Azur/FRROM 1/72 Bloch MB.210

The Bloch MB.210 and MB.211 were the successors of the French Bloch MB.200 bomber developed by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the 1930s and differed primarily in being low wing monoplanes rather than high wing monoplanes.

In September 1939, the Bloch MB.210 equipped 12 bomber units of the Armée de l'Air. At the time of Nazi Germany's attack on France in spring 1940, these squadrons were in the middle of a restructuring aimed at removing outdated aircraft from the front line. Up to the armistice on 25 June of the same year, the MB.210 was used still for nighttime bombing missions and shifted then to North Africa.

Back in 1967, Heller released a Bloch MB.210 as part of its program of providing kits of French WWII aircraft. I went through a Heller phase and the 210 was one of the kits that I built in the late 1970s. I was surprised when I read that Azur/FRROM would be producing a new tool kit of this aircraft, but am glad they have. Though not a difficult build, the Heller kit is fairly crude by modern standards.

As I'm sure you are aware, Azur/FRROM is part of the overall CMR group of companies that includes MPM and Special Hobby so this kit could technically be considered a short run kit, but it is more mainstream than their earlier releases. There are areas where the kit has pin and socket join surfaces, with those features being fairly tiny. This is a wise move as it prevents any issues of sink areas opposite these features.

The kit does include a photo etch fret that encompasses the bomb fins, flight control actuating arms, and some interior levers. There is also a small bag that contains two 3D printed exhaust. The kit does incorporate some options. One is a different nose bomb aimer's doors that can be posed open or closed. The other are the engines. One option has a clean cowling with collector exhaust (this one uses the 3D exhaust tips), while the other has an ejector exhaust with a lower carb intake scoop.

The interior detail is extensive with a well appointed bombardier's position, pilot position, and radio room. Just from the look of things, it seems there will be some 'modeling for God' as it would be difficult to see some of this detail. The boxy fuselage will make assembly quite straight-forward when it comes to attaching the four fuselage sections together.

The bomber has extensive glazing so quite a bit of time will be used masking all the various transparencies. With a kit this new, it will be a while before anyone produces a masking set for it. The kit provides a sturdy spar to help with wing alignment. Undercarriage is well done and suitably sturdy looking. All the ordnance is carried externally with centerline and wing racks to hold a variety of bomb sizes.

Instructions are well done with three markings options. All the options are an overall khaki green with aluminum engine cowlings and forward nacelles. Note that the props are bare metal with black backsides. The box art plane with GB I/19 in July 1938. Next is a GB II/23 at Toulouse in 1939, while the third option is a GB II/19 plane at Bordeaux in 1937. The decals are well done and appear fairly thin. 

It is nice to see a modern tooling of this important pre-war French bomber. It would be nice if Azur/FRROM would do some of the other French bombers of that era, though I'm sure it is all based on how well this one sells.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloch_MB.210  

December 2024

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