The upcoming Hot Wheels Elite 64 release of the Pandem Datsun 280ZX will be on Friday, March 22 at 1PM. While the car looks great it is based on a real full scale car that was shown at SEMA in November of 2023. The car is Pandem/Rocket Bunny CEO Kei Miura’s personal build. The real version of this vehicle features an abundance of modifications that we hope will be visible on the Hot Wheels vehicle releasing soon. The real car was custom built for drifting and has taken on the nickname Formula Z. It features an 2JZ engine swap, a popular choice for many JDM vehicles these days. Pandem/Rocket Bunny also chose to move all the cooling for the vehicle to the trunk area behind the driver. Air is fed into the system from two duct that have been cut into the rear window panels on the car. A firewall has also been added between the cockpit and rear to prevent anything from potentially spilling onto the driver. The car is fitted with custom wheels and Toyo tires. Cutouts in the hood have also been added for additional function to the vehicles turbo system. Additionally, the rear spoiler of the car is bolted on and adds to the aesthetic of the car. The Formula Z sits extremely low to the ground with no noticeable wheel gap. Pictures of the car can be seen on Motortrends site here:https://www.motortrend.com/features/sema-hot-wheels-nissan-280zx-rocket-bunny-pandem/ Overall, this car was customized to the maximum and is definitely something we would see out of every JDM lovers dream. But how does the diecast model stack up to the real life example?

While we haven’t received the car to look at in hand, Mattel provides numerous photos on their site for us to be able to look through. Starting off with the livery, the model does a good job of mimicking its counterpart only missing a few sponsors. There is no Sunoco fuel logos on the model that are present on the hood and quarter panel of the real version. Toyo tire branding makes it way from the tires to the rear quarter panel. NGK spark plug decals have also been left out from the model vehicle. All Nissan, Hot Wheels, and Pandem/Rocket Bunny logos are present on the car.

The model car also maintains the covers on the headlights however the model is done with more of a smoked glass look. The yellow tow hook present on the real vehicle is also missing from the front of the model. The model does feature cutouts in the hood, but nothing visible can be seen coming out of them. No pictures are provided of the hood opening so until it is in hand we won’t know if the beautiful 2JZ engine can be seen on the model car. Also missing is the cutouts for the cooling system on the back window panels. The smoked glass is too hard to see through so we cannot tell if the cooling elements were added to the  rear of the vehicle. The model vehicle does feature negative camber wheels which is not something we typically see but works well with this car. Although the Elite 64 model may not have every minor aspect of its counterpart, overall it does a great job of portraying what this car is all about. Drift and JDM fans are sure to love this car and should pay close attention to the release.