Fugimi Lamborghini Countache 5000 qv: WIP

[David G.]

21 hours ago, slusher said:

Very nice David, I would leave them but that just me. They do look really good

Thanks Carl. Yeah, I've decided that I can live with them.

David G.

[Dragline]

Just looked at your work David. I have to say its looking great. I started a  thread a long time ago on one of these. Ill have to revisit it. But until then I get to live vicariously through you within this WIP.

[David G.]

23 hours ago, Dragline said:

Just looked at your work David. I have to say its looking great. I started a  thread a long time ago on one of these. Ill have to revisit it. But until then I get to live vicariously through you within this WIP.

Thank you Bob, I'm glad you like it. I found that WIP thread of yours, it turns out that my version of the kit includes many of the detail items that are in the one you were working on. It looks like they just left out the engine sprue and swapped the chassis plate for the curbside version.

In any case, I'll be following along with your WIP on this one.

Thanks again,

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

The more I work on this kit, the more things I find that need worked on.

Case in point:

In test fitting the ground effects I discovered more modifications to be made. The flare fenders are supposed to blend at the front with the chin spoiler. They don't. Obviously I'll be working to correct this.

And let's not even talk about those unfortunate sprue attachment points.

 

 

I cut out some styrene bits to build up the ends of the chin spoiler where it has to blend into the fender flares.

 

 

With the shapes roughed in and attached to the corners of the chin spoiler, the real shaping work can begin. The stripe on the piece I added is there because it came from a styrene "For Sale" sign I bought at Home Depot to use as stock. The markings also come in handy for identifying which side is which so I can keep the shapes consistent.

 

That's all for now. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. 

David G.

[afx]

I have the racing version - if I ever take on building it I think I would glue the doors in place.  Enjoying seeing you build this version David.

[Dragline]

2 hours ago, afx said:

I have the racing version - if I ever take on building it I think I would glue the doors in place.  Enjoying seeing you build this version David.

[David G.]

20 hours ago, afx said:

I have the racing version - if I ever take on building it I think I would glue the doors in place.  Enjoying seeing you build this version David.

Thanks JC.

I had no idea that there were so many different versions of this kit. The one you have looks interesting, it seems to be a curbside like the one I'm working on, yes?

David G.

[afx]

1 hour ago, David G. said:

Thanks JC.

I had no idea that there were so many different versions of this kit. The one you have looks interesting, it seems to be a curbside like the one I'm working on, yes?

David G.

It is curbside.  I think it would be possible to kit bash it with a full-detail version for the engine.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

While most of the rest of the world was distracted with that sportsing event, I managed to get some bench time with the Ol' Lambo. Yeah, the Ol'd Lambo and I are kind of on that familiarity level where we have nicknames for each other.  I'm not gonna tell what it calls me  .

 

Still focusing on the chin spoiler I'm to a point where just a little more sanding and filling should have it ready for paint. Before that, I'll need to make certain that the spoiler and fender flares meet in appealing way. To do that I need to permanently install the flares.

 

For the most part, the installation went well enough. Not having any positive attachment points presented a bit of a challenge as did having a nearly final coat of paint on all of the parts.

 

I did have a bit of a mishap though. While applying Tamiya cement to the right front flare some of it wicked under my thumb causing damage to the paint. Feeling the cement wicking under my thumb caused me to reflexive move it off the piece to prevent any further damage. 

 

This of course caused the flare to shift out of position causing additional paint damage as the flare dragged the cement across the body panel.

It looks like paint was the only casualty. Hopefully the cement wasn't in contact long enough or in amounts sufficient enough to damage the plastic.

In any case, this certainly isn't the worst incidental damage I've had to repair. 

 

As I say, "Model builders, we're problem solvers who create our own problems to solve!"

As always, thanks for taking the time to look, and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[slusher]

David, glad to see you back!  Sometimes we inherit problems too solve..

[David G.]

19 hours ago, slusher said:

David, glad to see you back!  Sometimes we inherit problems too solve..

Thank you Carl, it's good to be back.

Whether we inherit problems or create our own, it seems that we never really solve them.

We just periodically trade them in for a new set.   

David G.

[FLHCAHZ]

Glad to see you back on this.  Bummer about the mishap, I know you will get it all fixed up.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, FLHCAHZ said:

Glad to see you back on this.  Bummer about the mishap, I know you will get it all fixed up.

Thanks Chaz, I appreciate that.

Repairs are already under way.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's a mini-milestone that I wrapped up recently, Tail lights!

The tail lights for this kit are cast in clear plastic. The ones on the car have red, clear and amber lenses set in a darker red base. Which means lots of creative masking and multiple layers of paint are required to make the kit pieces look like the ones on the car.

Here are the results.

 

This is just a test fit. Some minor adjustments are still needed before final installation but overall, I'm happy with the way they turned out.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[Pierre Rivard]

This is a great build David. You are giving me the itch to acquire a Countach kit. After the beautifully fluid Miura, Lambo stepped up with a beautifully outrageous design. Following your build with great interest. Thank you for sharing your work.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

This is a great build David. You are giving me the itch to acquire a Countach kit. After the beautifully fluid Miura, Lambo stepped up with a beautifully outrageous design. Following your build with great interest. Thank you for sharing your work.

Thank you for your kind comments Pierre, I'm glad that you're enjoying the thread. It's nice knowing that one's efforts are appreciated.

David G.

[Funkychiken]

This is a great build, and loved reading  through all the history... I too had this car on my wall as a child! I think I built this kit when I was about 12, loved it and want to do another... I like you added details like the shim for the wing mirrors or the acetate for the instruments.

[David G.]

13 hours ago, Funkychiken said:

This is a great build, and loved reading  through all the history... I too had this car on my wall as a child! I think I built this kit when I was about 12, loved it and want to do another... I like you added details like the shim for the wing mirrors or the acetate for the instruments.

Thank you Atin, I appreciate your kind words.

I'm to the point now where I need to lay down the final coat of paint so I can begin assembly. I paint outside on my patio and unfortunately the weather hasn't been very cooperative lately. It was cold and rainy most of last week, yesterday was warmer but rather windy. ? 

So, hopefully soon.

Thanks again,

David G.

[ModelcarJR]

David, you are doing some very nice detail work on this curbside. I have never built a Fujimi kit. it seems it is bit like an MPC kit in terms of fitment. How would you compare it? Nice work so far and I wish you success in completion! ?? 

[David G.]

2 minutes ago, ModelcarJR said:

David, you are doing some very nice detail work on this curbside. I have never built a Fujimi kit. it seems it is bit like an MPC kit in terms of fitment. How would you compare it? Nice work so far and I wish you success in completion! ?? 

Thank you John.

I don't have any experience with the MPC kit so I can't really compare the two. But the Fujimi kit is solidly engineered, maybe a little overengineered. Fit and casting quality is good especially given the age of the kit. The kit I'm building includes many of the parts for some of the other versions. As an example, the parts to build the pop-up headlights are included in this kit as are an additional engine cover, parts to build a free standing display placard and a number of things I have yet to identify.

Yes, I could have built this with pop-up headlights if I chose to.

The only problem I had with this kit is the flare fenders and chin spoiler. As I indicated earlier in the thread, there are no positive attachment indicators for the flares. The builder is left to just "wing" it, so to speak. And the chin spoiler in no way properly mates up with the front flares, requiring significant modifications just to achieve anything that resembles the real life car.

One would think that such an iconic and visible part of the car would be more accurately rendered.

But that's my only real gripe. Otherwise, I'm rather pleased with the quality and engineering of the kit.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Finally! The weather cleared and warmed up enough to shoot some paint. 

I managed to get one more coat on the Lambo and managed to make a satisfactory repair to the damaged flare fender. The rest of the paint came out nice and smooth too.

 

Even though I feel as if I'm getting into the home stretch with this one, there is still more work to do.

The doors for example.  I still have to give them another coat of paint, do some clean-up, assemble and hang them. ? 

Well, onward and upward!

David G.

[peteski]

The "Countessa" is looking great David.

I have looked through this entire thread and I have a question:  Why didn't you attach the bare plastic flares and chin spoiler to the bare plastic body, and then painted the whole assembly?

[David G.]

8 hours ago, peteski said:

The "Countessa" is looking great David.

I have looked through this entire thread and I have a question:  Why didn't you attach the bare plastic flares and chin spoiler to the bare plastic body, and then painted the whole assembly?

Thank you Peter.

That's a good question, I've pondered that a couple of times myself. The only answer I can offer is that I was just following the assembly directions. The flares, mirrors, spoilers and wipers are all attached to the body right before it's all married to the chassis. The next to the last step.

Also, I knew there were going to be some modifications to the chin spoiler required to get it to mate with the front flares. I was sort of putting that task off in favor of those I knew I could more easily complete at the time. So there was some apprehension and laziness there too. ?

But it all worked out in the end. And the extra work I made for myself wasn't too terrible. Though if I ever build another one of these I'll certainly consider doing that earlier in the process.

Thanks,

David G.

[peteski]

Your explanation makes perfect sense.   I usually treat the kit's instructions as a mere suggestion of the assembly sequence.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

While it may seem that recently most of my attention has been focused on my Corvette Project, that's merely a diversion. I've been slowly plugging away on the Lambo, quietly working on fit, finish and finalization.

One of the key elements that was weighing heavily on my thoughts is the chin spoiler. It just didn't mate up with the front fender flares in any appealing manner whatsoever. So in the midst of all the other little bits I've been working on wrapping up, I've been intermittently building and blending the spoiler to correct that issue.

And I think I finally got it!

 

It's not perfect but it is a darned sight better than what I started out with.

 

Yeah, much better!

 

I'd say it's ready for paint!

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment.

Thanks,

David G.