach looks fantastic, flawless really. Better interior detail than the Aoshima kit and the doors fit perfectly. ?

Many thanks Harry. Indeed I did some scratchbuilding for seatbelts back then and used some aftermarket metal stickers. I cannot take credit for the perfect fit of doors however, as they cannot be opened on this kit anyway. ?

[70 Sting]

Just got lost again browsing through your Scalemates gallery. Such a consistent high level of quality.?

[ATHU]

Fantastic looking Lambo, excellent job Harry!!

[ModelcarJR]

Looks great, Harry! I can't see any of the issues you mentioned. Outstanding build! ??

[landman]

On 12/31/2022 at 9:53 PM, Dragline said:

You could tell me all the problems you had and from where I sit I couldnt see a single one. That is a sweet Countach

X2

[Lobo2me]

You nailed it! One of the first truly hypercars. Nice job!!!

 

[Justin Porter]

This is such a clean build of a truly exciting car and kit. Just getting an Enthusiast Series kit across the finishing line is a monumental task. 

[Can-Con]

Yes, fantastic build of a bear of a kit.

Definitely "THE" poster car of the '80s. The 17 year old me had this poster in my room ??,,,

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Can-Con

[70 Sting]

22 hours ago, Can-Con said:

Yes, fantastic build of a bear of a kit.

Definitely "THE" poster car of the '80s. The 17 year old me had this poster in my room ??,,,

 

Oh yeah, very familiar with that one.?  Pretty sure the Countach is on every top 10 iconic car list.

[DON2000]

Super!!!