Background:

I've always liked these boxy 80s JDM cars, especially when "dressed up" (as they call it) with a bodykit, wing, wheels etc. Though the kit is of a black Impul 630R (which is some tuner edition), I chose to build it as a straight Nissan Gloria.

Kit review:

Pros:

The interior is very well detailed and moulded, and whilst it's not a full engine, only a top-half, that is also very good. Everything does fit together correctly. Good decals except the omission of any real Japanese number plates.

Cons:

I suspect the chassis is generic, and it lacks a lot of detail. The body has some soft details and is a bit scruffy in its moulding. The front headlights lack any kind of detail inside whatsoever, they're just flat. The glass parts are the worst part of the kit - too thick, inconsistent thickness making for distortions and are not very shiny. The kit also has no brakes and no windscreen wipers, although the latter are hidden from view on the real car anyway.

Verdict:

A very average kit, and certainly showing it's age in both engineering and how many times it's been pumped out of the moulds. If the rest was as as good as the interior, it'd be great.

Build notes:

Built over 5 weeks in September / October 2024. Painted in Ford Fashionista car paint. Aside from needing to fix the broken rear pillar, I made this build even more work by changing the wheels - so needing to add brakes and fiddle with the suspension, and by super detailing the engine. The presence of so much chrome also made for a lot of work. I added extra aero along the underside and added some JDM number plates that were not included in the decal sheet. Finally I changed the wheels for Aoshima 18" WedsSport SA-70. In this colour, with this bodykit and wheels I've built the kit into the kind of Nissan Gloria I'd like to own.

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