Imagination and creativity are two hallmarks of the human animal. If we weren’t possessed of these two characteristics, our ancient ancestors wouldn’t have figured out how to harness fire, speak or develop metallurgy. In fact, without those twin virtues, there would be nothing even resembling human society as we know it at all. As a result, it is fair to say that most human endeavour stems from having the ability to imagine something, and the creativity to figure out how to make it come to pass.
These two traits are very important when it comes to aircraft design, as well, and were even more so at the forefront before the advent of computers and advanced simulation systems. During WWII, the adage “if it looks right, it flies right” generally seemed to be true, and the imaginations of the designers of the time seem almost boundless. This is seen in the large number of project aircraft that were proposed by all sides in that global conflict. Some were fairly conventional, and some were outlandish, and far beyond feasible given the technology of the times.
It can be argued that the German aircraft industry was almost schizophrenic in its approach to aircraft design; most of the products it turned out were largely conventional, but some of the concepts proposed were jaw-droppingly futuristic (Take the Ta-183, for example. At one point, the MiG-19 was portrayed as a clone of this aircraft!). As a result of this, a lot of the prototypes and project work undertaken by other powers, notably Britain, are either unknown or ignored. This is true in both published literature and in terms of available injection moulded kits. Thankfully, AZ Model has taken some positive steps to right this imbalance!
If it’s one thing that AZ can be lauded for, it’s the willingness to make kits of subjects that others either won’t touch or don’t even know about. AZ offers an extensive range of kits, and many are prototypes and “What-If” (henceforth shortened to “whif”) aircraft from a number of countries. Granted, whif kits are something of a niche market, but AZ is working hard to make sure it gets a big piece of the pie, and two of its newer offerings are sure to help with that considerably.
The aircraft in question is the M.B.6. AZ Model currently offers two versions of this aircraft, one night fighter (the “Night Ferret”) and the other a day fighter (the “Sky Ferret”). But wait, you say you don’t know what that is?. You’ve heard of the M.B.5, a project aircraft that was designed to yield a new fighter. This very Mustang-like creation never made it into service, but it was tested thoroughly. With counter-rotating props and wide-track landing gear, the M.B.5 was ahead of its contemporaries; it had a lot of horsepower and almost everything a successful fighter would need. It was likened, by a test pilot, to a combination of Spitfire and P-51; he said that it possessed the power of the American plane with the maneuverability of the British one.
The M.B.6, on the other hand, was never a real, flying, aircraft. In fact, the only references I can find to the M.B.6 show it as actually a project for a jet powered interceptor. However, this is where the imagination and creativity of AZ Models comes in. It’s one thing to make a kit of a prototype. Taking that to the next level is, of course, making a kit of a project; a “whif”. The next level after that, though, gets a bit foggy. It takes a special talent to “whif the whif”, especially when you’re a model-making company! However, that seems to be something of a modus operandi for the folks at AZ. This isn’t the first time they’ve taken a project aircraft and gone that one step further into the realm of the purely imaginary, and it likely won’t be the last.
Redefining Reality – A Slippery Slope:
In the minds of the designers at AZ, and apparently that of Mr. Jacek Jezak (whose work is credited on the opening page of the instruction manual), the M.B.6 was a two-seat derivative of the M.B.5. This craft, it seems, is optimized as a heavy fighter/night fighter variant, complete with wingtip tanks and a second crew station behind the pilot. Armed with four 20mm cannons, it seems that it was designed to undertake the roles of larger, previously multi-engined aircraft. I keep saying “seems”, because I can only make inferences based on what I see on the box. Still, as an evolution from the M.B.5, AZ’s M.B.6 is a soundly logical aircraft. It’s just not one you can look up in the history books!
This leads to the question of whether this model represents a What-If, an “extended What-If”, something more abstract, like an “alternatively historical aircraft”, or if the model just crosses into the realm of science fiction. As a person who likes to invent my own variants, and one who has “whiffed the whif” himself, I don’t really let this kind of thing bother me. Usually.
On the front page of the instructions there is a history of the M.B.6. Actually, it is almost entirely about the development of the M.B.5, and there are only a few lines discussing how the M.B.6 was a two-seat variant and that it “achieved some victories among the enemies” in the final stages of the war.
While I’m very liberal when it comes to Whifs, I have a problem with this description. The problem I have is that nowhere on the box or in the instructions does it seem to indicate that this aircraft is pure fantasy. This is a common issue for AZ models; they almost seem to want to rewrite history with their Whif kits. I’m not against alternate histories (I indulge in them myself) but what I am against is not telling people you’re doing presenting information as part of one. Given the severity of WWII, the loss of life and sacrifice of all those involved, I think it is in bad taste to represent a fantasy aircraft as something that was legitimately there. It confuses the uninitiated and serves to muddy the waters. I personally feel that Whiffery is fine, but that it MUST be accompanied by clear, repeated and obvious disclaimers that serve to inform those interested in the kit that it is indeed a fantasy, and that any information regarding it is not to be taken as real history.
As modellers, we’re also historians, to a degree. It is important for all model makers to remember this facet of the hobby, and to make sure that anyone buying a Whif kit understands what it is they’re getting. I’m not suggesting that there’s any purposeful or deliberate attempt to cause confusion in this case, in fact I’m sure it’s just the opposite. Still, oversights like this can have unforeseen consequences. However, I’m not here to preach, I’m here to build an interesting kit of a cool-looking plane. So I’ll get off my soapbox now and we can all enjoy the kit!
The Box:
Like all AZ boxes, the M.B.6’s box is full colour all around. On the front is a depiction of the aircraft in one of the three proposed colour schemes. This shows an anti-shipping aircraft flying over what is clearly a Pacific Theatre landscape. The palm trees, sandy beaches and verdant mountains breaking the clear blue sky in the background make for an idyllic, peaceful setting. This is contrasted by the purposefully pudgy M.B.6 powering into a climb while a Ki-46 “Dinah” is trailing smoke in the distance. It’s not clear that the Dinah’s damage is due to the main aircraft illustrated; in fact, it doesn’t look like it could be. The box art, like the facts surrounding the MB.6, is actually a bit confusing, story-wise. Still, it’s nice enough to make you pick up the kit and think: “What is this thing?”
The art itself has a very cartoony appearance in some ways. The trees and backgrounds are all more swishes of colour than actual renderings, and the almost overexposed colour tends to reduce the realism a bit. The fact that the shape of the MB.6 isn’t one familiar to most modellers is also a contributing factor. The MB.6 looks a little odd; a bit too chubby and slab-sided, maybe, and the proportions look a bit off – the tailplanes seem a bit large for the body.
On the back of the box is a full colour painting plan, as always. There are three schemes illustrated. The first is the aircraft show on the box, a Burma-based antishipping aircraft wearing what is called a “modified amoebe scheme”. With the blue-on-blue roundel and white spinner and stripes, this variant looks quite attractive. The second is a silver and orange aircraft that appears to be a trainer. However, the description purports this to be a participant in “Exercise Dagger”, from 1948, and claims that the orange panels are exercise markings. The final scheme is an aircraft from Coltishall in 1945, wearing a two-tone “air superiority” cammo. From these proposed paint schemes and their descriptions, the lines between What-Iffery and out-and-out alternative history are, if not totally eradicated, exceptionally heavily blurred.
The Kit:
In the box are three trees of medium-dark grey plastic, an instruction sheet, a decal sheet and a clear canopy. The first thing that hit me is that there were two fuselages! One of them is for the single seat M.B.5, the other for this kit. As is tradition with AZ kits, they don’t bother to leave out the parts you don’t need. That means that you usually get some interesting extras. In this case, you get a whole fuselage, as well as a different tail and a few other bits. If you like to Whif, then this thing has you covered in a couple of different ways! Your spares box even gets a boost, so there’s really nothing to complain about, on the surface, at least.
The parts are, by and large, fairly well cast. However, there is a bit of flash and the mould seams are heavy on almost all parts. While everything has recessed panel lines, they are a bit uneven in depth and clarity, although they are nice and straight. Everything as a feel of ‘rough quality’ that is tough to describe. The low part count and overall simplicity are clear marks of a short-run kit, but the variety of decals and the surface detail is better than you might expect from a short-run maker producing a kit of a plane that never existed until they dreamed it up!
There’s a nice instrument panel for the front cockpit, and this has detail moulded right into it. There’s no PE or resin in this kit, and for those looking to add detail, any WWII British subject would likely be a good donor in this enterprise. The landing gear is simple but sturdy looking, and there are full landing gear bays for the wings. This already makes the kit a far-cry better than the Matchbox Spitfire IX/XVI. It’s interesting to note that the second set of tailplanes are MUCH bigger than those for the single-seat version of the plane. In this case, I guess the weird box art was right!
While the kit has a certain crudity about it in some respects, it clearly aspires to be, if not great, at least very good. There are a few exceptions to this, though. One is the propellers. They are, to put it slangily: “janky as f…” Man, these are crude! The blades are moulded to the centre hub/spinner, which is great, as I do so hate separate blades at 1/72. However, there are large lumps of extra plastic near the bases of the blades. It’s not flash, because it’s regular. It’s just large, fairly awful, grossly inaccurate extra material. It’s like getting a piece of KFC with a tumour attached to it, or having a K-Car with a Continental Kit; it’s just… wrong. I do expect better, and this is going to require some cleanup!
Because it’s a short-run kit, this little guy also has NO locating pins. Now, since this isn’t a big kit, you’re not wrong in thinking “No big deal” on that. However, I am fairly certain, having built a couple of other AZs, that you’re going to want to rectify that. I’m willing to bet there will be some significant sanding on this bird, and having the fuselage secured will help. I’m also not a big fan of the butt joints for the wings… seems like an invitation to trouble. I like wings that actively slot into place somehow, so another mod is likely going to be needed here.
The canopy is okay. The frame lines are a bit soft, and will have to be rescribed. (Oh fun! My favourite! Etching “glass”!) It’s not exactly thin and distortion-free, but it’s not as thick as as some Matchboxes I can think of. The canopy is moulded closed, so if you want it open, you’re going to have to cut it yourself.
Decals and Instructions:
The instructions are simple and well-illustrated, and there are only 16 steps to building this model. It looks easy. I worry, again from experience, that the instructions make this model look easier to build than it might be. One thing I must comment on, though, is the inconsistency with which AZ represents the wingtip tanks. On the box, and in most of the instructions, they are correctly shown on the ends of the wings, like those on Cavalier Mustangs and T-33s. However, at the top of the instructions, they are shown under the wings, inside of the tips, as if they were a regular store. This isn’t an option.
The tip tanks may prove troublesome, and for a WWII or “RAF ‘46” look, I think they should be left off. This kind of fuel carriage was not done in the war, and in fact, tip-tanks are not a “British thing” at all. They preferred underwing, and “slipper” type tanks, and that continued through to the Buccaneer! So, while the tip tanks look great, they don’t have to go on, despite not being listed as an option.
The decal sheet is nice, and it’s a treat to have the “blue on blue” roundels. There aren’t any stencils, but if you’ve got a new Airfix Defiant or Spitfire, I’m sure that you can rustle up a few spares from them to do the job, should that be your thing (it isn’t mine). I generally find AZ decals to be decent, although you might have some that tend to curl on themselves. Just be careful.
Conclusions:
While the MB.6 was never a real plane, at least not in this form, I can’t say that AZ’s rather imaginative rendering doesn’t do it justice. While it is a “whif of a whif”, the AZ kit presents well, and because it’s not too far out, it actually looks more realistic than some real, yet weird planes, like the Westland Wyvern or Ryan Fireball. (Yes, I have kits of both of those, of course!)
At first look, the MB.6 seems like it is a great model for a beginner. It has a relatively low piece count and very few “fiddly bits”. However, that may not be the case. AZs can deceive with simplicity, and in order to get the most out of it, I think some experienced hands will be required.That doesn’t mean this isn’t going to be good as a “mentor/student” exercise, but I think there’s the potential for the kit to become a bit frustrating for tyros. Heck, removing those pour stubs, slag balls, tumours, whatever-you-want-to-call-them on the prop blades alone will require a deft touch!
Still, all things considered, he AZ MB.6 does tick all the right boxes, with sufficient, and sufficiently fine, surface detail in most spots, a passably busy cockpit, and enough what-iffing options to fuel even the most jaded imagination!
The best part is that even if “whiffing” isn’t your thing, the MB.6 looks so much like other planes that maybe it won’t put you off. If, like me, you do like a good What-If, then this model delivers in spades. It’s one of those that will have people doing a double take, trying to figure out what it is, or rather, isn’t! That’s got to be worth something, right? So, if you see one, and you want to stretch the boundaries a bit, go for it! What have you got to lose?
The Sprue Lagoon 