Kicking Off 2017 With...The 2017 Nissan GT-R, by Tarmac Works

Starting the year off with a bang.

It's perfect timing that this model just released a couple weeks ago, made its journey across the Pacific, and landed at my doorstep just this past week. It's been a long and painful wait, from pre-ordering it months ago to not having any information regarding its release date, but like they say, good things are worth waiting for.

So what is it? It’s an eighteenth scale replica of the latest iteration of the R35, and it’s done by a small company named Tarmac Works. They do resin models and are known mostly for their scale models of Honda Civics, occasionally sprinking in some older-generation Lancer Evolutions and a few collaborations with other companies here and there. And now, they’ve added Godzilla to their arsenal, which immediately piqued my interest. With the right casting choices, they have potential to become a top player in the resin model segment, much like GT Spirit/Otto has become in the past couple years. That's because, based on this GT-R alone, their product is fantastic.

Speaking of which, it seems like everyone these days is lining up to do the 2017 GT-R. Tomica gave us a fabulous version which (with all due respect to the other guys) will never be topped in its class, and Hot Wheels has one planned in this coming year. Despite the immense popularity of Godzilla and the soaring values of some of the older 1/18 models done by AUTOart and Kyosho, the previous facelifts of the R35 were never done at this scale - thankfully Tarmac Works is out here to give us the most current one.

While I do think Nissan is hanging onto the R35 generation for too long (it's now been a decade), this has to be the most exciting refresh of them all, with a drastically updated front fascia, new wheels, and that bright orange paint color (with matching orange interior), named Blaze Metallic. Orange has never been used on any Skyline but it simply looks amazing here.

As far as this resin model is concerned, it’s fantastic, and it looks great. There is so much GT Spirit-level detail and quality on this model, you could easily mistake it for one. The wheels actually roll very smoothly. I found no blemishes on my example, and I haven't had any issues with pieces falling off. 

To give you an idea on how small a brand Tarmac Works is, this model is limited to just 252 units with mine being number 133. The GT-R is also available in a few other neutral colors, but I don't see why you would pick anything other than orange. It comes with a little certificate as well as a plinth (without screw holes) for you to display with the model. Overall, it’s a nice package as a whole and an exceptional introduction (for me) to the brand.

If this is what 2017 has in store, it should be a hell of a year.

Here's to another great year of diecasting.