Tamiya 1/24 Mazda 787b Le Mans Winner

[benb]

The Mazda 787b is one of three bucket list race car models I want to put in my display case, along with a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO and Lotus Esprit X180R. I got to see (AND HEAR!!!) one at the Mitty vintage races at Road Atlanta a few years ago. I’ve been looking for one of these kits ever since but they’ve always been far more expensive than I’ve been willing to pay. I finally found one at a decent price and immediately started it. I’m going to paint the major body colors using fluorescent orange and green from Splash Paints. I’ll also be using aftermarket decals from Studio 27 instead of the kit decals. I prefer curbside builds, so I won’t be doing a lot with the engine bay, just the basic painting.



Ben

[project510]

Oohh Hell Yes! I love this car. I just added it to my collection again also. Had to wait a while to find it under a price I was willing to pay, like you. Ill be following along for sure. Good luck Ben!
Will you be using after market decals, or the ones supplied in the kit? Mine don't look so hot so I will be using after market.

[kyledehart5]

I wish they’d repop this like they have the Sauber. It’s such a fantastic looking (and sounding) car. I’d build a couple of them. I have one but another would be nice. Greet start!! That orange is excellent!

[keavdog]

Very cool. That's a great livery.

[benb]

Thanks, guys! I think this is going to be a fun kit!

James, I have the Studio 27 sheet. They can be brittle sometimes so I’ve got the kit decals on standby. If that fails, there is a sheet from Shunko that will cost an arm and a leg.

Ben

[project510]

Aug 10, 2024 18:21:42 GMT -5 benb said:

Thanks, guys! I think this is going to be a fun kit!

James, I have the Studio 27 sheet. They can be brittle sometimes so I’ve got the kit decals on standby. If that fails, there is a sheet from Shunko that will cost an arm and a leg.

Ben

Thanks Ben! I will give those studio 27 decals a once over. 

[handiabled]

Following this! Gotta like a rotary engine!

[benb]

No pics, but I started masking to paint the green parts. I’ve had to tape the four body parts and chassis together to make sure everything lines up. It’s going to be another one of those hours of masking for 15 minutes of painting.

Ben

[406 Silverado]

Sometimes I wished I would build curbside kits just so I wouldn’t detail them out as much. I mean…….I could get a lot more builds finished that way but then I think “Naaaaah,…. I’m good” and build something else with an engine. Lol

This is off to a great start Ben!

[benb]

Aug 11, 2024 17:04:09 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Sometimes I wished I would build curbside kits just so I wouldn’t detail them out as much. I mean…….I could get a lot more builds finished that way but then I think “Naaaaah,…. I’m good” and build something else with an engine. Lol

This is off to a great start Ben!

Thanks! I’ve found as I’ve gotten older, I just don’t want to mess with adding extra detail or aftermarket. I’ll pretty much automatically use aftermarket decals and add a resin ejection seat to my airplane builds, but that’s about it. Unless it’s an F-4 or F-100. I’ve never been able to keep myself from going nuts with those! 

Ben

[406 Silverado]

I know right??!! The last aircraft build that I built I didn’t go all nutso on which was my Tamiya Me262 but this Ta-152 that I’m currently building I’m definitely throwing everything at.

190’s are to me what F-4’s and F-100’s are to you. Lol too

[kyledehart5]

Ooh. Painting the green. Nice. Looking forward to seeing the livery down on this

[benb]

The more time I spend getting the masks just right, the better those green decals look! 

Ben

[project510]

We need photos! Don't be shy!

[joelw]

Ben,
Just found your build of that classic Mazda 787 B. I'm really looking forward to following it to it's conclusion. And like you, I'm basically a OOB type of guy these days. Like Kyle said, I to wish that Tamiya would re-issue this kit as I'd love to try my hand at that complex paint and decal scheme.

paint looks great so far, but then again, I expect your work to be at that level.

joel

[benb]

Thanks, guys! I’ll post a pic or two when I have some time. The body has very faint raised lines showing the outlines of the green, silver, and black areas, so my plan was to just mask along them. Unfortunately, it looks like they may be slightly off, especially going down the front of the car, so I’m having to take a step backward and eyeball it. Fortunately, it’s all straight lines.

Ben

[joelw]

Ben,
Sure sounds like the masking is going to be one tricky job. looking forward to seeing how it looks once completely masked.

joel

[benb]

Just a quick update. It turned out that the faint raised lines outlining the various color boundaries are correct after all. I made a copy of the decals and compared a few areas I had questions about. Now I've got the orange masked and the green painted. Next, more masking for the black diamond in front of the cockpit and the silver one on the engine cover.



Ben

[project510]

OH MY! This is going to look so nice! Great job so far Ben. I cant wait to start mine now haha.

[joelw]

Ben,
Outstanding masking and painting. if I remember correctly on the top there's two squares, one is Black & the other Silver. Are you going to paint them before removing the masking?

joel

[benb]

Thanks, guys!

I’ve now masked the green areas and I’ll paint the black part next. Then more masking and then the silver diamond. I’m not going to start on the decals until I get the chassis and interior finished. The decals are my favorite part and I don’t want to finish them and then lose enthusiasm for the rest.

Ben

[brandonk]

This is cool. Basically an identical sister to the C9, just much brighter with a different power-plant. Cool beans!!

[kyledehart5]

Excellent update. So iconic. I just love this car.

[joelw]

Ben,
That happens to me all the time. Even with the Williams FW07 now that the body is painted, decaled, and cleared. i have to force myself to get back to the bench, especially as in this build the engine/trans will be completely enclosed and not a drop of it will be visible unless i remove the top shell, which won't be happening just like my Lotus 99t. Not chancing damaging or knocking off a part and loosing it to the carpet monster.

joel

[benb]

Got the major painting done. The photo doesn't really do the fluorescent orange paint justice. I had a tiny bit of overspray in a couple of spots, but I was able to gently scrape it off with an Xacto. I have to do some detail painting on the body, then it will be on to the chassis and cockpit. I tried Mr Color Super Metallic 2 paint (Stainless) for the first time and it turned out great. It will be a good, less expensive alternative to Alclad for some colors.


Ben

[keavdog]

Turned out great!

[joelw]

Ben,
You nailed that rather difficult paint job, simply outstanding. Can't wait to see it with the dash demarcation lines.

I'm thinking of getting the Hasegawa Mazda 767 as I have a AM set of decals for it. Just can't remember why I bought them. Talk about not being as sharp as i once was. This was another perfect example.

joel

[kyledehart5]

Outstanding!! Awesome paint work. I love the whole line of mr color super metallics. This is going to look fantastic with some decals laid on it. Really awesome job.

[chrissmith]

Ben, such a great subject! You are off to a fantastic start.

[project510]

This car is currently less than 100 miles away from for Car Week. I cant believe I'm going to miss it. Great work Ben!