UPDATE: After the bankruptcy of Eaglemoss in July 2022, it is unknown if this partwork model will ever be available again. I have removed the links from this page until we learn something new.

Recently, I have been seeing advertisements in the US from Eaglemoss about their 1:8 scale NISSAN GT-R Nismo (R35) partwork. This partwork was only available in Japan for the longest time, so I feel I had share the big news that we may see it appear in the United States!

Nismo is short for NISsan MOtorsport International Co., Ltd. and this is a replica model of the 2013 special version of the GT-R that Nismo introduced at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show as the fastest volume production vehicle around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. While much of this model would be the same as what I built here at this site, there are some notable differences. Here are a few of the changes that I can see:

• The Body is painted pearl-white, with black hood vents
• The Wheels are black RAYS five-spokes with colored Nismo logo
• The Side Mirrors are carbon-fiber with a red stripe
• There is a lot of carbon-fiber looking lower body aerodynamic pieces (front splitter, side skirts, rear valance, rear racing spoiler)
• Nismo logos on the upper Front Grille and Rear Bumper
• Red accents inside the lower Front Grille ducts
• The headlights are different
• The seats are different (Recaro with red accents)
• The upgraded engine has some different colors
• Unlike mine, this one appears to have engine and horn sounds controlled by the remote

I did notice something new for Eaglemoss: This model is being offered as a FULL KIT and not a multi-year subscription (you would receive all of the model parts at once). Of course, that means we would have to shell out $1200 USD in a single payment. But, for some builders this is a very welcome option!

Currently, Eaglemoss is collecting names and emails to gauge interest in building this Nismo GT-R model (and likely see how willing US consumers are to buy costly Full Kits). I will say that if I had the choice back in 2019 I would have much rather built this version of the GT-R. If you would like to see this partwork become available in the United States, head over to the Eaglemoss NISSAN GT-R Nismo site and sign up!

Building this Eaglemoss/IXO 1:8 scale Nissan GT-R (R35) partwork model has been quite an experience. The car itself is beautiful – especially the highly detailed interior and engine. For the most part, everything fit together well and the electrics worked without any issues. I was very impressed by the suspension and all of the screw/nut connections. This design seemed to work better than just driving in a metal screw and hopefully leaving it loose enough to allow parts to rotate correctly.

About the only downside I can speak of is the paint. On my model, the main body is a different shade of silver than the hood, doors, and trunk. It is almost as if they were painted in two completely different releases. Still, I usually only notice it under certain lighting. All in all, I enjoyed building this GT-R and look forward to starting on the 1:5 scale VRF38DETT Engine as part of the subscription extension!

I will leave you with a few shots of the lighting turned on. This model has limited lights: the headlights and taillights (which are cool white for some reason) as well as the electroluminescent gauge cluster. All of these lights are controlled by the Key Controller, but I did have to put another two new CR2016 batteries in it. Apparently, this remote drains the batteries even when not in use.

Next Up

Engine 1 – Cylinder Block, Combustion Chambers, Engine Cover/Logo