Fujimi Mazda RX-8, various series

Despite the rather high prices these are pretty basic kits: no engine details, hardly any suspension details and even the cabin interior lacks some of the details found in Fujimis recent, less expensive, RX-7 FD3S kits.
The body comes with separate front and rear bumpers.
Cabin interior comes with separate front seats, a set of pedals (including a clutch pedal), a righthand drive dashboard with rather shallow details on the center console, separate steering wheel, shift knob with bezel for an automatic transmission (!), handbrake and rear view mirror.
Floorpan comes with most details like exhaust pipe and rear suspension arms molded in, front suspension consists of McPherson struts with the outsides of the springs cut away to clear wide wheels, lower A-arms and a tie rod. Front brake discs are to be fixed against the struts. Rear axle is a straight piece of plastic rod over which bushes and brake discs are fitted.
Early kits came with a small sheet of plastic mesh for the intakes that nicely matches the diamond pattern of the actual car, later kits came with metal mesh with a square pattern.

In December 2003 Fujimi added a shift knob boot for manual transmission to the C parts (part C15), this can be used to replace the bezel for automatic transmission (A19).

Revised body

When designing this RX-8 kit Fujimi obviously got confused by the many RX-8 prototypes that Mazda displayed at various Motor Shows: the shape of the front and rear body of the early kits look more like those of the later prototypes than of the production version.
In 2004 Fujimi corrected their patterns so from the original release of the Veilside kit onwards, the Fujimi RX-8 does resemble a production version.
You can easily tell if a kit contains the original 'wrong' body or the new one by checking the bumpers: if these are located on the E parts tree it is the revised body, if the bumpers are on the C parts tree it is the original body.

Despite doing several tuner versions, Fujimi never did a version of the 2009 face-lifted RX-8, nor any versions with a lefthand drive dashboard.

ZoomOn Model offers a set of metal badges and a set of paint masks for the revised body.

Some useful pictures of RX-8 versions and of the cabin interior can be found on a separate page.

Mazda RX-8 Type S, Inch Up Disk series Nr.105

released in August 2003
rereleased in September 2019

The Type S is the top of the range RX-8 model for the japanese domestic market in 2003. It comes fitted with 18in alloy wheels, a 6 speed manual gearbox and the engine is rated at 184kW at 8500rpm with 216Nm of torque at 5500rpm.

This Fujimi kit is the first of what undoubtedly will grow into a long line of Mazda RX-8 kits.
The 18in Mazda 5-spoke alloy wheels are fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires (nope, not the new RE040 tires that come standard on an RX-8 Type S).
A piece of plastic mesh is included for the main intake in the front bumper.
Clear parts include a windshield combined with side windows, a separate rear window, covers and lenses for head and tail lights and lenses for the front indicators and the optional triangular shaped rear fog light.
Decals include license plates, a choice of dial faces (white on black or red on blue), Mazda emblems for nose, wheel centers and steering wheel and a set of emblems for the rear of the body and an optional silver cover for the fuel filler cap. No decals are included for the instruments on the center console, so these require some delicate paintwork.
The box art and the cardboard insert inside the box show some nice pictures of a full size Mazda RX-8 Type S.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in red. The wheels and a small tree with headlight clusters are satin aluminum plated.

This kit was rereleased in 2019, this release includes the revised body, manual transmission bezel (part C15) and a piece of steel mesh instead of the plastic mesh included before.
The insert between the parts trees and the body is no longer fitted to the box but some nice color pictures of a full size RX-8 Type S are now printed on one long side of the box.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are now molded in white.

Mazda RX-8 Type S, cat.nr.03566

released in 2003

This version of the RX-8 Type S kit was announced in late 2003 but I never saw it listed in any shops, so I assumed it was never released.
However recently I found a picture of this box, so it must have been released afterall.
Note that the picture is the same one that was also used as part of the Type E box art.
I have no further info on this kit.

Mazda RX-8 Type E, Inch Up Disk series Nr.85

released in September 2003

The Type E is the mid-range RX-8 model for the japanese domestic market in 2003. It comes with 16in alloy wheels, a 4-speed automatic gearbox and the engine is rated at 154kW at 7200rpm with 222Nm of torque at 5000rpm.

This kit is identical to the Type S version, apart from new 16in wheels fitted with Pirelli P7 tires. The tires are actually only 15in in size, which makes for a tight fit on the 16in wheels. Better keep the finished model away from sunlight and warm places, because stretched tires tend to crumble in a couple of years time, especially when exposed to heat or UV rays.
Decals are also identical to those in the Type S kit, so the rev counter face plate displays a wrong red line and rev range for a Type E.
The box art and the cardboard insert inside the box again come with an actual photograph of a full-size RX-8 Type E, unfortunately this picture shows that Fujimi did not quite get the design for the 16in wheels right.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in white. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and a small tree with headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 Aero Type, Inch Up Disk series Nr.2

released in December 2003

This is basically the RX-8 Type S kit with an added set of parts for an aero kit. The new parts consist of a new front bumper with a separate intake lip, a rear wing and side skirts.
Also new is a shift knob boot for a manual transmission, it is added to the C-parts, so recent issues of the other RX-8 kits should now also contain this.
Decals are identical to the ones in the Type S kit, as are the wheels and tires.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in red. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small sprue containing the headlight clusters is now brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 Sports Prestige Limited, Inch Up Disk series Nr.71

released in May 2005

The Sports Prestige Limited edition is the highest spec version of the RX-8 in Japan for 2005. It is fitted with leather upholstry and comes painted in a special dark burgundy metallic color.
The painting instructions for the cabin interior deviate from the colors of the real Sports Prestige Limited edition: the steering wheel should be painted all satin black, and the seats should be all tan, without black side panels.
The kit includes the improved body with standard factory bumpers, the only new part is a small spoiler for the boot lid.
Decals are identical to the ones in the Type S kit, as are the wheels. Tires are Pirelli P-Zero.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in a shade of purple that closely matches the paint of the original car, do note that the plastic is a bit translucent, when left unpainted a coat of black paint on the inside of the body will improve its looks.
The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small sprue containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Some pictures of the actual car and its cabin interior can be found on a separate page.

Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, Inch Up Disk series Nr.ID-AQ

released in April 2004

This is a limited edition kit representing the hydrogen powered RX-8 concept car that was on display at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show.
The kit is basically the RX-8 Type S kit with an additional set of decals for the 'Hydrogen RE' markings.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in white. The wheels are satin aluminum plated (not brightly plated like the wheels on the full size car) and the small tree containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Some pictures of actual cars can be found on a separate page.

Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, Inch Up Disk series Nr.IDSPOT 64

released in August 2008

This is a limited edition rerelease of the kit representing the hydrogen powered RX-8 concept car.
This time the RX-8 Type S kit with improved body is used, the additional set of decals for the 'Hydrogen RE' markings is identical to the previous release.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in white. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small tree containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 GT-W Wing, GT-W Wing series Nr.10

released in May 2005

This is basically the RX-8 Sports Prestige Limited kit with the boot lid spoiler replaced with a set of parts for a GT-W Varis Alumi Type-S wing.
Decals are identical to the ones in the Type S kit, as are the wheels. Tires are Pirelli P-Zero.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in red. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small sprue containing the headlight clusters is now brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 Tamaki Kousaka (To Heart-2), Chara-deCar series Nr.1

released in March 2009

This is a limited edition kit representing an RX-8 Type S adorned with anime graphics.
The kit is basically the improved RX-8 Type S kit with a large additional set of decals for the 'To Heart-2' graphics.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in white. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small tree containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

VeilSide RX-8 Ver.1 Model (SE3P), Racing Star series Nr.3

released in September 2004

At first glance, this is just an RX-8 Type S kit with a set of skirts and spoilers, new wheels and flashy decals added, but a closer look reveals that Fujimi made some major improvements to the basic patterns as well:

• New plated reflectors for front and rear light clusters (on a new I parts tree, replacing the old B parts headlight reflectors) now accurately depict the Mazda designs.
• Revised clear G parts: the rear tail lights now have the correct style raised circular lenses and the shape of the head light covers is made lower, whilst the triangular rear fog light lens has been deleted.
• The body has been modified: the dividing line for the front bumper is now higher and the recesses for the front and rear lights are modified to accept the new reflectors.
• The old front and rear bumpers (C7 and C8) have been deleted and a new E parts tree is added with new front and rear bumpers and inserts for the vents on the front fenders.

It is likely that these improvements will also be carried over to later runs of the other RX-8 kits.
New parts specific to the VeilSide version are:

• A tree with VeilSide aero kit parts: raised rear wing, front lip spoiler, side skirts, door mirrors and inserts for the vents on the front fenders with twin horizontal strakes.
• 18in Andrew Baccarat wheels fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires. These wheels are not handed like the ones on the pictures on the box (four righthand side wheels are included in the kit) and are not aluminum plated either (a small slip of paper indicates that the wheels should be painted silver).
• Plated door mirror faces.
• A set of clear wind deflector strips for the doors.
• An additional decal sheet with various VeilSide graphics and badges for the wheel centers. The graphics for the sides are printed in white instead of silver as on the car on the pictures.

Apart from the VeilSide decals, the decal set from the RX-8 Type S kit is also included.
The box top and sides show various photographs of a full size RX-8 with this VeilSide kit fitted.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in red. In the first batch of kits the wheels were sprayed in a metallic black color, later kits come with satin aluminum plated wheels. The small trees containing the mirror faces and the light clusters are brightly aluminum plated.
An aluminum plated version of the Andrew Baccarat wheels is also available separately.

VeilSide RX-8 Ver.1 Model (SE3P), Inch Up Disc series Nr.138

released in May 2009

This is a rerelease of the same kit in the Racing Star series, the only differences are in the wheels, which are now handed and satin aluminum plated, and in the mesh for the front intake which is now made of steel.

Amemiya µ RX-8 ENKEI by Greddy, Racing Star series Nr.20

released in October 2004

Just like the VeilSide RX-8 listed above, this kit is based on the improved RX-8 patterns, but this time the stock bumpers are not included.
New parts in this kit are:

• A tree with Amemiya aero kit parts: large raised rear wing, front and rear bumpers with integrated spoilers and side skirts.
• 18in ENKEI Racing RP-03 wheels fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires. These wheels are painted metallic black, not aluminum plated.
• Plated intercooler face and twin exhaust tips.
• a pair of circular driving lights are added to the clear parts tree.
• An additional decal sheet with nice Amemiya 8-Turbo graphics for the sides, a number of parts maker decals and badges for the seatbacks and wheels. The parts maker decals are nicely printed in silver.

Apart from the Amemiya decals, the decal set from the RX-8 Type S kit is also included.
The box top shows a photograph of a full size Amemiya 8-Turbo.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in yellow. The wheels are sprayed in a metallic black color and the small trees containing the exhaust tips, intercooler face and the light clusters are brightly aluminum plated.
If you prefer factory plated ENKEI RP-03 wheels, these are available separately.

Images of actual cars fitted with this aero kit can be found on the RE Amemiya website: full aerokit and nose only.

Mazdaspeed RX-8 A-Spec Touring kit, Racing Star series Nr.21

released in December 2004

This kit is again based on the improved RX-8 patterns and just like the Amemiya kit listed above, the stock bumpers are not included.
New parts in this kit are:

• A tree with Mazdaspeed A-Spec aero kit parts: a double rear wing, front and rear bumpers with integrated spoilers, side skirts, twin exhaust tips and door mirrors.
• 18in Mazdaspeed MS-01Mag wheels fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires.
• A small sheet of black plastic mesh for the front intake.
• A small additional decal sheet with Mazdaspeed and A-Spec graphics for the doors, seatbacks and wheels and a pair of 'carbon print' decals for the B-pillars.

Apart from the Mazdaspeed decals, the decal set from the RX-8 Type S kit is also included.
The box top and side show photographs of a full size RX-8 with the Mazdaspeed A-Spec kit fitted.
Body and aerokit parts are molded in white, interior parts and chassis parts are molded in black. The wheels are molded in graphite colored plastic and the small tree containing the light clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Some pictures of the actual car can be found on a separate page.

Mazdaspeed RX-8 Version II, Racing Star series Nr.22

released in January 2005

This kit is the same as the Mazdaspeed RX-8 A-Spec listed above apart from:

• Stock Mazda 18in 5-spoke alloy wheels instead of the MS-01Mag wheels
  
• A tiny new set of decals with silver Mazdaspeed logos for the seats
  
• The instructions tell you to fit the stock door mirrors, but the Mazdaspeed mirrors are also included.
  

Apart from the Mazdaspeed decals, the decal set from the RX-8 Type S kit is also included.
The wheels are again fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires.
The box top shows a photograph of a full size Mazdaspeed RX-8 Version II.
Body and aerokit parts are molded in dark blue, interior parts and chassis parts are molded in black. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small tree containing the light clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Some pictures of the actual car can be found on a separate page.

Mazdaspeed RX-8 A-Spec Touring USA Custom, Inch Up Disc series Nr. ID-BA

released in September 2005

This is a limited release, based on the Mazdaspeed A-Spec kit listed above.
The only new item in this kit is a new set of decals with white racing stripes added. The small Mazdaspeed decal set is also included.
Body and aerokit parts are molded in dark blue, interior parts and chassis parts are molded in black. The MS-01 Mag wheels are molded in graphite colored plastic and the small tree containing the light clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 Patrol Car, Special Vehicles series Nr.11

released in April 2005

This kit was released before any RX-8 was used as a patrol car in Japan. Currently there are a few RX-8 patrol cars, but the ones I have seen are Type E versions. Fortunately Fujimi did include the right style lightbar and even the right prefecture name decals, so all you need is a set of Type E wheels to get this kit perfect.
The kit is basically the RX-8 Sport Prestige Limited kit without the rear spoiler and with a set of police car parts and decals added.
The police parts consist of transparent red parts for the V-shaped lightbar, front signal lights and a traffic control wand, brightly plated parts for the lightbar base and a set of white parts containing radio equipment, an additional door mirror, radar equipment, traffic cones, a policeman's helmet, a pair of handcuffs and a ticket book.
The signal lights for the nose require special attention as the base needs to be cut off at the right angle. no template is provided but the angle should be 30 degrees.
The clear parts also contain the wind deflector strips for the doors that can also be found in the VeilSide Ver.1 kit.
The usual Type S decals are included together with a set of police markings, the curved black patch on the nose and a tiny third set with golden police badges.
Wheels are standard 18in Mazda 5-spoke alloys fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE711 tires.
Body, interior parts and chassis parts are all molded in white. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small tree containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Mazda RX-8 Patrol Car, Highway Patrol series Nr.SP

released in March 2008

This is a limited release of the regular Highway Patrol RX-8 kit with new decals.
Apart from the decals, the new box art and a different type of mesh for the radiator intake, all parts are still the same.
Body and additional police parts are molded in white, interior parts and chassis parts are molded in black and the police light covers are molded in clear red. The wheels are satin aluminum plated and the small tree containing the headlight clusters is brightly aluminum plated.

Pictures of an actual RX-8 patrol car can be found on this Japanese Police Museum website.

Upgrade Parts for Fujimi Mazda RX-8 kits

ZoomOn Model "Mazda RX-8 Windows and lights painting masks" (cat nr. ZD070)

This set is made to fit the updated Fujimi RX-8 body and offers paint masks for all windows, head lights and tail lights.

ZoomOn Model "Mazda Metal Sticker" (cat nr. ZD028)

This is a set of self-adhesive metallic badges.
The set includes both Mazda emblems and RX-8 badges in various sizes.

Links to Car Sites

A great source of info on full-size RX-8 versions is the 'News Room' section of mazda.com, where high quality pictures and info on development and releases can be found.