Progress has been slow on the 787 for too long, but my confidence and enthusiasm are restored, and it is now back on the bench. I completed the gearbox oil cooler yesterday, and here is a quick photo of it as an excuse to post and wish everyone who follows or reads this blog a load of fun whatever you celebrate at this time and a very happy new year.
Building the Model Factory Hiro 1/12 Mazda 787B 
hi i have just started to build one of these kits can you give me any tips on the soldering process please
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Hi Mel,
I’m not soldering, just using super glue so far. Can’t help, sorry!
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It’s looking great! Can’t wait to more progress.
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Thanks Jerry – hopefully more to come soon.
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Hi there Gary
I started the MFH 787 in September and I am closing in on the finish line now. Thank you so much for allowing me to look at your photos.
I find that the nearer the end I get with these models, the more nervous I get. Indeed I often have to really drive myself to keep going back to it. I think in my case it is because so often the end of the build is something of an anticlimax as my hopes of an almost perfect look get slightly dashed!
In the last couple of years I have built the 917K, 956 and XJR-9 and in every case, I hit a major snag in the final stages. In the 917K, the doors proved to be impossible to operate or even fit without extensive modification. In the 956 the centre of the monocoque carrying the radiators is all centred on a very small framework which largely collapsed leaving a huge amount of filling and tidying up. With the Jag, I couldnt get the rear bodywork to sit properly in line with the rest of the car.
Anyway, re the 787, I built the engine and gearbox first and I found the engine fitted together really well – although getting the right engine pieces to fit together in the right order was not easy! Cockpit and gearbox areas all worked well – but there was a huge amount ofd CF decal work to do. Why didnt they put a sheet in with the model like they do with other kits?? Much of the rest of the resin body pieces fitted really nicely – which was a nice surprise.
My front bodywork fits perfectly and whilst the doors arent perfect, I think they will fit although I am nervous about the lower links which look as if they are the same effective design as the Jaguar – in which case the little “pins” pull themseles out of the bodywork as soon as you try to open the door! I have a plan to try and combat this but I bet it wont work.
My rear deck doesnt fit the central monocoque perfectly but compared to the other models, I dont think it is too bad. I tried putting micro-magnets on both sides of the join but they havent been strong enough but the pins through the sidewalls do seem to hold it in place pretty accurately. Nevertheless, there will be a small “seam” which I am sad about.
The colour scheme is a real challenge and I followed your lead by decalling/clearcoating the centre section on its own as the thought of masking the scheme over the whole car looked almost impossible. I didnt get the intersection point between green and orange in th ecentre of the door sides in precisely the right spot which meant hours of remedial work. Luckily the orange decals from the 917K (I sprayed a lot of the orange on that car) are a good match for the orange on the Mazda. I was therefore able to cut little triangles in order to get a better pattern before adding the Renown letters.
So here we are. I have the wiring/piping around the engine bay to go, then the headlight which are always more complicated than they look! Then I have to cut out the headlight covers, door and windscreen transparencies before then attaching the doors and doing final details like the antennae, PE parts and then I am done. It all sounds so simple…
I wish I had your patience! Do you do other projects at the same time or do you leave the hobby altogether for periods to go and do other things? I rather feel that I should try to do that as I find I start to obsess about tiny details.
Good luck with your final build-up. What section did you find the hardest?
Happy New Year
HUGO PRING
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Hi Hugo,
Thanks for leaving a comment, and the pointers about the body fitting. This is my first MFH kit so I’m learning as I go along. I’l be looking to get the front and rear covers to fit, but the odds are I will display it with them off so it’s not vital. The same goes for the doors. If I can get them to work that will be a good result, but I’m happy to have both open if necessary.
I spend at least an hour evey day in my shed, but sometimes I don’t do anything but a little bit of research or watch some motorsport. It’s a great place to relax. I have too many projects on the go, and just took a year off the Mazda to work on those due to the issues I was having. My main area of interest is the Falklands War and I model all sorts of subjects from that time. You can see some of them at Latibuliser.com if you’re interested.
Thanks again, and have a great new year,
Gareth
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