Great sleuthing F1nutz! Now you also have the Narrow front optional parts, a selection of pinions and some other goodies that come in the Readyset.
As you mention, the great thing is that the Grp C bodies (and the Toyota GT One) are all interchangeable on the same chassis configuration (MR03-RWD-W-LM) provided you also use the recommended wheels for that body which will have the correct offsets. All of the Autoscale painted bodies come with the correct wheels, as does the Mercedes C9 white body kit. Unfortunately the Mazda 787B (and the Toyota GT One) white kit(s) do not. I haven’t been able to source (or order) a Porsche 962 white kit yet so I can’t comment if they do, but I suspect they don’t either. The Wide RWD chassis configuration, long wheelbase (102mm) and Low Motor mount with damper works really well out of the box too… and the slightly beefier front and rear tires look great too!
If you need to replace your tires DArt has identically sized urethane slick replacements for all of the Mini Z wheels (RWD, AWD, FWD):
- Z8.5L(40) – low profile narrow (8.5mm) width regular (20mm) diameter 40 shore (pair);
- Z11L(40) – low profile wide (11mm) width regular (20mm) diameter 40 shore (pair);
- Z8.5S(40) – regular profile narrow (8.5mm) width small (16mm) diameter 40 shore (pair); and
- Z11(40) – regular profile wide (11mm) width regular (20mm) diameter 40 shore (pair).
And the following slick sets (two pair):
- Z8.5S(40) & Z11(40) – set of 4 for Grp C; and
- Z8.5L(40) & Z11L(40) – set of 4 for GT and most other models.
$8/pair or $12/set
Unlike our slot car racing groups you can use any untreated tire in our Mini Z group (stock and aftermarket, any material, any compound). The new stock rubber tires that come with any new Mini Z work well on most surfaces so no need to upgrade right away.
The new Mazda 787B painted/assembled body comes right out of the box with the rear wing angled slightly (down on the passenger side) but this can be corrected with a little blueprinting. I also removed two dimples to allow the the wing to pivot slightly in case of a side impact (rather than crack) and I’m glad that I did.
The low mount motor case (just the part) that comes standard in the Mazda 787B Readyset is impossible to source, so if you purchase the more commonly available MM (mid mount motor case) that is standard on most RWD Readysets with a 98mm wheelbase (or smaller) you can nearly match the overall performance of the LM by adding your own damper plate. Anyone interested can take a look at the one I made for my McLaren Lark F1 GTR.
The Mazda 787B and Mercedes C9 white kits are still available – but I’m not sure for how long – before they become ‘unobtainium’ just like the Porsche 962…
Decals in 1:28 are also very rare so if you ever stumble across any make sure to hit the ‘buy’ button. I purchased an original set of ‘MZ’ decals for the Mazda I found in Japan (on a translated website that was extremely challenging to order from) for $16 but haven’t heard back from the seller about the cost of shipping (which is added on in a separate transaction) so we’ll see…
Nothing ventured, nothing gained – which makes finally running them just so much more rewarding… can’t wait till Saturday afternoon!!! See you then F1nutz!
The Happy Canadian Scale Modeler!
