Mattel Brick Shop Acura NSX features a JNC surprise

We’ve lamented the lack of cool Japanese cars represented in the interlocking brick section of the toy aisle, but that’s all about to change. Hot Wheels’s parent company is launching the Mattel Brick Shop, which offers a lineup of building sets designed to appeal to car enthusiasts. And we at JNC are stoked to tell you that the first Japanese car in the series, the 1990 Acura NSX, will also feature the JNC logo.

The NSX launches alongside a gull-winged 1954 Mercedes 300SL, 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, and Maserati MC20 supercar. Each set will come with the pieces required to build the authentic version of the real car, but also extra pieces to let you customize it, as well as a Hot Wheels version of the car.

In the case of the NSX, you can build either a Honda NSX or an Acura NSX, as the set  comes with both sets of emblems. There’s also the option to make it LHD or RHD and have US or Japanese license plates. Further customization can be done via a sticker sheet with company logos, including that of Hot Wheels, Rays, Toyo Tires, and Japanese Nostalgic Car (hey, that’s us!).

The NSX set was conceived in part as a tribute to Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada, who passed away in 2021. Ryu, a massive Honda head, drove a red NSX that he would sometimes dress up as a Suzuka Circuit pace car, an actual vehicle that existed decades ago. As such, the set comes with the pieces to build a pace car variant.

The finished NSX has a number of moving parts. The doors and engine cover are hinged and can be opened to reveal a detailed interior and V6 engine. The retractable headlights can be set in the up or down positions. And a moveable rack connects the steering wheel to the front wheels.

The Brick Shop cars come in various scales, from 1/32 (Maserati) to 1/16 (NSX and Corvette) to 1/12 (Mercedes). The NSX set consists of 876 pieces plus the 1/64-scale diecast car.The Brick Shop sets can be ordered on the Mattel Creations website.