The Updated Nissan Fairlady Z (Z34) NISMO, from GT Spirit (1/18)

It's no surprise I'm a sucker for anything Nissan, particularly work by NISMO, their in-house tuning department. Enter the Fairlady Z, better known under the bland and boring name of 370Z here in the U.S. The Z receives a new bodykit, new wheels, a duck-tail spoiler, and splashes of red to make it uniquely NISMO. Whether you like it or not, current NISMO styling trends dictate that there must be red trim throughout the car (see: GT-R and Juke), and such is the case here.

The 370Z underwent a significant facelift at one point during its long, strung-out production run, and this model reflects the most current NISMO version. The original NISMO, with (in my opinion) a sleeker and more simplified look, larger wing spoiler, and lack of tacky, red trim, has also been done by GT Spirit in a white colorway. I am still in search of that one, but as a huge fan and obsessive Nissan collector, I'm glad that GT Spirit gave us both variants. For the completists or those who think silver is too plain, the model shown here is also available in black as an Asia-exclusive colorway.

Whatever I may have thought about the way this car looks in its real form is irrelevant when it comes to the model. It's not unusual to realize that cars have a tendency to look better in miniature form than they do in actual scale. I might even be starting to like this Z after all. Credit to GT Spirit, who once again pulls out all the stops and makes a perfect replica of the car - not a single area of complaint whatsoever.

The Ultimate Attainable Track Toy: AUTOart's 1/18 Nissan 350Z Nismo S-Tune

That would best sum up the Nissan 350Z. Cheap, reliable, fast, fun, good looks. Did I mention cheap? For less than ten grand these days, you can grab a used one and turn it into your very own project car. The 350Z is one of those cars that might actually look better modified than stock. It's practically begging for you to personalize it to your tastes. If you like wild bodykits, this Fairlady wouldn't mind putting one on. You can slap a big wing on the trunk and the Z would comply. It wears aftermarket decals and vinyls like tattoos. Hellaflush, bro? Hell yes, the Z says.

The S-Tune is essentially an aftermarket parts kit for the 350Z. It's not the "official" Nismo 350Z that you occasionally see on the streets; that one is ten times more extreme and is developed from the ground up by the Nismo performance division. Nonetheless, both versions look great. The S-Tune kit has a slew of tasteful modifications, including the addition of skirts to the bumpers, a rear wing to balance the curvy shape of the car, the signature Nismo 5-spoke wheels, and some Nismo-themed racing decals to make sure you know it's not just a standard 350Z. Once again, their fashion game is always on-point.

This is a slightly older model by AUTOart that looks great on the outside but lacks the intricate details on the inside. The engine bay is very simple, featuring the bulky dogleg hinges and doing without the hood prop that is standard on pretty much everything they make today. But that's OK, because no one is ever going to see it anyway. When it comes to diecast, it's the outside that really matters.

Here We Go Again: AUTOart's 1/18 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Nismo Z-Tune

"Another one?" you ask.

Yes, Yes it is. But it's a little different this time. 

I've got the thirty-three. Three of them, in fact. I've got three of the thirty-fives as well. Time to fill in the gap. Finally, I've got the thirty-four, perhaps the holiest of holy grails to Skyline fanboys and fangirls across the world. Introducing the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Nismo Z-Tune, by AUTOart, in eighteeth scale.

What you are about to see is not AUTOart's best work. Flaws are aplenty. Quality issues are aplenty. But through it all, what you will see is one magnificent model, in perhaps one of the best colors ever for the R34: Millennium Jade.

Bayside Blue comes to mind when you think about the most iconic colors in all of automobile history. Yes it's great, and I would love to add one to the collection at some point, but I'd like to contend that this is even better, and green is my least favorite of the color palette. I can't think of another car to don this shade of green and look this good doing so. It's like an olive green, but lighter and much shinier. Very metallic. Under the light, it has hues of yellow and gold to it. The color alone is what sold the model for me; never mind the fact that this is the limited-release colorway for this particular AUTOart model. 

Speaking of limited releases, this is one of 2000 units produced by AUTOart. More specifically, it's number 400 out of 2000, and you get a little certificate to show off to your friends as well, if that's your kind of thing. The general release colorways include silver, black, and (you guessed it) Bayside Blue. Can't go wrong with any of those choices, but if you can find it, get this one.

I'm sure this was a highly anticipated release when it came out, and I have to say that AUTOart missed the boat a little on this model. They usually have the whole "stance" thing figured out on all their cars, one of the few companies to consistently do so. So I'm not sure what's up with the lifted ride height up in the back. I'm not sure who signed off on this model but it seems like a pretty obvious inaccuracy to spot. Then we come to the quality issues that AUTOart has received plenty of heat for. The rear badges on my example are crooked. The paint on the bumpers doesn't perfectly match that of the rest of the body. The steering is creakier than an old set of stairs. Just a little warning for prospective collectors. I did my research and knew of these issues beforehand. I got it anyways.

Because, my god, this is one hell of a beast.