The Wangan King: The Porsche 930 Turbo "Blackbird", by AUTOart

If you're a collector, you already know what this is. Late last year, AUTOart wowed us all with the glorious 1/18 scale model of the Devil Z from the cult-classic Wangan Midnight manga series. They've brought the house down once again with their equally-stunning version of the Devil's nemesis. The Blackbird has arrived, and it's here to rip apart the hearts of Z diehards.

The Devil gets most of the fanfare, thanks in large part to the hot commodity that is JDM these days. But in the script, it plays the underdog role. It never stands a chance against the evil 'Bird, which is just too fast, too powerful. In this case, AUTOart has made both of them winners. You can't really pick just one, so you have to get both. If you get one, you're gonna need the other, as they look amazing as a pair.

Both are de-badged and highly-modified versions of their stock forms. I can't comment on the accuracy of the models because I've never read the manga, but they surely are not the ones depicted in the movie. When they look this good, it ultimately does not matter. The extreme styling of the Blackbird has proven to be very popular, and there are numerous tuning companies out there (RWB, for one) that make a killing re-bodying old Porsches. Drop it a few inches, widen it some, and add never forget the tail. Go ahead and stare.