October 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Japanese Nostalgic Car. The scene for classic cars from Japan has evolved a lot over the years, especially in the realm of collectibles. Arguably, the current craze of “JDM” Hot Wheels was kicked off with the Hot Wheels Hakosuka Nissan Skyline, the first licensed product to feature our JNC inkan logo. We are very proud to announce that the JNC inkan is now returning to another Hakosuka, the Mattel Brick Shop 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R.
First, the basics. Launched in 2025, Mattel Brick Shop has quickly become the standard for automotive kits built from interlocking plastic construction blocks. Their designs tend to look much more accurate and realistic than Lego, and the subject matter of their kits is much closer to what JNCers are looking for.
The 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R kit contains 833 pieces and is recommended for ages 10 and up. When complete, the kit builds a is a 1:16-scale version of the . Like all Mattel Brick Shop kits, it includes a 1:64-scale diecast version of the car.
The kit can be finished in two ways. There’s a generally stock-looking Skyline with headlights, grille, and standard bumpers. Alternatively, you can also build it as a de-bumpered race car, specifically Kunimitsu Takahashi‘s 1971 Japan Grand Prix winner, with headlight covers, external oil cooler, and front splitter. Mattel offers two wheel options, including a set of era-appropriate gunmetal Watanabe-esque 8-spokes.
No matter street or circuit, signature styling elements like the Hakosuka’s distinctive spoiler, fender flares, and surf line that cuts through the rear wheel well are faithfully rendered. A front-hinged hood reveals a straight-six twin-cam, and a functional steering connects the steering wheel to the front wheels. A realistic interior can also be viewed with hinged opening doors.
Best of all (to us, at least) is the sticker sheet, which features racing numbers, logos from Nissan, Hot Wheels, and Advan, and — drum roll, please — the JNC inkan! We are extremely excited to see our now 20-year-old logo grace this beauty of a machine.
The Mattel Brick Shop 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R retails for $59.99 and will show up on shelves in January 2027. It will make an excellent companion piece to the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra, both of which also feature JNC logos on their sticker sheets too!
The build able “box” Skyline is awesome, also a bit inspiration for me to get a 1/24 kit of the four door Hako done.
as Hot Wheels nerds will know, Mattel’s association linking Hot Wheels to Japanese cars dates back to the late 1970s, when the Z Whiz, a Datsun 240 Z (if the small bumpers are to be believed), was introduced. In more recent times, an AE86 arrived in the lineup in 2006. The HAKO and the KENMERI skylines both showed up circa 2010. But the one that really got people’s attention was the green Hot Wheels Boulevard series Datsun 510 wagon, painted a sort of pea green, and built to resemble the actual ride of Hotwheels designer Jun Imai. This was circa 2012. Not long after that, that casting was selected as a super treasure hunt and was repainted candy apple red. They were instantly $100 cars on the secondary market. From there, it was off to the races, and it has not really stopped since. Regardless of where your fine publication falls in that timeline, congratulations to all involved.
It’s true the Z-Whiz is the O.G. of Japanese Hot Wheels, but a couple of Japanese castings per decade seems few and far between. Jun Imai’s Datsun 510 kicked off a new era, but it was a pegwarmer when it was initially released. I’m talking specifically about the current hype (for better or worse) surrounding ‘JDM’ cars (the Z and 510 aren’t, technically), which is something that me from the 90s never thought possible in the HW lineup.
Congratulations on the achievement and recognition to you and the JNC team, Ben. Well deserved.
Awesome. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this. Hopefully, they give a little info about inkan that drives traffic to the site.