Martin Baker M.B.6 “Night Ferret” by AZ Model
1/72 scale
Kit No. AZ 7581
Cost: $21.99
Decals: Three versions, all Royal Air Force (British equivalent of Luft’ 46)
Comments: Engraved panel lines; one-piece canopy; detailed landing gear and cockpit with separate parts for sidewalls, instrument panel, control yoke, rudder pedals, bucket seat, and radio; boxed-in wheel wells featuring raised detail; two three-bladed propellers for air screw assembly
History
The Martin-Baker M.B. 6 was a two-seat variant of an advanced prototype fighter, the M.B. 5, which was conceived at the height of World War II and took its maiden flight on May 23, 1944 — barely two weeks before the Allied invasion of Normandy. The M.B. 5 was an advanced piston-engined design which never entered production, despite what test pilots described as excellent performance. The M.B. 6 never left the drafting board, but was to have been the night fighter variant, hence its unofficial name “Night Ferret.”
Martin-Baker Aircraft began work on the design in response to Air Ministry Specification F.18/39 for an agile, sturdy fighter capable of speeds in excess of 400 mph. The first flying prototype, the M.B. 3, crashed during a test fight on September 12, 1942 after its engine seized, killing test pilot Valentine Baker, a twice decorated veteran of World War I and co-founder of Martin-Baker Aircraft (Baker’s death affected his partner James Martin deeply, to the degree that pilot safety became Martin’s primary focus and led to the reorganization of the company and ultimately the development of the world-renowned Martin-Baker ejection seats).
A redesigned aircraft, designated M.B. 5, used wings similar to the MB 3, but had an entirely new steel-tube fuselage. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon 83 liquid-cooled V-12 engine, producing 2,340 hp (1,745 kW) and driving two three-bladed contra-rotating propellers. A small scoop under the spinner brought in air to the Griffon’s two-speed, two-stage supercharger. Armament was four 20mm Hispano cannon, mounted in the wings outboard of the widely spaced retractable undercarriage. A key feature of the design was ease of manufacture and maintenance: much of the structure was box-like, favoring straight lines and simple configuration.
Construction of the MB5 started in 1943, with major components of the second MB3 prototype being used in the MB5. Work was delayed because of other war production with which Martin-Baker was involved. In addition, Martin continued to refine and tinker with the M.B. 5’s design, much to the frustration of the Air Ministry. However, perhaps in light of the death of Val Baker, the Air Ministry concluded that Martin was going to do whatever he thought was right and that the best course of action was to leave him alone.
For some reason two fuselages are provided with this kit. It is not clear why, as they appear to be identical.
When ready, the M.B. 5 was disassembled and trucked to RAF Harwell, where Rotol test pilot Brian Greensted was loaned out to fly it. Greensted initially was not overly impressed with the aircraft’s first flight, because the M.B.5 exhibited directional instability; in fact, he said it “was an absolute swine to fly.” Martin listened intently to Greensted’s comments and immediately went to work on a solution. The increased blade area of the contra-rotating propellers had a destabilizing effect when coupled with the M.B. 3 tail that was originally used on the M.B. 5. To resolve the issue, Martin designed a taller vertical stabilizer and rudder, which were fitted to the M.B. 5. The change took six months for Martin to implement, but when Greensted flew the aircraft, he was impressed by its performance and handling.
Afterward, test pilots considered the M.B. 5’s performance outstanding, and the cockpit layout was praised by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE). Access to the fuselage interior was excellent due to a system of detachable panels. A leading test pilot of the day, Captain Eric Brown, RN, praised the design in 1948, saying “In my opinion this is an outstanding aircraft, particularly in light of the fact that it made its maiden flight as early as 23rd May 1944.”
Acknowledged as one of the best aerobatic pilots in the U.K., Squadron Leader Janusz Zurakowski from the A&AEE at Boscome Down (who would later be one of a handful to of test pilots to fly the Avro CF-105 Arrow) gave a spectacular display at the Farnborough Air Show in 1946 in the M.B. 5, a design he considered a superlative piston-engined aircraft, better in many ways than the Spitfire.
Serial production, had it been authorized, would have begun in time for squadron service over Germany during WWII. Instead, the RAF directed its attention to jet-powered fighters and the MB 5 remained unordered. Perhaps one of the reasons that the MB 5 did not go into production, was because the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine failed when the MB 5 was being demonstrated to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Chief of the Air Staff and a host of other VIPs at an important display of British and captured German aircraft at Farnborough. This combination of bad luck and advancing aviation technology relegated the M.B. 5 to history.
While the AZ Models instructions claim that the M.B. 6 saw action in the latter stages of WWII in the nightfighter role, achieving some victories, no historical evidence has been found to support this claim, and multiple sources have repeatedly identified the M.B. 6 as a “project” rather than a type in operational service — stories of the latter appear to be the stuff of Luft ’46 fantasies — albeit with a British twist.
AZ Models makes two versions of the M.B. 6, and packaged my example with the day fighter markings for some reason. An email to inquire about acquiring the appropriate decals received no answer.
The Kit
AZ Models Martin-Baker M.B. 6 night fighter is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 70 parts. The kit features engraved panel lines and nice recessed rivet detail. The cockpit assembly is rather detailed, with a bucket seat, instrument panel, control yoke, rudder pedals, and separate sidewalls that help form a cockpit tub assembly. The finishing touch is a rear seat and instrument panel for the radar operator since the M.B. 6 was to have been a night fighter.
There are separate parts forming the sides of the wheel wells that must be cemented to the interior of the lower wings before they are cemented to the upper halves, as well as parts for the four 20mm Hispano gun barrels (although some modelers may want to replace them with aftermarket metal barrels, such as those available from Master Models (Kit No. Am-72-116)).
The main landing gear are unusually detailed for 1/72 scale, as they each consist of five parts (main strut, support strut, wheel, and two parts for the gear door. The instructions include helpful illustrations displaying the proper angle for the landing gear from head-on and side views. The contra-rotating propellers consist of two different three-bladed propellers which are cemented together to form the airscrew. The one-piece bubble canopy unfortunately does not allow for cockpit display. There are two pods for the wingtips which are likely auxiliary tip tanks for additional fuel to extend the M.B. 6’s range and loiter time — essential for a night fighter.
Markings
The decals have realistic color and are perfectly in register – there should be no need to resort to aftermarket examples. However, they bear absolutely no relation to the letter codes displayed for any of the three versions on the back of the kit box. The reason is that AZ Models manufactures two different versions of the M.B. 6, a “Sky Ferret” F Mk I day fighter, and a “Night Ferret” NF Mk. I night fighter. My Night Ferret apparently left the factory with the Sky Ferret decals in the box.
Each of the Night Ferret’s markings is accompanied by a fictional legend for each version. The first, with red code letters “GEW” appears in a scheme of Ocean Grey and Dark Green over Black, with a Black spinner, and is assigned to No. 307 (City of Lwow) Squadron, operating over Hungary in later 1945; the second, in a scheme of Light Grey over Black with a red spinner, red code letters “BLK” is with No. 87 Squadron based at RAF Coltishall, Winter 1945; the third version is in overall Black with a Blue spinner, grey code letters “PWM” and is based at Geilenkirchen airfield, and is part of the Czechoslovak occupation contingent in Germany, late 1945.
References
- http://military.wikia.com/wiki/Martin-Baker
- www.wikipedia.org
- https://oldmachinepress.com/2017/06/20/martin-baker-mb5-fighter/
The Martin Baker M.B.5, immediate ancestor of the “Night Ferret,” beginning a test flight.