Fujimi Enthusiast Series Lamborghini Countach

[Dragline]

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.

[Dragline]

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

[Dragline]

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.

[Dragline]

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

[waynehulsey]

Will be following this. Have the 2nd version IIRC I bought years ago at a car swap meet. Was marked 'should be complete, minor assembly'. Took a quick look and decided whoever started it, probably just freaked at the parts count and gave up. Figured for 5 bucks couldn't go wrong. Maybe watching your's go together will be the kick I need to get going on mine.

[Dodge Driver]

Thanks for posting this, Bob. I've been anxiously awaiting an Enthusiast kit WIP. I plan to learn a great deal by watching you build your Countach.

[dodgefever]

Never could get the doors to fit on mine, so I hope to find out where I went wrong.

[JollySipper]

Thanks for posting this, Bob. I've been anxiously awaiting an Enthusiast kit WIP. I plan to learn a great deal by watching you build your Countach.

Ditto from me.............

[Jonathan]

Really looking forward to this.  I gave the original kit a whirl in my youth back in the 80's and failed miserably.  Like you said - it's an amazing kit.

[Dragline]

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.

[Dragline]

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.

[Kennyboy]

On the flares Bob, line them up where they look the best and if you don't already have some....get some flex-I-file with the glass tube for precise metering of the liquid solvent. Stuff works amazing for joining body panels and flares.

BTW, you should see this exact kit in 1/16 scale. I have the 25th anniversary Countach Enthuisiast in 1/16 scale. Great luck to you on your build here, I will be watching. 

[Dragline]

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...

[Dragline]

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.

[DiscoRover007]

Very well detailed kit for sure. There are a few fitment issues if I recall. Aoshima also does an excellent countach as well. It terms of detail and combined engineering/straight forwardedness and great tooling it is probably the best one to date in my opinion. The fujimi version does have many more parts and details though. I'll be watching closely!

[FabbricaP]

Wow this is going to be a great build up. I agree Bob, the Countach is truly a remarkable car. Epitome of 80s extravagant Italian sports cars. 

[Toast]

Whooooo! Look at all those parts! Very excited to follow along as you build this. Your engine assembling looks good so far, keep it up.

[Dann Tier]

Looking GOOOOOD!!!!, The Countach is my all-time favorite car....the 5000 QV to be exact, its good to see another build of this car! -I will definitely be looking in!!

[Dann Tier]

Very well detailed kit for sure. There are a few fitment issues if I recall. Aoshima also does an excellent countach as well. It terms of detail and combined engineering/straight forwardedness and great tooling it is probably the best one to date in my opinion. The fujimi version does have many more parts and details though. I'll be watching closely!

Having built 20 of these Fujimi Contach's, and now having the Aoshima kit as well, I've decided that the Aoshima is a WAAAAAAAAY better kit than the Fujimi's. The only problem with the Aoshima, is that it doesn't have a complete engine, and suspension. One could write a book about how much better the Aoshima kit is, but Fujimis only claim to being better, is having a complete motor. One of my HUGE issues with their Countach kits is that out of the 20 kits I've built, ALL 20 had the shittiest clear parts I have EVER seen in a kit, and it cant be polished-out, because the marks are injection swirls that go all the way through the parts. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Fujimi kits, but the Aoshima kit is far better. With ALOT of careful work, the Fijimi Countach can look great, but with a heck of a lot of IMO. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dann Tier]

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.

You are doing a great job, on this EXTREMELY fussy kit!!!!  -Just a suggestion though, when you do get to the step of attaching the wheels and tyres, I wouldn't try to use the screws to screw them on.....you may bust the entire rear suspension trying to do it. Sadly, its happened to me a few times, so I decided to drill-out the holes bigger so that the screws just slid-in, like the pins that other kits use. Keep up the great work!!

[DiscoRover007]

Having built 20 of these Fujimi Contach's, and now having the Aoshima kit as well, I've decided that the Aoshima is a WAAAAAAAAY better kit than the Fujimi's. The only problem with the Aoshima, is that it doesn't have a complete engine, and suspension. One could write a book about how much better the Aoshima kit is, but Fujimis only claim to being better, is having a complete motor. One of my HUGE issues with their Countach kits is that out of the 20 kits I've built, ALL 20 had the shittiest clear parts I have EVER seen in a kit, and it cant be polished-out, because the marks are injection swirls that go all the way through the parts. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Fujimi kits, but the Aoshima kit is far better. With ALOT of careful work, the Fijimi Countach can look great, but with a heck of a lot of IMO. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree. I think the Aoshima kit is near perfect. Mine is still stashed because I lost one of the rear fenders and I've yet to find a replacement.

[Dragline]

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.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Dragline
Text Edit

[Dragline]

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.

[Dann Tier]

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.

Looking OUTSTANDING!!!!!!

[Dragline]

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.