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A BIG Countach !


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This is another attempt to see if I should retire to the back porch with a blanket over my legs. My previous attempt at this un-retirement was a sweaty, fidget-filled affair with micro screws and gossamer-thin parts of the big Tamiya Caterham. I got it done to mixed reviews (mine) and swore never again. Resting on my Rolls laurels was the plan.

However in the dim recesses of the basement, a wobbly old voice beckoned and it was my decades old Doyusha (no longer extant) Countach. The copyright date on the box reads 1988, seen here:

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Purchased for $79USD from a now-gone hobby shop this was also the time I began my love affair with a certain 1:1 Cobra bunch of parts in my garage. I had opened and fooled with the Countach by cleaning parts and simple assemblies. It was a very complex kit in the day - the equal of Tamiya kits. The shapes and molding were accurate and exquisite. The complexity more so. At the time, I got all body panels in gray prime and sanded to 600, built engine/gearbox and most of the highly complex chassis. However Cobra fever took over and I packed the kit away - for 31 years and two houses.

After guessing about the feasibility of trying this again with one eye and wobbly body tools I foolishly brought it into the light of day.

This will be a sort-of WIP, which I began by accumulating photo references and a few books I bought in the '90's. All had excellent pix of my boyhood dream car. I decided, shamelessly, that I only cared for its shape and finish as a badboy and would almost make it a curbside, cutting lots of corners. An opening engine lid and doors but neither front or rear trunk. More explanations to come but here's the start in 2019.

Tamiya fine white prime applied after iso washing the old parts. Thankfully there was nearly no warping - something a Pocher always prepares you for:

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My research taught me that the Countach had several iterations and like most Pochers, this model was a patchwork of several of them. It has the Walter Wolf round front wheel flares and front bumper, early periscope roof and Campagnolo 'phone dial' wheels - detested by me. The perfect bad-boy look was the OZ deep dish 5 hole wheels. Back in '88 I had taken a Dremel ball sander to the wheels to remove the raised edges. Of course that ruined them. So more on this problem later.

Construction began on getting major bits together. Weapon of choice became CA and a simplified, neater method of use was devised. Prop up a plastic spoon safely, pour a small puddle in the spoon and dip in an applicator made of a sliver of PE with a handle. You can apply small amounts or a neat line of CA easily this way. Hours later discard the spoon for tomorrow's work.

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In test fitting major parts I discovered the major flaw of this kit. It seems like the team that designed the power unit did not talk to the team that designed the cockpit tub and both ignored the chassis guys. All the parts were beautiful in them selves but would not mate without MAJOR modification. Which, like the Rolls, meant hacking/grinding/melting of the highest order. After you've hacked a Pocher you can hack anything. :mg:

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A much more orderly and meticulous construction is shown by friend Spiny and his 1/24 version. We share aesthetics in our finish choices so I have nothing but pity for him.  I'll leave the weak of stomach at this juncture for a medication break but show you the direction this disaster is headed. A color choice was made and inspirational photo was why. Being totally mechanically immature comes naturally to me despite advanced years. Much more soon:

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I do love the Countach. the progenitor of a long line of similarly configured Lambos & still the one with the sweetest lines, imho of course. (I could live with a Huracan. :) ) Just reassure me please though, you do know that the engine is back to front in those forth & third last photos, you're not going to try & make it fit that way around. :( ;) :D 

Steve.

Edited by stevehnz
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Great to see this one break cover - I've been wanting to see it since you mentioned you'd succumbed to the allure of an orange Countach. I can't see any evidence to support your claim that it was "foolish" to bring it to the light of day either - each part looks right to me, although I sympathise if the components don't go together after all that work you did on the assembly. However, based on your track record I fully expect you to get them mated together and still look brilliant.

 

Then again, I also have to admit that the engine looks right to me - it seems the same way around as my build has it if I'm reading the photos right.

 

Looking forward to seeing this one come together :yes:

 

Incidentally, as mine is likely to be completed very soon, I'm delighted to be handed over the Countach baton to you :)

 

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37 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

 Just reassure me please though, you do know that the engine is back to front in those forth & third last photos, you're not going to try & make it fit that way around. :( ;) :D 

Steve.

Bad as I am, I had doped-that out my friend. Just happened to be sitting on the bench that way...

Although I admit, had there been a 1/12 scale Ford Sideoiler available I'd have crammed that in there.......:devil:

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26 minutes ago, Spiny said:

 

Incidentally, as mine is likely to be completed very soon, I'm delighted to be handed over the Countach baton to you :)

 

As you well know friend Spiny, the doors and side glass are a %!&*)! to deal with, especially after finish paint. As is the front suspension pivots and 4 rear coilovers that don't wanna stay together and....and...I could and will go on. :banghead: The engineering-sans that toiled on this kit obviously worked in different buildings.

But I look forward to your completion as a high water mark of these kits.

Funny thing is, this Doyusha is so rare I doubt the tips will do anyone any good. I'm basically griping and whining out loud. :clown:

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I built one of these kits years ago. I tried to do the same thing with the rims and got one done and that was about it. I had painted mine in gold with a plan to then cover that in clear res for a deep candy apple finish. 

 

2 minutes ago, Codger said:

Just curious - any of you lads have one of these in stash??

I do! It's in an Otaki box though. 

 

IMG_20200328_183058-L.jpg

 

I found it about 5 years ago and couldn't resist. Hopefully my second attempt will go better than my first. 

 

Carl

Edited by FG2Si
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32 minutes ago, FG2Si said:

I built one of these kits years ago. I tried to do the same thing with the rims and got one done and that was about it. I had painted mine in gold with a plan to then cover that in clear res for a deep candy apple finish. 

 

I do! It's in an Otaki box though. 

I found it about 5 years ago and couldn't resist. Hopefully my second attempt will go better than my first. 

 

Carl

WOW! What are the odds there's another mad man like me?? Please push it closer to the front of your build line and make a thread. We can share a crying towel...

Stick around here though because I found a brilliant fix for the wheel dilemma.

Now- isn't that cruel of me to prolong suspense??:devil:

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5 minutes ago, Codger said:

WOW! What are the odds there's another mad man like me?? Please push it closer to the front of your build line and make a thread. We can share a crying towel...

Stick around here though because I found a brilliant fix for the wheel dilemma.

Now- isn't that cruel of me to prolong suspense??:devil:

That's very tempting. Might have to wait a bit longer on it though. 

 

I'm currently working on a Fujimi 1/12 GT-R and then I'm trying to finish some other projects that have hanging around my bench too long. 

 

Here's another Doyusha kit you don't see too often that I've got to get to one day:

 

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2 hours ago, silver911 said:

Would love to get my hands on that BMW...very envious lol

 

Ron

Not sure where you are but my LHS had one in stock the last time I was there. They can do mail-order so might be worth contacting them to see if they still have it. 

 

Wheelswingshobbies.com

 

 

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1 hour ago, FG2Si said:

Not sure where you are but my LHS had one in stock the last time I was there. They can do mail-order so might be worth contacting them to see if they still have it. 

 

Wheelswingshobbies.com

 

 

Thanks...but the last 3 times I have tried to get things from Canada have ended in loss or cancellation of orders...and with the global situation at present...I would consider it a hopeless task.

 

Regards

 

Ron

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WARNING - DUE TO GRAPHIC NATURE, ADULT CONTENT ONLY!

Which means here comes the ugly parts of fitting this thing together. In my research, I did find a build or two, decades ago that seemed to not have any such issues. So I'm sure it was all my fault. Or I just couldn't see their ill-fitting parts.

Anyway when I realized all the areas of interference, I went to work grinding and cutting the offending bits. I wasted no time warming my Dremel, chisel blades and dynamite sticks (all still covered in bloody Rolls DNA) to make things work.

I learned by trial fitting that the cockpit tub must sit FLAT on the floor (like lowering the Rolls cowl onto the frame) or the body would not sit as low as it must when placed over. I could not lower the transmission tailshaft to do that so had to open the hole in the tunnel a bit that it pokes through. Here are the main areas of conflict and what I had to do to relieve them. Bye, bye nice details. The squeamish should look away:

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Those hole marked 'drilled' in the floor pan receive two pegs in the cockpit floor to precisely locate the tub. However they were off my an eye lash so it world not seat flush. See? Cockpit guys didn't talk to the chassis guys. That firewall got major grinding because the braces pushed the cockpit too far forward. Here is bottom of cockpit:

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Now the pretty side; Radome Tan acrylic for the cockpit 'leather' and some small details. Unlike the Rolls, the upholstery is paint, not real leather-major corner-cutting in progress:

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Having determined the correct location, technology learned on the Rolls was employed to have a repeatable mounting system so 2mm nuts were installed on this side (under the seats) so screws entered from the chassis bottom could secure it. Worked a charm.

After a huge amount of time/trial/error it all came together. Here with the now-crummy wheels (with a coat of Alclad Pale Gold) from 31 years ago to see ride height. I have intentionally omitted showing the hellacious chassis nest of snaked tubes and all the toil getting parts through them. Like for instance, being unable to get the 4 exhaust tubes from the muffler to the headers on each bank through them. So (gasp) I just left them off out of frustration. See? Not my previous standard of craftsmanship. But many wasted hours trying.

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I could go on - the coolant pipes on both sides and across the rear bulkhead were hugely problematic and conflicted with many engine bits. But virtually unseen when closed up. And here, shocks and suspension bits being next on the trouble list. Very delicate coilovers with too-strong springs and steering parts made to operate with small, thin rods with ball/socket joins - all delicate plastic.

Again, metal parts to the rescue; 2mm threaded rod and nuts epoxied into the split castings for the uprights. These also mount the brake rotors and calipers. Shamelessly, no hoses, clamps, temp paint, bolt details. I'm fightin' for my life here:

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Weights, toothpick jigs, I emptied my Rube Goldberg tool arsenal for this one:

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Well, I warned you all. And I left out a lot of gratuitous horrors to get here. I had built the ignition stuff 3 dacades ago but again I stress a decision early on NO; hose clamps, braided lines, cables, battery or junk-in-trunk, PE doo-dads, fluid stains, patina or pastina. I had made 2 floor mats for 'fun' (not) and decided to leave them out. No seatbelts, closed lights and trunks - the list is shamefully long. Sadly, not my finest hour.

I just wanted to arrive at that (to me) beautiful Butch shape and have four 1/12 seminal sport cars in here. And not buried in the basement. Getting decent paint on would be a surprise and victory.

I need a nap now.........

 

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Sometimes, you just have to count your losses and move on. I've done the same thing a few times so that I could get a project finished and off the bench without the urge to crash test it. 

 

Oddly, I don't recall having the same issues with my first build years ago. Everything seemed to go together fine except for the side windows constantly falling out of the door frames. I think that was the biggest issue I had. That and my terrible paint job. 

I guess I'll find out at some point. 

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14 minutes ago, FG2Si said:

Oddly, I don't recall having the same issues with my first build years ago. Everything seemed to go together fine except for the side windows constantly falling out of the door frames. I think that was the biggest issue I had. That and my terrible paint job. 

I guess I'll find out at some point. 

Not odd at all- most likely faults of mine. Side windows! I'll get to that horror story  at some point - how about I had to make new outer frames??

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Can't believe there's so many clashes -well done on chasing them all down, let alone fixing. As for all the bonus extras you've decided not to add, I'd say you're doing the right thing, in part because I don't think I've EVER added any of those, but more pertinently becuase (though it's hard to believe looking at some of the creations on here), the aim shouldn't be to get a flawless model but to have fun. The Rolls was a brilliant highlight, now you can enjoy the fun builds. :)

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Hi Codger,

 

Glad to see you seem to be having fun with this. RvdM has said more than once that is the only reason for doing any of this.

 

For me I just enjoy learning that it's OK to rebuild an upright with a nut, a threaded rod, some toothpick, a flat handle and a good dremel.

 

Oh and I love the colour.

 

Regards

 

Nick

 

 

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