Aoshima 1/24 Lamborghini Countach LP400 w/Optional Parts
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
Joining the Gruppo Bertone company under Nuccio Bertone in the mid-1960s, Marcello Gandini had his hand in quite a few automotive designs, including the stunning Lamborghini Muira, Lancia Stratos, and the De Tomaso Pantera. The most iconic design of Gandini, perhaps, would be the Lamborghini Countach, which combined concepts and shapes from many of Gandini's designs. The wedge-shaped body and scissor doors made it stand out from a range of Italian supercars, and the soundtrack from the Lamborghini V12 was immortalized for millions by the opening credits of the movie Cannonball Run.
While that movie Countach was a later LP400S, with the wide fender flares and front & rear wings, the original LP400 was a much cleaner design. Powered by a 4-liter V12 engine, the first LP400 was delivered in 1974. Production continued through 1977, and over 150 of this first version were produced. While the narrow tires gave the Countach little drag and thus the highest speed of the family, they also reduced stability. While the addition of the wings and fender flares detracted from Gandini's original design, they did improve handling, especially at high speed. Today, it is still possible to find an LP400 on the road, although the later LP400S and LP500S are more common.
The Kit
When I saw some test shots of this kit at the iHobby Expo, I wondered why Aoshima would be tackling a subject that has already been done by both Tamiya and Fujimi. However, the Tamiya kit is quite old and not very accurate, and the Fujimi kit, while nicely detailed, suffers from some fit issues as well as minor accuracy problems as well. So there is definitely room for an accurate, modern tooling of the famous Lamborghini Countach. A quick look at this kit suggests that Aoshima has done just that.
The Aoshima LP400 Countach has been released in two forms: a basic kit and one with added optional parts. This review covers the latter, and if you want to build a highly detailed Countach, I recommend spending the extra cash on this boxing. In addition to the plastic parts (molded in white, black, gray, chrome, clear, clear orange, and clear red), you also get photoetch details, turned aluminum exhaust tips, embossed die cut paper floor mats, pre-cut masks, and wire mesh. A decal sheet provides all sorts of finer details, as well as some license plates.
Following the instruction booklet through from the beginning, we start with the front suspension. This is designed to have the front wheels moveable, allowing the modeler to turn them one way or the other. This means lots of separate pieces, which increases the detail. While that's nice, once complete much of it will be hidden by the wheels, but it's nice to have all that there, if just for that little spot of color in an otherwise dark area on the car (the shock struts, for example, are painted red, with black coils). The wheels are nice, with separate chrome center caps.
The tires, molded in black vinyl, have the tire size (205/70 VR14) molded in place, but no manufacturer name. Since all tires are Goodyear, if you want the same tires as a LP400 Countach, just go get some Goodyears. Okay, yes, the LP400 actually ran on Michelin XWX tires, but without the name printed on the tires, it takes extra research to figure that out, to the detriment of modelers and tire manufacturers alike. When will they learn that letting model kit manufacturers use their name on the kit tires is not an evil to be crushed at every step?
While on the subject of suspension, the rear end is nicely done as well, with the transmission housing and rear frame provided as separate pieces. While both of these could have been molded in place on the lower body piece, doing it in this method provides greater depth and as a result, greater realism. The rear suspension is well done also, and the kit accurately captures the slightly wider rear wheels.
Moving on to the interior, be ready for some real fun here. The seats are separate and look the part, with their rectangular upholstery. The one-piece tub has quite a bit of molded-on detailing, but there are plenty of additional bits to add as well. The embossed paper floor mats are really quite interesting, and it will take a bit of experimenting to figure out how to best finish these. The instrument cluster is provided as a decal to fit behind a clear dash piece, while the steering wheel is accurate for the type and features a decal for the center. Interestingly, one thing that is missing from the interior is seat belts. A cursory examination online suggests that the LP400 had shoulder belts, although some examples I looked at seemed to have none. I am not sure if that is true, or if they were simply tucked out of the way for the photos, though.
The other half of this car's 'interior' deals with that impressive V12 powerplant. While not a complete standalone engine, the engine provided in this kit is really quite good. It has separate carburetors and air filters, and when all put together and fitted into the one-piece tray, it will provide a very good representation of the big 4-liter V12, especially with the two small Lamborghini script decals for the cylinder heads.
Moving on to the body, this is one spot that is definitely far better than the competition. Aoshima has managed to capture all of the subtle details that were missed on the Tamiya and Fujimi kits, with every crease and angle accurately represented. The one-piece body has several sprues inside the various openings that will need to be trimmed away. Once the windscreen and door sprues are removed, though, the A pillars will be placed in danger, as they are quite thin all around. Aoshima anticipated this, and they have included a plastic insert for the windscreen, along with pieces of tape to secure it with, whose sole purpose is to protect those A pillar pieces. This attention to construction is to be highly commended.
Body details come next, and here you can choose between open or closed headlights (again, attention to detail here reveals that Aoshima has accurately represented the different headlamp pattern in the clear parts; the instructions show the correct orientation). The doors are also provided in such a away as to be open or closed. Both of these are non-functional, so you will have to decide whether to have them open or closed. The rear taillights are nicely done, and the inclusion of both clear orange and clear red means that there is no need to tint any clear parts in this kit. The engine hood gets mesh sides, with the instructions providing the templates to cut the separate mesh piece. Final assembly pulls all the subassemblies into place and fits the body over everything. Add on the exhausts with the turned aluminum pieces, and your LP400 Countach is finished.
For colors, I am still trying to determine just what colors were offered on the LP400, but you can be assured of black, orange, red, and yellow. Green and blue are also potential options, although for both of those colors I am not sure if they were solid or metallic, or both. Interior color could vary as well, and I have seen tan, red-brown, white, and black interiors. The decals provide European, Japanese, and simple Countach license plates.
Conclusion
Overall, this is an excellent model that accurately captures the look and feel of the Lamborghini LP400 Countach. It manages to provide an excellent balance between detail and ease of assembly, even in this one with all the optional parts. It should build up quite nicely, and will look great parked next to other iconic 1970s supercars. My thanks to Dragon Models USA for the review sample.