Tamiya Mazda 787B Upgrade Parts

When Tamiya did a rerelease of their 787B kit in 1999, both Studio 27 and Modeler released an etched stainless steel detail/upgrade set. In addition, Studio 27 also released no less than 4 different sets of decals, so all 787 and 787B liveries can be created.
Note however that there are many differences between the 1990 787 and the 1991 787B, the most noticeable ones being a 25mm increase in wheel base and a reshaped rear deck. In 2013 Studio 27 released a transkit for converting a Tamiya 787B into a 787 (set TK2452), but since this kit uses the 787B floorpan (wrong wheelbase and wrong rear track width for a 787) I've ignored this set.
I have to dig a bit deeper for exact details, but I think a spare Hasegawa 767B will prove very useful for converting the Tamiya kit into a proper 1990 787.
Some good sources of info on the development of the 787B are these books:

'RX-7 The Mazda RX-7: Mazda's Legendary Sports Car' by Jack K. Yamaguchi and John Dinkel, Ring Ltd. Japan, ISBN 4-947659-01-7

'Never Stop Challenging! Mazda`s Conquest of Le Mans' by Pierre Dieuedonné, Editions Apach Belgium (www.apach.be), ISBN 2-930354-56-9 (English edition)

whilst this book contains useful color pictures of every detail on each of the 787B cars:
Mazda 787B in Detail by T. Nakamura, Model Factory Hiro Japan, ISBN 978-490524873-6

When Tamiya released the 787B kit again in 2004, Acu-Stion released a new etched stainless steel detail set and Studio27 released a revised version of their detail set and revised versions of 3 of their decal sets.

The new Tamiya 787B release in 2012 prompted some new detail sets from Hobby Design and Top Studio.

• Studio 27   Upgrade Set
  
• Studio 27   revised Upgrade Set
  
• Modeler's   Upgrade Set
  
• Scale Motorsport   Upgrade Set
  
• Acu-Stion   Mechanical Parts Set
  
• Hobby Design   Detail Up Set
  

For more info on the Upgrade Sets and Decals, check the online shops on my Kit Finder page.

Studio 27 - Upgrade set Mazda 787B (cat nr. ST27-FP2413)

released in August 1999

This Studio 27 set is very nice and useful, containing parts for detailing the 1991 Le Mans car and some more for converting the kit to a 1990 787 or a 787B as driven in the 1991 Japanese Sportscar and Prototype Championship (JSPC) series.
Unfortunately the parts description and instructions are in Japanese only, however an improved set was released in 2004.
Here is a description of the parts in English:

Note that the 1991 787B cars were fitted with carbon disc brakes (which were not cross-drilled), so the upgrade parts for the cross-drilled brake discs should only be used for a 1990 season 787.

Studio 27 - Upgrade set Mazda 787B (cat nr. ST27-FP2413R)

released in June 2004
rereleased in Aug 2009
rereleased in Feb 2011
rereleased in Jun 2012
rereleased in Mar 2016
rereleased in Dec 2016
rereleased in Jun 2017
rereleased in Aug 2019

This is not a mere rerelease of the FP2413 set but a completely redesigned set, with state of the art designs and instructions and parts list in both Japanese and English.
Compared to the FP2413 set, the radiator and oil cooler mesh is much finer, the mesh of the intake shields now has a very nice 'woven' look and many details are improved.
New parts are a footrest and set of pedals, a small cable duct, a windshield fastening frame, faces for the sidepod radiator and front whisker spoilers for the 1991 JSPC versions.
A single piece seatbelt harness replaces the separate parts (24 to 30) of the previous set.
Note that the 1991 787B cars were fitted with carbon disc brakes (which were not cross-drilled), so the upgrade parts for the cross-drilled brake discs should only be used for a 1990 season 787.

Studio 27 - Upgrade set 787B (cat nr. ST27-FP24225)

released in Aug 2023
rereleased in Dec 2024

This is a rerelease of the FP2413R set with a new catalog number and a new price, otherwise it contains to same parts as the previous release.

Modeler's - Upgrade set Mazda 787B (cat nr. G017)

released in August 1999

This Modeler set is a bit smaller (but also cheaper) than the Studio 27 set because it only provides parts for detailing a 1991 Le Mans 787B version.
Although the parts list and instructions are in Japanese only, some illustrations are provided so you don't have to master Japanese to understand where to fit most of the parts.
The set contains the following parts:

No seat belt buckles or bodywork fittings are included as those are available in separate Modeler sets.
The brake disc faces are not cross-drilled, so these are suitable for the Le Mans cars.
Some parts (door hinges, windshield wiper, wing end plates) on this Modeler set are a bit better detailed than those on the 1999 release of the Studio 27 set.

Scale Motorsport - Mazda 787B Renown (cat nr. SKU 8115)

Scale Motorsport takes a different approach to detailing the 787B, apart from the usual brake disc, radiator and oil cooler faces it also offers items like brake carrier and hub covers and servo pulleys for the variable length intake system (parts 6B, 7B, 8B, called 'throttle pulleys' on the instruction sheet).
This set consists of 65 items on two frames. The frames are glued by the edges to a cardboard backing that doubles as a cutting board, a nice touch! The cardboard is black which prevented me from making a decent scan of the set.
The instructions are printed on a translucent sheet with the outline of the car in the center. Place the sheet over the Tamiya boxtop art and you see exactly where each part should go, further helped by helpful hints and descriptions on the edges of the sheet.
More so than the Studio 27 and Modeler's sets, this set is a stepping stone to super-detailing the kit. For instance: if you add all the brake and hub details, you better make sure to add wheel mounting pins, suspension lock nuts, etc. as well or else it just doesn't look right. Same thing with the engine details, by adding those pulleys you commit yourself to adding the rest of the mechanism with all its links, bowden cables and wiring harness from scratch.
The set does not contain parts for the seatbelt buckles, but Scale Motorsport sells an excellent set for 2 sets of racing seatbelts separately (cat nr. SKU 8124).

Acu-Stion - Mazda 787B Mechanical Parts Set (cat nr. ATS-7364)

released in July 2004

This set contains some interesting items not covered by other detail sets, such as the wheel covers for the front wheels and a paint stencil for spray painting 'Dunlop' text on the tires.
Other details include brake disc faces, power cut handle, wheel and hub details, windshield wiper, tow bracket, seat belt buckles, a full set of faces for radiators and oil coolers and some tiny washers and screw heads.

Parts list and instructions are in Japanese only and the parts are not numbered so here's a picture of the set and a description of the parts.
Thanks to Scott Hards from Hobby Link Japan for his help with translating the instruction sheet.

Hobby Design - Mazda 787B Detail Up Set (cat nr. HD02-0237)

released in June 2013

This large set consists of no less than 6 etched stainless steel sheets, plus webbing material for seat belts and some rivets.
Some interesting details are two-layer mesh for radiators and oil cooler faces, rear wing support, front splitter plate and a multi-piece exhaust cover.

Hobby Design - Mazda 787B Wheels Hex Nuts Set (cat nr. HD03-0260)

released in August 2013

This is a set of cast resin replacements for the stamped aluminium rivets that serve as wheel axles in the Tamiya kit.
These resin replacements come with nicely detailed wheel nuts. The set contains 10 axles and can be used for several other 80ies Gr.C race cars as well.

Top Studio - 787B Wheels Set (cat nr. TD23123)

released in February 2013

This is a set of turned aluminium rims with etched brass and steel parts for the wheel centers and turned aluminium wheel axles with fixed hex nuts.
Each wheel center consists of 7 layers of etched metal parts.

Kool Models Production - Mazda 787B Wheels Set (cat.nr. TK24007)

released in June 2019

This is a set of unpainted 3D-printed plastic wheels.
Each wheel consists of a separate rim, center and axle.
Please note that the picture shows the parts of the wheels after being painted.

Despite what is listed in the page description these wheels were only fitted to 787B during the 1991 season, earlier cars were fitted with different style wheels of smaller diameter (16in for 757/757C, 17in for 767/767B and 787 vs. 18in for 787B).