Skylines, Supras, EVOs and Impreza’s. Hear these names and images of souped up cars with massive wings and spoilers tearing down the local streets, turbos whistling and wastegates wasting away. In truth, the car that started off the Japanese sportscar revolution was a little more simple.

It was actually, a LOT simpler then the computerised techno-monsters of today. The car was the Datsun 240Z. It was simple, affordable and most importantly of all, fun to drive. During a time when most people would turn their noses up at the very idea of a Japanese sportscar, Datsun did the impossible. They made a sportscars that was reliable and could be use on a daily basis. This was during a time when European sportscars were notorious for being horribly unreliable machines. The little Datsun was thus destined for success, and successful it became. From then on, the “Z” emblem became legendary.

This particular version of the 240Z was a special production run, called the 240ZG. It had a more aerodynamic nose, and covered headlamps. The masters at Kyosho makes this piece and truth be told, it is a rather old model. So can this blast from the past stand proud among the models of today? Read on…

Paint

This car comes with 2 colors, white and maroon. The one i have, is in maroon, reason being, it was selling cheaper then the white one. If both cars were similarly priced though, i would have taken the white car without any hesitation. Paint application on this car is smooth and evenly applied. There is no color mismatch between parts but this could be because of the rather dark color.

One thing tat has to be pointed out is the condition of the paint as the car ages. Kyosho cars from the early years all seem to suffer the same fate of paint bubbling up and causing little “bumps” to appear in the paintwork. I’ve seen it happen to many other older Kyoshos, it’s pretty much not a matter of “if” it’ll happen, but “when” and just “how badly”. On my car, its not really very noticable, but it’s there. Part and parcel of owning a “classic” i guess.

Exterior

This is where the model simply shines, the exterior is really quite beautifully made, it’s old but all the little bits and pieces of the actual 1:1 car are herein splendid 1:18 scale. Many parts are seperate pieces, from the “Z” emblems to the badging and even the keyholes are seperate pieces. The only parts not made of seperate pieces are the “Fairlady 240Z” badges on the rear hatch. What a shame. Chrome parts are made from plastic but are of high quality and do not seem to be losing their shine. Even the flared wheelarches are again, made of a seperate piece.

The lights on this car are made of seperate pieces with not very noticeable attachment stubs on the front headlights. The side markers have visible attachment stubs but i guess that could be because they are really kinda small. All other lights are attachment stub free. Wing mirrors are made of seperate pieces of plastic and are nicely done.

The car has the standard opening parts, engine hood, doors and rear hatch. The way the parts open are quite smooth and all the hoods and hatches stay opened. (Unlike every other Autoart car out there) Doors opening nicely without any dogleg hinges. But the front engine hood when opening actually presses onto the front grille. A slight design oversight maybe?

Opening the engine hood, we are treated to a very nice reproduction of the 2.4litre engine. Everything here is nicely done and looks pretty accurate. Even when opening the boot lid (hatch), we see the rear luggage area is nicely carpeted and lined. Good job on these 2 fronts, Kyosho.

Interior

Really, not much to complain about here. The interior is a wonderfully modelled section of the car. I;ve always felt Kyoshos have always had pretty good interiors on their cars and this classic is no exception. Carpeting is present and the seats are made of a nice rubber material. Check out the photo on the details of the interior of this car.

Wheels and Brakes

Truthfully speaking, i can’t see much of the brakes here. The hubcaps on the wheels pretty much block out the view of the brakes. From the underside of the car though, we can make out what appears to be some sort of brake disc. But no calipers are present and the disc do not spin with the wheels. Tyres are also unmarked. Sadly, nothing much to shout about on the wheels and brakes here. A rather dismal showing.

Summary

Though this car is an old mould from the folks at Kyosho, it does have it’s merits. A nicely done stance with pretty good features and a wonderful interior. It’s not a perfect car, neither is it a relic. It can stand it’s own next to newer cars and it does make for an interesting subject. This car has history and to some collectors, owning this model is somewhat like owning a piece of that history as well. If your into Japanese cars, a car like this should appeal to you, for without this car, what would have became of the Japanese sports cars will remain an unknown.

I personally like classic cars quite a bit, so this car does appeal to me quite alot. So, do i recommend it? Well, yes and no… Yes, if your a classic car enthusiast (since Kyosho is the only manufacturer to make the classic Z cars). Yes, if you like Japanese cars. It’s a rather unique car to have in your collection though, so not everyone will like it. Another Love it or Hate it situation i’m afraid. Not because of the standards of the car, but probably because of the subject matter. It is getting kinda hard to find though.

Overall 6.5/10
A model in this range reflects a slightly above average model. It’s positives outweigh it’s flaws making it an adequate model. Not the worst, but also not the best.

*Rating system and review was written with reference to DiecastXchange’s review guidelines*

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005 at 11:17 pm and is filed under 1:18 Reviews, Nissan, Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.