Aoshima Countach LP 400

Hey Chuck, I've really enjoyed your last few posts. Good review. How about showing a side by side comparison? (The quarter windows look kinda hokey IMO on the Aoshima and are arguably highly visible.)

Judging from your photo's of the Aoshima and the Fujimi I'm holding, I'm compelled to think that those nice folks merely copied the Fujimi body and eliminated 50% of the kit content? Call me a cynic, then take a look....It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

And, what gives you heartburn over the rubber in the Fujimi? Is it the weird tread pattern? The 14" tire size after all is correct for an LP400.

Chris - the tolerances are much tighter, but they seem loose enough yet for whatever paint buildup should occur at the perimeters of both door and jamb, which I'm guessing shouldn't be too much under even an average paint job. But nope, this sucker ain't got the wings, and yep, a future release with wings and flares seems likely.

Crate - Thanks a lot! Yup, it's that non-XWX tread pattern I don't much like in the EM kit, though I may have uncovered another problem after last night's post: I'll need to recheck it, but both Aoshima's and Fujimi's wheels appear to scale closer to 15 inches than 14. Tamiya's weren't dead-on from what I could see, but they looked a good bit closer dimensionally.

As for copying from one kit to the other, I don't even need to look - though I will later on and report anything different I might find. It's one of those things that really become clear in a side-to-side comparison of the actual kits.

The body features pointed out above are a bit more present on the Fujimi body shell than they are on Tamiya's, but not as defined as they are on Aoshima's. There are quite a few variations between the body shells too. The taillight panels are larger on the Fujimi body than they are on Aoshima's kit. The front fender contours seem the tiniest bit more voluptuous, with more of an effect on the headlight doors depending on the angle you look at them. The rear wheel arch sweep doesn't exactly match either. And on the initial examination, Aoshima's kit seems to be the closer in each of those aspects, compared to pics of the 1:1.

And when you go on to compare the more architectural aspects like chassis plates, interior buckets, seats, and engine bay layout, it seems pretty clear that Aoshima didn't even reference the Fujimi or Tamiya kit. It's got clear distinctions in each of these, and more, from the other two kits. As for the quarter windows, if you mean the ones behind each door, they're molded integrally with the framework louvers and promise to be the most precise when masked and painted. If you're talking the framework on the side windows, Asohima's is the cleanest and closest-looking of the three. And while a fair amount of content is removed relative to the EM, I'm left with an impression of far less than half, especially if you look at the raw parts count between the two kits.

Now I usually find it more productive to do comparison shots of in-progress builds, but I'm committed to two other projects right now. If you think there's anything to be gained by a side to side of the raw parts, I might see if I can eke out any time this weekend...

I have just picked up the September issue of the Japanese "Model Cars" magazine, which has a feature on the Aoshima Countach.

From their comparison of the Tamiya, Fujimi, Aoshima and Marui Countach as well as the detail photos of the real car, the Aoshima body seems to have captured the look of the Countach the best.

The more obvious areas where the Fujimi body is lacking include:

- The crease in the front fender is missing, as already mentioned in Chuck's review
- The two small grilles below the front bumper should not go up all the way into the bumper itself
- The opening of the roof periscope is too far back
- The two intake scoops appear to be sitting too high
- The tail lights are too wide, and not tall enough

Granted they are not showstoppers, but they become fairly obvious when the models are put side by side.

I would highly recommend getting this issue of the Model Cars magazine, especially if you are already ordering the Aoshima Countach from Japan. Not only do you get a detailed build up report of the model, but you also get the comparo plus eight pages of detailed pics of the real car, which covers the body, the interior, the chassis and the engine bay.

There is also an interview with the guy in charge of the R&D department of Aoshima. For anyone who is pissed that Aoshima made yet another Countach instead of any other car model you really wanted but is never kitted, he mentioned that a "model of the Countach made with the latest technology" is the most requested item in every show and event Aoshima has attended.

For those who fancy a winged version of the Countach: Aoshima is contemplating a variation of the Countach as No. 2 of the Super Car series, which they might display in the Fall Hobby Show. And they are considering other cars for the series as well, so you might want to start writing them about what you want.

Petesy - EX-CELLENT! Gotta see if I can find one of those mags - they have an English version?

It's not just the progress this kit makes on several fronts that interests me, but the potential follow-ups. A flared and winged Countach seems like a natural, and I would really re-e-e-a-a-l-l-y like to see a McLaren F1 done to this standard.

Aoshima have a way for us yanks and other English-speaking blokes to contact them?

Aoshima heard more people asking for an old Countach than a McLaren F1 or Veyron, to name a few?

Petesy - EX-CELLENT! Gotta see if I can find one of those mags - they have an English version?
They don't have an English version, but there are enough pics to make it readable even if you don't know Japanese.

You can see a sample page from Hobby Search and HLJ:

http://www.1999.co.jp/10118316 (strange enough it's not in their English page)
http://www.hlj.com/product/NKPMC172

Aoshima have a way for us yanks and other English-speaking blokes to contact them?You can try their suggestion/request e-mail address: info@mail.aoshima-bk.co.jp

Aoshima heard more people asking for an old Countach than a McLaren F1 or Veyron, to name a few?
Well most modellers these days grew up in the 70's and 80's. It's just natural for them to want an accurate model of their dream car.

FWIW I'm not interested in the Veyron, or the Zonda for that matter. They just don't click for me.

Ok you said million times: unuseful subject BUT great looking model: ever better than a reboxed-30 YO model with a cool box art like the 512S. In the range of the unuseful-good marketing subjects they done a good choice and a great job...

Now we expect something cool with the same quality :D

Well, the subject works a little better for me than it does for most, but it's not my first choice either.

What really interests me about this kit, aside from its advances over previous offerings, is the series it points to. That McLaren has become a vintage supercar by now, and if this new Aoshima series has the potential to open the door for one of those...

:eek2:

The McLaren is commanding vintage car prices now too! $3.5 million at the Gooding auction in Pebble Beach this past weekend.