Arii 1/24 1978 Datsun "Fairlady" 280ZX

[HistoryRider]

Hello there everyone! I was trying to build the Monogram kit of a Datsun 280Z but that fell through due to the evils of eBay, but I so now I am building the second generation of the Nissan/Datsun Z Car. The kit is already somewhat anachronistic, due to the fact it is labeled as as straight Z car versus the ZX. The kit inside is a ZX body and those did not replace the 280Z(not ZX) until 1979.

I am building this for my girlfriend who is the proud owner of a 1978 Datsun 280Z "Black Pearl."

Here is a little history behind the ZCar:

Datsun 240Z

Production of the Nissan Z Car started on October 1969 with one for the Japanese market and one for the US market.
The Japanese Fairlady Z featured a SOHC L20A inline-6, while the US 240Z featured a 2.4L L24 inline-6. In Japan, the Z was still known as the Fairlady to keep the car in line with previous Nissan sports cars. However, the American version had all Nissan badging replaced with "Datsun" and prevented all dealer shipments until they were replaced.

The 240Z was released in America on October 22, 1969. It sold over 45,000 units through the '71 model year and over 50,000 and 40,000 in 1972 and 1973, respectively.

The 260Z was released in 1974, it featured an increased engine displacement of 2.6 L and an available 2+2 model with a slightly longer wheelbase.

The 280Z was released in 1975 in North America (not to be confused with the 280ZX, which is the second-generation Z-car) and featured a 2.8L engine. A major change was the introduction of Bosch fuel injection, replacing the carburetors. Other changes were offsetting increased weight from added luxury features and an enlarged bumper that met US Federal regulations.


Second generation: Datsun 280ZX My entry in the build:
Still known as the Datsun 280ZX in export markets, the car continued to use the "Fairlady" moniker in the Japanese domestic market.

The only thing kept from the 280Z was the 5-speed manual transmission and 2.8-liter L28 inline-6 engine, while the entire car overall was made more luxurious to meet growing consumer demands. Major changes for this new generation of Z-cars include t-tops(1980), and a turbocharged model(1981). One notable model is the 10th Anniversary Edition, which featured gold emblems, gold alloy wheels, and two-toned paint in either gold/red and black, with luxury features such as leather seats, headlamp washers, and automatic climate control.

The 280ZX was wildly popular, being hailed as Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1979 and going on to set a Z-car sales record of 86,007 units in its first year.


I hope you enjoy the build!

[HistoryRider]

Here are the sprue shots! Pretty decent looking out of the box, some initial issues here and there but nothing egregious. Bits of flash and scuffs on the sprue and windshield glass, but all in all not bad for out of the box!

[ForbesHutton]

Yep, the model is a ZX. While they looked very similar, the quickest way to spot the difference is the rear side window, on the Z it had a upward turn from the bottom, on the ZX it was swept downward.
A 1976 280Z was my first car, still love them.
The change to the ZX was a mixed bag, the car got heavier with the same power (without the turbo), the suspension became softer and it lost the fully independent suspension of the Z, but the ZX did get disk brakes all round, an improvement over the Z's disk/drum set-up (but much of the brake's improved performance was lost to the extra weight).

[T3hGuppy]

Yey a Nissan/Datsun.

Great subject dude.

[Paul]

Nice subject, will be watching this one

[ludicrusmaximus]

Ricey, but cool . Looking forward to seeing it come together

[EasyEight96]

Nice choice I've would like to own one next if got can't wait to see it done

[eoinfinnegan]

Good luck with the build

[HistoryRider]

Hey Everyone!

My FIRST review/opening video!! It's a bit long and a little disjointed, but hey, my first real attempt!

Any and all feedback/suggestions are welcome! Hope you enjoy!




I owe this to everyone here! And especially would like to thank Paul and Lee for the inspiration to do the video reviews! Thank you ALL!!

[HistoryRider]

HEY EVERYONE!!!! Sorry about the LONG DELAY in posting! Life got in the way but I'M BACK!!

So here is the next bit of progress on the ZX:

Right off the bat I pulled an "Oops." I was working on sanding down the plastic of the car body to get a smoother finish to start off from and *SNAP* goes the roof. A nice crack from the windshield to close to the center...RATS. But thanks to a little bit of glue, sanding, and Mr. Surfacer 1000, I was able to rectify it. It hid nicely under the primer.

[HistoryRider]

Next up: Chasis....

I discovered the lack of detail on the chassis wasn't actually lack of detail, but spaces for motorization. Since motorizing things WITHOUT detailed instructions is not yet my forte, we will have to make do with lack of interior/underside detail.

The rear axle was nice and easy and the front linkage assembly was a bit tricky. It will allow the car to turn since it is movable.

[HistoryRider]

Now that the chassis is done, next up is the interior and the custom body paint.

The interior is a bit lousy. It's depth is cut in half in order to make room for the motorization of the kit. So I had to make do with it. During the dry fit it seems to look okay, but time will tell. I did the interior in Semi-Gloss Black, silver trim for the glovebox, and red and white for the instrument dials. The rearview mirror will be using silver chrome trim paint for the mirror shine.

Since I am building this for my girlfriend, she picked out the color. She opted for good 'ole Army Green Drab! With flat back trim and bumpers it will look pretty slick!

That's all for now! Stay tuned!!

[eoinfinnegan]

Nice update, you did a very good job fixing the crack. Well done

[HistoryRider]

Nice update, you did a very good job fixing the crack. Well done

Thanks buddy!! It was a bit nerve wracking because I was afraid it would crack yet again while I was truing to fix it!

[HistoryRider]

NEW UPDATE!!!

So I had a bit of an "Oops"...... While coating the body with Klear, I got overzealous and caused a BUNCH of pooling...So I bit the bullet and wet sanded it with ever decreasing grit grades of sandpaper then repainted it. Soooo back to where it WAS...heh heh


So now it's Olive Drab and a BIG white Army Staff Car Star on the hood. The star is from a spare set of 1/24 scale P-51 U.S roundel decals. That was the only star big enough without making it from scratch. I had to cut it out from the decal itself. Needless to say, it broke into three pieces and so I had to piece it back together. A snootsworth of MicroSet/Sol and presto-chango, white star!!


Next steps:
Another Klear coat
Additions of mirrors and bumpers
Attachment of headlamps and windscreen

STAY TUNED!!

[UKguyInUSA]

A Datsun in Army uniform....cool concept...the officers back then might have loved that idea?!

[Hillbilly]

Love the out of the box thinking on this build! Keep up the great work!

[HistoryRider]

LAST UPDATE!!!!!

I was able to attach everything to make it look like a whole car!

However I ran into a problem with the tail lights...the instructions had them backwards and so did the moldings. I tried to reverse the process but they didn't fit and so they look like crap. The other thing about the tail lights is that they also came clear so I had to figure out a good way to get them to the red glass color. I had clear red but it was not working so I had to make a custom mixture. So that sucks....but hey, everything else seems to have turned out alright! And then I mixed a single drop of semigloss black to a little of Flat clear coat and dulled the BRIGHT Red....

The headlights turned out pretty cool! I wanted to give the plastic a real glass look, so I painted the back with Silver then IMMEDIATELY liquid cemented them in...as I was hoping, the glue reacted with the silver enamel and created a cool effect while still in place. One look setter than the other BUT they look like glass...

STAY TUNED FOR THE REVEAL!!

[HistoryRider]

A Datsun in Army uniform....cool concept...the officers back then might have loved that idea?!

Thanks Martin!! I think they would have gone for it!!

Love the out of the box thinking on this build! Keep up the great work!

Thanks Hillbilly! Its turning out better and better!!

[ZFan]

ForbesHutton, thanks for confirming that it is indeed a "ZX" rather than a Z. I only just learned of the Arii kit and was interested in purchasing it as I want to build a replica of my long-lost 1978 280Z (the one I built years ago was destroyed). I have the Revell 240Z and the Monogram 280Z Rally kits, but my real Z had hood vents which the Monogram kit didn't and the Arii did. Despite Arii describing it is as being a 1978 Z, I was suspicious that it was a ZX based solely on the box art, and tried to find some reviews where I could see the box contents clearly. Maybe the ZX arrived earlier in Japan than it did in the U.S., but either way, you saved me some disappointment!

Also right-hand drive to boot!

Curt