Category Archives: minicars

Lego McLaren-Honda MP4/4 Formula One race car debuts this spring

Lego has announced a new large-scale kit paying homage to the legendary McLaren-Honda MP4/4. One of the winningest race cars in Formula One history, the car kicked off the McLaren-Honda team’s storied 4-year F1 Constructor’s Championship winning streak, which lasted … Continue reading

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JCCS Preview: A Toyota Celica Supra is the first ever JCCS “Event Car”

The Japanese Classic Car Show has always had great memorabilia, from dash plaques to T-shirts to stickers. This year the JCCS crew have come up with something truly special, their first “event car”. It’s a 1982 Toyota Supra in TRD … Continue reading

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Cutaway Nissan RB30 made out of Lego actually spins

The creativity that people can manage with a pile of plastic bricks never ceases to amaze. The most recent Lego marvel we’ve come across is a completely operational Nissan RB30 engine. Powered by an electric motor, the approximately 1:3 scale … Continue reading

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Honda developed a plush S600 to soothe babies with real engine sounds

Every parent knows that there’s one surefire way to get a kid to sleep. Put them in a car and go for a drive. There’s something about the motion and sound that’s extremely calming for a baby. Honda’s research has … Continue reading

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Acura NSX Suzuka Circuit safety car is a tribute to beloved Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada

It’s been a couple of years since Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada passed away from cancer. His former colleagues at Mattel are honoring him with what is the most detailed 1/64 scale cars the company has ever offered. Fittingly, it’s … Continue reading

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Fight 1/8 scale crime with this gull-winged Nissan Fairlady 280Z from Seibu Keisatsu

Last year Hachette released an ultra-detailed model of the DR30 Nissan Skyline from Seibu Keisatsu, Japan’s most popular 80s cop show. Now they’ve followed up with the only logical move, a 1/8 scale model of the show’s Super Z, based … Continue reading

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A Subaru 360 joins the super detailed subscription model club

  The 1/8 scale subscription models are among the most expensive and time consuming kits available in Japan. It takes serious commitment to complete them, and because of their complexity only a couple get produced per year. Only the most … Continue reading

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This McLaren-Honda MP4/4 model costs $1,100 and has insane detail

One of the greatest Formula 1 machines ever made, the McLaren-Honda MP4/4, is the latest car to get the 1/8-scale subscription model treatment. Not only does it have full engine and suspension detail, bodywork on the model can be changed … Continue reading

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Matchbox X JNC Mazda MX-5 Miata ND

We’re honored to share another great piece by our friends at Matchbox. It’s the latest car to feature the JNC inkan, and in fact it’s the newest car by year, make and model to feature our logo. It works out … Continue reading

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Hot Wheels has a tsunami of Japanese cars coming

Our friends at Hot Wheels recently shared with us some previews of upcoming cars. For fans of Japanese diecast, there will be no shortage offerings infiltrating every series the company makes. Here’s a couple dozen peeks at what’s coming down … Continue reading

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Matchbox X JNC 1984 Toyota 4Runner

Last year we were honored to have Hot Wheels make a replica of our FJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser shop truck. We’ve often said that the most die-hard Toyota enthusiasts can be found off-road, and the perfect companion to the Cruiser … Continue reading

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Collect the 100 most significant Japanese cars in 1/64 scale

By now JNC readers are probably familiar with large-scale subscription model kits. Iconic cars like the Nissan Skyline GT-R or Toyota AE86 are common subject matter, with a few pieces mailed to you each week over a period of about … Continue reading

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Building a tiny Mazda 787B model in 1/87 scale

The 1991 Mazda 787B needs no introduction. Its iconic orange and green paint scheme is one of the most recognizable liveries ever to grace a Le Mans winner. Due to its historic nature countless models of this car have been … Continue reading

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This huge Toyota AE86 model will cost $1,600 and take two years to complete

The Toyota AE86 is finally getting immortalized in a highly detailed 1:8-scale model kit. Specifically, it’s a weekly subscription kit by DeAgostini in which parts will be mailed to the subscriber every seven days for over two years. At the … Continue reading

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Speed Racer celebrates 55th anniversary with 24-karat gold Mach 5

The seminal Japanese racing cartoon Speed Racer debuted in 1967 and became a bona fide worldwide hit. It didn’t just influence a generation of gearheads, but it was one of the earliest examples of anime introduced outside of Japan. This … Continue reading

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This Toyota 2000GT model in 1/8 scale will cost $1,700 and take two years to complete

The latest classic from Japan to get the 1:8 treatment is the Toyota 2000GT. Issued by Hachette Collections Japan, the subscription kit will consist of 100 installments received weekly by mail with a retail price of ¥1999 ($17.25 USD) each. … Continue reading

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My wife’s Hakosuka Skyline races for JNC glory in the world of diecast motorsports

When we started racing with YouTube’s premiere diecast motorsports league, we had no idea it would come to this. My wife Carrie took the JNC team trophy, after ruthlessly decimating every writer on the staff and also our own two-year-old … Continue reading

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Amazingly detailed Mazda 787B rotary engine model released for 30th anniversary of Le Mans win

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s historic win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. To commemorate the 787B race car’s victory, Mazda aftermarket parts company MZ Racing has developed a highly detailed 1:6 scale model of … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Here’s the cars from the upcoming Hot Wheels Toyota series

We got an extraordinarily positive response about the Hot Wheels FJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser yesterday. As you can see from the packaging, it’s part of an all-Toyota premium series. We promised there would be some new castings in it, and … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels x JNC Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60

We are stoked to show you the latest Hot Wheels to wear the JNC inkan. In fact, it’s got quite a few more similarities than just the sticker with our own real-life shop truck, a 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser The … Continue reading

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