# First time modeler Revell Lamborghini Countach Lp500 (photo heavy)



## nein-reis

Hello, first post, first model. 
I have spent the last 4 years building my ongoing project race car (real one) and do not have much work to do on it anymore, and you know what they say about idle hands. I'm a huge gear head and cant stop building cars, and I'm the kind of guy who needs projects and hobbys. I'm a graphic designer/photographer/media manager for an aftermarket automotive performance engineering company, so I like to stay creative as well as wrench. I had a few models as a younger kid but did not have the patience at that age to do a good job. I've been interested in this hobby for a while now and with some more free time decided to pull the trigger. 

I am new at this, it is my first time... so if you are looking for a build where someone is really kicking ass at this then this will probably not be that build. But I am learning a lot and having a great time doing it. I also have a few questions for you guys, and I'm all down for any advice you can give. 

Heres my build:

I wish I would have thought to have taken more photos of the build up to this point. I will do better from here on out. 

This is my working space:


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## nein-reis

And the car body. I started with primer, but sanded it al back again as I found quite a few areas of the body that were not flat, I used a filler to even out the entire body first followed by a sandable primer. Once the body was even I moved onto paint. I special ordered a dupli-color perfect match paint, they did not have any lamborghini colors but they did have a Porsche GT3 RS gun grey that was very nice, so I went with it. As of right now I'm at a few coats of clear and some slight polishing. I will work on a full finish later on when I have more of the body assembled. I did the same process on all the body color panels so they would all match once assembled. 














































I masked off the windows to paint the window trim, but I'm not super happy with the uneven results. Any tips on painting the clear windows? I dont want to mess up on it as the clear will take a lot of work to bring back if I try hand painting. Any tips here would be great!










I started on some of the finer details such as radiator, sway bars, and the full engine (minus intake manifolds and intake tracts).


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## nein-reis

I just finished up the V12 engine, I still have some touch up work to do in some areas on it. And I would like to add some blue to the titanium exhaust as it would turn colors in high heat areas as real titanium does. 



















My biggest question is this, I'm a little worried about glueing the two body panels together, I dont want any glue to get on the body as touching it up is not going to be easy. Any tips on getting a good tight seal without glue spreading to the outside paint?

This connection here:










That is where I'm at so far, I will keep this updated as I go. :wave:










I have learned a lot browsing this forum already as I was researching before I started my build. This is a very fun hobby, and there are some very talented builds on here!


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## dge467

Man you got a clean and organized work space! The kit looks great for a first timer! A paint marker or pen works well around the windows.


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## nein-reis

dge467 said:


> Man you got a clean and organized work space! The kit looks great for a first timer! A paint marker or pen works well around the windows.


Thank you, I dont feel like it looks nearly as good as some of the work here but I'll keep at it. Paint marker is a really good idea!


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## nein-reis

I'm also really disliking these chrome pieces included with the kit, its very cheap looking. I need to research how to strip it off.


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## Pete McKay

You have a great space there to work on Tyler, very clean. That's half the battle sometimes. I work on a small computer desk I share with a laptop and sometimes a dinner plate.


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## nein-reis

Pete McKay said:


> You have a great space there to work on Tyler, very clean. That's half the battle sometimes. I work on a small computer desk I share with a laptop and sometimes a dinner plate.


I have plenty of room, that desk is twice that size actually... the desk extends to the right as well. I do lay down paper when I paint and glue, I was cleaning up and replacing it when I took these. I made a small paint booth in my garage as well, I can use my full size piston compressor there for the airbrushing .... it does not get tired like the little testors one I picked up for inside. Not really impressed with it.

Although it has been re-purposed as my modeling space now, that desk has served as a working space for LOTS of projects in the past as well. Most recent:


















lol


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## dge467

I use bleach to strip off chrome. Just be careful of the fumes!


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## nein-reis

dge467 said:


> I use bleach to strip off chrome. Just be careful of the fumes!


Interesting, and I guess it does not melt or deform the underlying plastic? How long do you leave it in there, do you dilute it?


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## Pete McKay




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## nein-reis

Brilliant! Does not get much easier than that. Thank you.


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## scottnkat

Nice, Pete - I was gonna post your video as well until I scrolled down to see that you'd already done so


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## Pete McKay

N/P scott, and BTW, I have started working on that glass polishing video again...should be up later this week.


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## nein-reis

Got a little more work done over new years day. Engine cage is now built into the car with some of the rear suspension and rear fender liners. The "Subframes" as I called them earlier was a mistake... they are actually the coolant lines.  But those are in as well.





































And some rear suspension work is also underway, the axles are finished.










And I started on the rear struts/springs. I'm really happy with the way they are turning out. First coat of detail paint is on with red, silver, and black. A little touch up and another coat will get them about done. Super excited with these.


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## scottnkat

really nice job on the coil-overs - it's all looking pretty good


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## nein-reis

Thank you, everything needs a little clean up still before I seal it up. I'm getting all the suspension underway now.

Any tips on glueing the two body panels together? I dont want to get glue on those painted surfaces, I wont be able to clean it up with brush.


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## dge467

Nice detailing!


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## robiwon

This is what I would have done. I would have seperated the sides and rear panel before painting them. Glued them to the body and then painted as a whole. Now, obviously, you are past that option. However, I would still seperate the panels from the chassis. Glue your interior in and then your chassis. Any model glue is going to attack that paint. Once you have the model finished and are left with just the side and rear panels attach them with clear 5 minute epoxy, the stuff that comes in the double barrel syringe. I think that might be your safest option. You could do it without seperating the panels from the chassis but I think it would be easier to do it the other way. The epoxy wont harm your paint, just don't use a lot, a thin film along the mating surface should be enough. You don't want it to seap out.


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## nein-reis

Separating the sides! That would have been smart, darn it. I was also thinking of using a very small brush to apply the glue to the seams, then let it coagulate a few minutes before applying the panels together to keep it from flowing out on the paint.


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## nein-reis

Have a bunch more work finished, should be able to wrap this model up pretty soon now. 

Spare tire, battery, brake booster, brake master cylinder painted, etc...









I did have an accident assembling the front bumper and splitter. After putting the splitter on it did not fit very well, so used some Tamiya masking tape to pull the edges into place while the glue was drying. I dropped the car putting it back down and the extra tension mixed with the small fall broke the plastic off the drivers side. I was able to re-glue it on, sand down the edges, mask off the area using the panel lines and repaint the fender. But the break is still visible. Ugh. 



















I may have to revisit that and fix it better later. But for now I'm moving on.
Rear radiator/intake shrouds installed along with the spoiler.










Engine is fully finished, intakes, intake manifolds, throttle bodys, intake runners, etc...


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## nein-reis

Interior is all finished up. Arctic blue over black with red/chrome gauges


Code:




switches.




























Stripped the chrome off the wheels using the bleach (thanks Pete Mckay!) and re-painted them with aluminum and high gloss.










The upper body is finished.










I'm getting really close now, I got a bunch finished last night. I'll let the glue set and get more photos later.


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## scottnkat

It's looking pretty good - that break's not too bad - if you don't tell anyone about it, they may not even notice it


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## nein-reis

scottnkat said:


> It's looking pretty good - that break's not too bad - if you don't tell anyone about it, they may not even notice it


Yeah, we will see how I feel about it after I get it all put together. Thanks for the kind words, I just read through a bunch of your garage... very impressive stuff!


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## scottnkat

Well, thank you for the kind words. Modeling has become therapy for me. A couple of years ago, I was in an accident and didn't have much use of my left hand. My wife got me started on this as a way to try and build dexterity in my hand. As such, your comment is very much appreciated. I have this kit sitting on my shelf and I hope I can get mine to look half as good as yours.


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## nein-reis

scottnkat said:


> Well, thank you for the kind words. Modeling has become therapy for me. A couple of years ago, I was in an accident and didn't have much use of my left hand. My wife got me started on this as a way to try and build dexterity in my hand. As such, your comment is very much appreciated. I have this kit sitting on my shelf and I hope I can get mine to look half as good as yours.


I would love to see you take that kit on! I would get a real kick out of seeing someone else do it as well. It would turn out much better than mine.

Speaking of, my Lambo is finished:


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## nein-reis

Couple more:





































If I was going to do it again, I would do a lot different. But I learned quite a lot during this and I'm decently happy with the finished product. I used Mr. Cement to glue the rear and sides very carefully and was able to apply it with a brush to keep it from getting on the paint. Nerve wrecking, but turned out pretty ok. Had a great time on this... next up, Ferrari 458 italia.


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## robiwon

That looks freakin awesome! Great job on attaching the lower panels. It turned out great! Love the color as well.


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## Pete McKay

Looks great!! I've always wondered though, has anyone ever seen someone changing their own tire on a Super Car before? I can imagine a 40-something man with a slight belly jacking this thing up beside the road while a 6' blond trophy wife supervises....now THERE is a diorama idea!!


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## nein-reis

Pete McKay said:


> Looks great!! I've always wondered though, has anyone ever seen someone changing their own tire on a Super Car before? I can imagine a 40-something man with a slight belly jacking this thing up beside the road while a 6' blond trophy wife supervises....now THERE is a diorama idea!!


I think this is probably one of the very very few exotics that was actually equipped with a spare. Actually, I cant think of any others. Most nowadays have very pricey run-flats if they do not have full track tires or slicks on. For this car however, you diorama idea would be pretty spot on... make sure they are wearing early 80's clothing. :lol:


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## Pete McKay

I owned a Ferrari 308 GTS (The Magnum PI car) that had a spare. You'd have to leave the tire home though to take go anywhere overnight. The woman I was married to at the time learned real fast to pack everything she needed in a gym bag.


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## scottnkat

Hey, that came out great! You did a fantastic job on it - love the colors


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## nein-reis

Thats right, the F-car 308 did have a spare. Funny stuff. I might revisit this model again in the future, I would like to try a few things differently on it. But for now I'm moving on.


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