Dragline

Another build I've never shared here. Built for my Dad for Fathers day some years ago. It has a Dakota Digital dash, but I simply couldn't get it to properly focus. Still not sure of the wheels but I'm not changing them. Dad loved it so that's good enough for me.

As I work on my Fujimi Countach I was looking at some builts from years ago. My Father passed away July 22nd this year and his man cave is full of builds I have done since I was a kid. I have all those builds again and I was looking at some of them and since I'd never shared them before I thought I would do so now. This started life as the Monogram Plum Crazy funny car from the mid 80's. I forgot where I got the decal set from but it's a decent quality and accurate to the original kit. Nothing fancy except plug wires and Alclad for the front and rear bumpers and injector hat. A blast from the past and one of my fathers favorite builds of mine. I look at it and think of him, and that's why I built it in the first place.

Primer all over the place....

"pratt?" oh p'shuhh.... I like the back and forth of the forum. I wouldn't do it otherwise. I have thick skin and can take anything that's dished at me. I also have the Huayra kit with the PE. That is in line quite a ways back but this thing got shoved to the front mostly by the "which is better thread" started by JollySipper. That and the fact that I no longer do commission builds has given me the free time to devote to builds I wish to see done.

Thanks Dann. I have the flares in what I think are their best positions. Looking at reference says the rears sit too high in relation to the top but I can live with it. I'm excited to see someone do a WIP on the Aoshima kit so i can see it go together for myself. Handling one at a show quick like and sitting on the bench with it all apart are two very different things. I shot the body parts with Duplicolor FP101 filler primer. i have a couple of spots to hit with filler and then sand the entire thing with 600 before I'll be ready for color. Perhaps a few days. Meanwhile the chassis is shot with semi black and I have white primer on the interior pieces. Pics when things can be handled.

Left and right sides of the body. As you can see the drivers side window frame dips quite a bit. I put the glass in to see and it straightens out perfectly. The comments on the glass were interesting but mine seem clear. I'll lay some Future down on them for maximum clarity. Interior parts that are getting red paint are all in one place and awaiting a wash before white primer.

Looks like I'll have to actually build one of Aoshima's Countach kits. The raves keep coming in and I for one might be leaning ever so slightly for not even having built one. But for me the sorta deal breaker is the engine. At the heart of this Lion lies that famous V-12 that for me is one of the sweetest sounds to ever come out of Bolognese. This kit is not as trying as I think even I remember. Sure there are a boatload of parts but they are going together nicely. Now this is no noobie kit that's a certainty, but for moderate experience I say it can be done. Here is the chassis with bulkheads attached. The left leans down ever so slightly. The body does shore it up when inserted so that's a relief. The back box is complete awaiting Model Master buffing metalizer. Front bulkheads are getting near to being attached. Body parts are sanded and need a wash before primer is applied. Ejector pins were filled with Tamiya white filler.

One great idea on top of another. Geez Bobby, where does it all come from? Serious talent.

That looks very good indeed. Very slick work.

Looks great, is this an EM kit?

What is funny is the drivers side rear flare fits very well and is being held only by the glue. I didn't need to tape it at all.

Thanks Kenny. The Revell Contacta has a great long fine nozzle so I think I'm good. But I'll still look into those Flex-I-file tubes. The flares fit good but they are too rounded so they must be installed in halves. I have the first halves in and lined up pretty good. I think the passenger side may come up a tad short to the lower beltline but I'll see how persuasive I can be. I'll let them harden overnite and see in the AM. I did preliminary bends so I know they will bend to their spots and I didn't go too far with the glue so the arc stays good throughout the curve. This is a bit tricky...

The front flares must line up with the ground effects in the valance so I had to mount the bumper and hood hinge permanently. The valance can be held in temporarily until the flares are cemented in so they stay lined up. I'll dismount it for painting so i can hit it and not glob paint into it. There are also driving lights that go in there and those would be a pain to install with the valance already there. The rear flares just need to hit their marks correctly and straight but gluing will still be a pain since their correct location is compound so I may do it in two stages to make certain they are on the money. Sanding these flares was a bit of a pain but they are good to go and line up nicely despite their complex nature.

Work continues tonight with painting of the long block with a few of the brackets in place. I attached as many pieces as I could while still in bare styrene to keep everything strong. The A/C bracket and drier as well as distributor bases were glued while bare plastic to keep it stable. I painted the alternator compressor and belts in flat aluminum as per reference. I cleaned up the fender flares with fine paper and am preparing to attatch them. It will require some deft tape and glue to get these strong and straight but I think I got this. My plan is no clearcoat just Duplicolor white enamel and a gentle buff. These were painted in a single stage back when new so I'll do the same. One thing I see is the rear tires seem a bit small. I post some pics in future installments and you make the call.

There it is then...

Wish me Bona Fortuna please. This will take my entire bag of tricks to pull off to some reasonable standard of finish.

Trees are so precise with ZERO flash. If it can be a separate part it is. Working parts are doors, front lid, engine cover, lights and posable wheels. It also has shoulder harness hardware and a guide for cutting the belts. I plan on at least ignition wiring and batter. I may do some vacuum hoses as they are prevalent. I have some generic PE bits and I think I can add a throttle plate with linkage. But we'll see about that. There is a wealth of pics on the net showing every aspect of this car so images should not be a problem. The decal sheet is also very good with every marking needed. An interesting fact about this car is that every piece of glass is flat on the 1:1. Making the glass in this kit easy to fit and distortion free.

The long block alone is already 15 pieces deep. The fit is absolutely perfect. All sanding was done with a fine board and then assembled with Revell professional Contacta cement. My absolute go to glue these days. Pics show just how many trees are involved with this kit. When your tree count goes up to K you know you have quite a few pieces to assemble

This will be my first WIP in a long time. There was some talk about what kit is the best Lamborghini Countach available. Myself and a few others happen to think Fujimi knocked it out of the park with the Enthusiast Series kits back in the 80's. There is a newer Aoshima kit that some are praising as the better kit. I've had a chance to get up close with both and for my money it's still the EM Series kit. Despite its Apocalyptic parts count it builds up easily enough and the level of detail is certainly second to none. I began oddly enough with the long block last night and with some light fine sanding the parts literally fall together in such a precise manner it belies the heavy parts count. I'm not completely decided on the color and I'll ask you all for suggestions. My instinct is white with white wheels and red interior. Truly capturing the mid 80's vibe of my absolute favorite supercar. I think it is the best design of ANY car ever. It still causes people to snap their attention some 40 years after it was introduced, and causes a stir no matter where it is. That testament to the design hasn't been lost on me all these years later. So, if you are not familiar with this kit I've taken a few pics at the bench as I start on what I think is the best representation of the most iconic supercar to ever leave Italy.

That is looking particularly good right there.

Coming along quite nicely. This is the part that intimidates a great deal of model builders. That confounded rigging. Yours looks great. Lines that have weight to them are especially important to the overall feel. Nailed it...

As Impressed as I was with the Aoshima kit I thought "Why". The EM kits filled the niche quite nicely. As for being more accurate? Eye of the beholder I guess. I think the Fujimi kits look like the real thing to a tee. And, I like all those parts. I've built three and used every one of em every time. If I had a built here I'd snap a pic. Perhaps I'll build one of the ones I currently have and see what can be done with it. I'm thinking all white with a red interior.. And it'll be carbureted like a proper Countach.

Fujimi kits are hands down the best Countach kits ever made. They were originally issued during the Enthusiast Series run and are full detail like few kits then or since have ever been. Working features and fantastic detail all the way through.

Count me in. I see potential for a lot of comfort zones to be crossed. I like that idea. Besides, I'll build anything.

Harry built one a year or so ago. It was multi media and of course he crushed it. I'd search for it since I think [like he always did] he named the kit and the whole bit.