lambodiecast

It must have been nearly 20 years ago I bought my first 1/18 scale, Kyosho-made Lamborghini Countach LP400 model,  item 08321R, finished in red, I remember this one specifically because I wanted it to match the Countach LP500 S I bought a bit earlier, in the same shade of red, I loved how this narrow-body model looked next to the one with the added fender flares, the rear wing, and those amazing, deep-dish wheels on the LP500 S.

But my genius idea didn’t quite turn out perfect. This LP400 came with a nice tan interior, but the LP500 S had a boring black interior, still, I’ve had these two models on display side by side ever since; the contrast between the two was just too good to display them separately.

When I learned about the fact that Kyosho was set to do a re-release of the Lamborghini Countach LP400 in 2025, in red and in yellow, I wasn’t too sure I would get the new red release, as I was quite happy with the one I had, I like a tan interior inside a red Countach, that’s just the classic color combination, and at first glance this new release didn’t look that much different from the old one, both are fully opening diecast.

But then I had a closer look, and comparing the old release with this new release, it quickly became obvious Kyosho didn’t just use the original moulds to produce this one; there are a number of subtle differences between the two models, most importantly for me, the shade of the interior, this new release has a darker shade upholstery, more a light brown instead of a light tan..

On the outside, I also notice the different side turn indicator on the front fender, the old release has a rather large, round unit fitted there, on this new release, we get a smaller, square one, it looks better in my opinion, furthermore, the air vents on the roof, next to the famous periscope are painted now, on the old release these were also painted black, but they were actual indents in the casting, that’s a pity Kyosho didn’t keep that feature.

Also, the interior is different compared to the old release, this new 2025 version has a brown plastic dashboard top, smooth plastic, while on the old release, it looked like the dashboard had some flocking, which is actually closer to the real cars as the dashboard in the 1974 Countach wasn’t upholstered in smooth leather, but featured some kind of suede (reversed leather) to avoid reflection when driving in direct sunlight, remember that massive windshield sat very flat on the Countach.

Under the front hatch, there is also a minor difference between the two releases, this new version has a black cover on the spare tire, which wasn’t fitted on the original release, and here comes a possible issue with both releases. Kyosho fits what looks like a front wheel underneath this hatch, effectively making it a spare tire, but here’s the kicker, the real Lamborghini Countach LP400 (and later models too) came with a thin space saver spare tire, especially on the later models, you wouldn’t be able to fit that massive rear tire anywhere else than on the passenger seat anyway, so why bother with a large spare tire.

But I have seen actual Lamborghini Countach models that did have a full-size, front spare tire and rim fitted underneath that hatch, so it does fit, snugly, but it fits, so it isn’t really wrong what Kyosho did with these scale models, so I’m not going to complain about it, it does exist in real life.

So is this new 2025 release, item number 08321RT, a must-have for your collection? I’m still not too sure, there is the fact we get a different interior in this new version, but the dashboard now looks very plasticy, and let’s face it, these 2025 Kyosho diecast aren’t exactly cheap either, you can probably still find the old release for more or less the same amount of money ... but you’ll have to find an old Kyosho without paint rash, and that might be a challenge.

Originally released in September 2025.

our RATING

Exterior		9/10
Interior		8/10
Engine		8/10
Accuracy		8/10
Overall rating		8/10

Original price on October 3, 2025 : € 210