ZAgocs Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hi everyone, this is my first post into the car modeling forum. I build aircrafts in my free time. But being a Lamborghini fan I finally decided to build a collection of them - starting with the Countach. I do not know much about the car model manufacturers - ok, I know Tamiya is one of the bests but that's all. So when I had to decide between the ARII Countach LP500S and the Tamiya LP400 I bought the former. Just because I felt it has a much more brutal look because of its spoiler. I could not find any inbox reviews on the net but I was still unsuspecting. The box arrived, I opened it - and I could not believe what I saw. I shot some photos, did some dryfits. To me this looks not a plastic model but a plastic child toy. You can easily spot the place for the electric motor and the place for the batteries. Parts warped, plastic is missing here and there and the biggest problem: the wheels. Rear wheels does not even fit into the chassis at all?! Rear wheel hubs are wider (this is correct) but the same tires go for all - rear hub slides out of the tires about 2mm... Now my question is: should I toss it into the trashcan and buy a Tamiya one - OR - try to build it? What do you experienced car modelers would you advice? Maybe it is too late, but can anyone advice which models worth to buy if I want to build a decent Lamborghini collection? Pictures: Thanks the advices in advance! Cheers, Zoli Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Wow that is a pig. If you didn't pay much for it then I'd say trash it or at best save some of the parts and use them for a whif project or something. If you paid a lot then have a go at it. Looks like much of it will need replaced and or scratched but if you're into that that could be fun. You could always source some wheels and tires from something else that would hopefully fit. That does look pretty awful though. As for kits Tamiya are good as you say. Fujimi makes some nice kits I'm not sure what they have in lamborghinis but they probably have something. Aoshima aren't bad but are not as good as Tamiya or Fujimi. I think Revell has a lamborghini out there. You could also pick up one of those metal body kits I'm pretty sure they make a Countach one. Might not be in production anymore but I doubt it'd be hard to find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 This'll give you an idea of whats out there My link Some good prices too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) Guess I would build it to get practice in, you already spent the money. Looking for a few countach's my self down the line, I heard Aoshima is a nice kit. Last one I built was a long time ago maybe 1988 or so, think it was a testors and no clue who the actual manufacturer was. Personally I will/hopefully build a few manufacturers countach's "one of if not my fav exotic other then the F-40" since I like a few colors and having other manufactures on the shelf will give some variety. Dieing to get my hands on the Fujimi lamborghini aventador soon, tho I need to get some car builds under my belt. Unbuilt collection is already starting to build up LOL. Edited January 29, 2012 by Wayne S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Personally. I'd bin it if it was cheap. HLJ has a pretty good selection of lambo kits either by fujimi or aoshima I can't remember which. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2qwik4u Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Get either the Fujimi one or the Aoshima one. The Tamiya kit is a repop of their battery powered kit too. While it isn't quite as bad as the Arii kit, it still isn't as nice as the other two. I'm sorry to hear that the Arii one was that bad. You kind of have to be careful with some of those smaller asian model companies for car kits. It's kind of like the early Trumpeter stuff. Some of them are real stinkers. -Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Since we are on the subject, anyone recall who's the testors kits were? I am thinking Fujimi. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZAgocs Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 Hi all! Thank you all for the advices! Unfortunately I paid for this model the same price as the Tamiya kit has. But as Dave said it I should not buy the Tamiya one either. :( I will try to build it as a practice run - trying to nicely cut out the chassis at the rear to fit the wheel. If the process fails, trashcan... I was thinking about building the kit without wheels, but it has no suspension either - would be too much scratchbuilding for a beginner. I bought the Fujimi Murcielago along with this kit - and at a first glance that is a fantastic kit. So as you suggested I will look for Fujimi, Aoshima and Tamiya kits - and next time I will ask here BEFORE I order something. Thanks again to everyone! Cheers, Zoli Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2qwik4u Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Well, you could always do it up Madmax style with some guns and spikes on it. I always thought the Countach would look cool like that. -Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Im like you, primarily an aircraft modeler that dabbles in automotive (mostly Ferraris for me) and now armor subjects also. If you want a decent kit at a good price, seek out the Monogram (now Revell) Countach LP500s. I built one years ago and I was quite pleased with it. When you are up to is, check out the Fujimi Enthusiast Series kits... they are some of the most detailed car kits on the planet, I have an Enthusiast Series Ferrari 288 GTOs in my stash, someday Ill get to it. In general, most of the Fujimi kits are quite nice, they make everything from curbside detail to the full out Enthusiats... so make sure you know what you are buying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grizzly Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hi everyone I've got the LP400 Kit by Aoshima and it is a gem. Far ahead Tamiya's one which is older. The LP 5000 quatrovalvole from aoshima is at least as good as the LP400. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 There's a 1/16th Fujimi Countach. It doesn't look perfect but it does build into a nice looking model. Can find them on ebay typically but they're not that cheap. Much nicer than this Arii thing though and bigger! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2qwik4u Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 There's a 1/16th Fujimi Countach. It doesn't look perfect but it does build into a nice looking model. Can find them on ebay typically but they're not that cheap. Much nicer than this Arii thing though and bigger! I've got two of these. They do look nice in the box, but both of mine came with some short shot parts that I need to find replacements for. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Wow, that makes my Xtrakit Scimitar (NO, not a Reliant!!) look almost buildable... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I have an Enthusiast Series Ferrari 288 GTOs in my stash, someday Ill get to it. Any chance of doing a revie on said kit and boxing, Even if it is a on the forum review? The 288 GTO is on my want to get/build list. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jetplane Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 The best Lamborghini Countach plastc model so far is made by Fujimi in 1/24 scale. it is the most accurate Lamborghini and i've built all their versions. Cheers, Jetplane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Countaches... You've got a few choices, but none are really "perfect". I've built Monogram's kit and liked it, though that was at least 15 years ago, so can't really comment much other than it had decent detail and fit. I think? I think they only did an LP5000 though. Fujimi's Enthusiast series kits (later re-boxed by Testors) *were* the be-all end-all for a long time. Tons of detail. Thorough coverage of the family. There were a few accuracy niggles for specific versions, but nothing major. But, because they have so many parts, Fujimi's Enthusiast kits are kind of notorious for needing some massaging to fit, and the Lambo is one of the worse offenders. Not *bad*, but you need really careful assembly to get the suspension lined up so the body fits on the chassis, etc. It's one of those kits where, if you build it right, you'll be okay, but if you get things wrong, it can really snowball. Also, the doors are moveable on the kit, but don't really fit *well* when closed, so you're better off either leaving them opened, or gluing/puttying them shut. But, the doors open, the bonnet opens, the boot opens and the engine can be displayed on its own stand, so if you want to do a superdetailed build, it's your best bet. Good link with build tips here: http://www.h3.dion.ne.jp/~mokei/e-build-lambolp400s01.htm (check the gallery for a couple of other builds with tips) Aoshima released their kit a couple of years ago. It's 25 years newer than Fujimi, so the tooling is cleaner and sharper, and fit is better. It's also a little more accurate. But, it's semi-curbside. It has engine detail, but not a full engine block like Fujimi. So if you're an engine guy, you may prefer Fujimi; if you just want to be able to lift the engine cover and see the detail, it's fine. Its doors can be posed opened or closed, but they're not moveable - though apparently they do fit well closed. I'd suggest checking the instructions for each at 1999.co.jp to get a feel for each kit, and decide from there. You can find used examples of the Fujimi kit pretty cheap (you CAN snag them for ~$20 on eBay with some patience) since it's been around so long. The Aoshima kit is going to be quite a bit more expensive, since it's newer. Other than that... Tamiya's kits are old and re-worked from motorized cars. Skip them. Italeri did a Countach, including a 25th Anniversary model, though I've no idea what they're like. I *suspect* they'd be a distant third to Fujimi/Aoshima (or Aoshima/Fujimi ;)) ------ 288 GTOs. Again, it's an enthusiast kit, so it's really detailed, but it's a later release, so the fit is much better. Body shape is good, tooling is good, fit is good... I'm not in love with the way the transmission assembles, though that's more a personal thing - it goes together okay, but it's split into several vertical slices, which leaves some tricky to handle seams for the anal-retentive builder. My only real nit is with the vents behind the rear wheels, which are solid on the kit, but should be slotted. That's more a tooling limitation, though. In that vein, the plastic louvres on the engine cover and nose are okay-but-not-great, and things like the wiper are necessarily heavy. I'd definitely look at the KA Models PE for it. Or get Fujimi's "deluxe" release which includes said PE already. I've actually been playing with the Fujimi 365BB, Hasegawa 328 and Fujimi 288 over the past week. Interesting to see how Pinninfarina's shape evolved... and compare the engines. DAMN that boxer engine is massive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I've actually been playing with the Fujimi 365BB, Hasegawa 328 and Fujimi 288 over the past week. Interesting to see how Pinninfarina's shape evolved... and compare the engines. DAMN that boxer engine is massive. Thank you for the info. Side Note, wife got me the Hasa 328 GTB for valentines day. Looks like one heck of a kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZAgocs Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Hi everyone! Finally I decided that I won't build this monster - since then I got the Tamiya kit as a Xmas gift and at least that looks buildable... Meanwhile I built the Fujimi Murcielago and - as this was my very first car model - the body paint was far from perfect (will post the whole diary into the in-progress forum). I read a lot of tutorials, seen many videos about glass-smooth finishing but as a modeler I know that it is nothing without practicing. So I grabbed this model to get some practice in smooth finishing. I will try to reproduce the appropriate steps and post pictures about the results. Comments welcome at every stage! Here are the first steps: I already have one question: has anyone any experience with Standox lacquer? Would it harm Gunze acrylic paint? Cheers, Zoli Quote Link to post Share on other sites
az308gts Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 As far as a Countach goes I think the Fujimi kits are the way to go if you are going to do a collection. Fujimi does the LP400, LP5000QV and Anniversary so you know all of the cars will look good next to each other. I happen to like the Tamiya Countach even though it doesn't have an engine. The shape and stance look good to me. I can say for sure that the 1/24 Fujimi 288GTO is a winner as I have won IPMS Best of Show with one. Opening the louvers is easy enough to do so it's not an issue. The Fujimi Enthusiast 246 and F40 kits are nice, but the shapes just don't scale quite right. Good looking in real life doesn't always mean it looks good in the modeling world. And, that Hasegawa 328 can look great. Just lose the chrome look engine and plastic ignition wires! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 No clue about the paints you are using, Only info I can give at this time is, remember sharp edges etc always have less paint, so take care wile polishing. Even on raised edges that are domed can have less paint in that area, Like middle of doors etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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