Tag Archives: minicars

MINICARS: Hot Wheels Honda City and DR30 Skyline revealed at Tokyo Toy Show

Our friend Jun Imai is in Japan for the Tokyo Toy Show right now, and brought along some new goodies to reveal at the event. Both are turbocharged JDM cars from the 80s that were never sold in the States. The first … Continue reading

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NIHON LIFE: How an automaker deals with scandal in Japan

As you may have heard, Mitsubishi Motors experienced a little scandal last year, in which it was found guilty of cheating government fuel economy tests. It sent stock plummeting so badly that Nissan was able to gobble it up and grab a … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Amazing miniature kaido racer models at the Tokyo Auto Salon

One of the coolest and most popular displays at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon wasn’t from an automaker, tuning house, or aftermarket parts company. In fact, it didn’t feature real cars at all. Instead, it was a lineup of miniature kaido … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Nissan Fairlady Z Super Treasure Hunt

Every so often, a Hot Wheels comes along that melts the Internet. Collectors’ heads explode like they’ve just looked into the Ark of the Covenant. The next Nissan Fairlady Z is just such a car. Look, we’re not bragging just because … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 510 Bluebird Wagon “JNC Surf Patrol”

We at JNC recently received a very special surprise from our friends at Hot Wheels — a JNC surf patrol wagon! These photos, taken from one of the conference rooms at the Mattel design center in El Segundo, California, show the 2017 mainline … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels Mazda REPU prototype

Those who stopped by our booth last Sunday may have noticed a few sneak peeks from our friends at Hot Wheels, hand-delivered in a nondescript plastic bag by designer Jun Imai himself. The first of them is a brand new casting for … Continue reading

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MINICARS: 2016 Hot Wheels X JNC Track Day Datsun 510 Bluebird

Of the 26 Hot Wheels cars that have worn the JNC inkan, the latest is one of our favorites. That’s because the Track Day series Datsun Bluebird 510 isn’t just a wicked diecast race car, but one whose livery was inspired by a wicked … Continue reading

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MINICARS: 2017 Hot Wheels X JNC Nissan Fairlady 2000

We at JNC are once again extremely proud to share with you the latest Hot Wheels car to wear the JNC inkan. The Nissan Fairlady 2000 will be showing up in stores soon as a 2017 release, part of the “Legends of Speed” … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Matchbox 2017 lineup revealed with surprising J-tin castings

Last week was the annual Matchbox Collector’s Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mattel took the opportunity to reveal the cars and trucks of their 2017 lineup, and there are several that will surely be of interest to JNCers. 

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MINICARS: Matchbox Hakosuka Nissan Skyline

Matchbox has just teased a new casting for 2016, and it’s none other than the hakosuka Nissan Skyline. Technically, it’s a 1971 Skyline 2000GT-X, complete with the surf line over the rear wheels and it’s still in prototype form (that’s what those numbers … Continue reading

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MILESTONES: Neoclassic Magazine celebrates 50 volumes

Our friends at Kousoku Yuen magazine in Japan recently published their 50th volume. The bimonthly publication, whom some of you may know as NeoClassic, specializes in Japanese cars, but you’ll rarely see a 2000GT or Hakosuka GT-R on the cover. Instead, you’re more likely … Continue reading

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MINICARS: So Hot Wheels went and made a dekotora…

Normally even the most hard core Hot Wheels collectors are happy to pass the tractor trailer sets onto their kids, but fans of Japanese steel are going to want to keep their eyes peeled for the latest rig. Because Hot Wheels has gone and … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Beautiful dioramas of model cars from Japan

Takuji is a Japanese artist who places 1:43 and 1:64 scale minicars into beautifully constructed dioramas. From AE86s on touge roads to Mitsubishis tearing through a rally stage to mechanics tuning Skylines in a garage, each scene is a slice of … Continue reading

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MINICARS: 2016 Hot Wheels X JNC Japan Historics line

A couple months ago we showed you the first three cars in the 2016 Hot Wheels Japan Historics line. These premium models will feature the JNC inkan in classic red, along with features such as metal chassis, highly detailed paint, … Continue reading

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MINICARS: AUTOart 1:18 Hakosuka Nissan Skyline GT-R

As the broader collector car world has finally recognized the worthiness of Japanese classics, model car companies have followed suit. We’re seeing a steady increase in the number of nostalgics available in the more popular premium diecast scales (1:18 and … Continue reading

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Tokyo Motor Show: The wild and wonderful Big Sights

Though the exciting debuts of the Tokyo Motor Show have been covered, you didn’t think we’d go all the way to Tokyo and and not show you around, did you? Here’s what it’s like to attend the press days of the maddest Motor … Continue reading

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MINICARS: NY, LA and Dallas — Go get your Back to the Future diecast Toyotas now!

For Back to the Future Day, Toyota has set up three pop-ups across the country featuring a Tacoma tribute of Marty’s 1985 Toyota SR5. The cars are displayed in a life-size toy box because, well, Toyota is also quietly giving away diecast cars of … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Get your Hot Wheels RedLine Club Shelby Toyota 2000GT this Tuesday

A very limited Hot Wheels Toyota 2000GT will go on sale this Tuesday (ie, tomorrow). Wearing the livery of the Carroll Shelby SCCA race car driven by Scooter Patrick, it’s the latest offering from the official Hot Wheels Red Line Club for collectors, and it’s … Continue reading

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MINICARS: New Hot Wheels Fairlady Z, recolored Kenmeri and RX-7 coming

An image of a new Hot Wheels S30 Z have surfaced, but there is a bit of mystery surrounding it. Since the JNC inkan appears on the door, we are privy to some extra information that was was leaked. First, it will show up as a … Continue reading

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MINICARS: 2015 Japanese Model Kit Roundup

It’s summertime, time to go outside and play! Or, whip out those Tamiya paint cans and spray the plastic bodies of your favorite JNC model kits. Do it outside when it’s sunny and dry to avoid accidentally painting your furniture or … Continue reading

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