introduction

This review is of the Datsun 240-Z plastic model kit produced by Revell in 1/25 scale. According to the box and instructions this particular kit was produced in 2002. As an eight year old kit it is starting to show some age and wear on the dies, but OOB it is still an impressive, and actually quite accurate kit.

review

Opening the box the first impression you'll get is that Revell has forgotten to put in all the parts since there seems to be lots of empty space in there. Remember though, this is the same size box used for muscle cars like Mustangs, Camaros, GTX's, etc. The Datsun 240-Z is only roughly 2/3 the size of those cars, though it packed a mighty punch in its day with an inline 6 cylinder engine producing 150 bhp and handling that rivaled many European sports cars.

Included in the kit are 5 sprues of white molded plastic parts, with the car body & hood as separate items. One clear sprue holds headlights, tail lights and a one part windshield/side windows/back hatch glass. One chrome plated sprue containing a set of rally wheels (standard wheels are not included), and various engine parts, bumpers, etc. You'll also find four stock, skinny Goodyear 70 series tires on a tire tree, and one decal sheet that includes a full set of stripes in white and another set in black. As a nice bonus you'll also find that all five gauge pods have their own individual face decals.

A close examination of the sprues shows that the molds are starting to wear. There is an abundance of excess flash that will need to be trimmed away. There are also many seam lines (some in very tight places) that will have to be sanded down to make a presentable model. On the upside, each piece seems to be extremely well defined. The seats and dash have the right grain and pattern. The engine and its parts are so nice that I could honestly say they are beautiful. Everything seems to be very accurate in relation to the real life 1/1 car. Also "beautiful" are the decals on the decal sheet which appear to have very nice register and, for the most part, to be accurate.

A few negatives are also present. Many of the engine parts, though nicely represented, are on the chrome sprue. These will need to be "de-chromed" if you want to build a truly accurate model. The windshield and its surrounding glass seem very thick and way out of scale. The glass parts in my particular kit were not packaged in a plastic bag. The result is that they have numerous scratches from sliding around in the box which will have to be attended to.

conclusion

This is a pretty nice kit out of the box. A modeler with only moderate skills can still turn out a realistic representation of a 240-Z. With a bit of tweaking here and there along with a few extra hours at the work bench, I believe this kit could actually be turned into a little jewel.

A Build Log has been started in the Forums to evaluate the kit construction.