ixo-MODELS
Series – Junior
PIX000023 – BLOCH MB - 152 C1.
Armee de l’Aire (Frenhce Air Force)
Die Cast
Scale 1:72
Released 2006
Condition Stock as issued
In 1934 Societe Des Avions Marcel Bloch entered in the competition for a new fighter design requested by French air ministry. The company didn’t win but still continued to work on the project, which for a while was unsuccessful, including a prototype that was unable to take off.
After that trial the company engineers totally redesigned the airframe and after successful service trials by CEMA of 150.01 prototype the design was found promising and 25 units were ordered as a preproduction series. However, it was discovered that the airframe was totally unsuitable for a mass production. Therefore the airframe was totally redesigned again.
The plane went into production as 151 C1 model powered by a new 14N-21 engine. Soon after the 152 model went into production. This model had a slightly more powerful 14N-25 engine and two 7.5mm machine guns (wings) were replaced with two 20mm Hispano Suiza machine cannons installation of which required a bulge beneath the wing.
A major order for 400 was placed by Armee de l’Aire, of which 340 were MB 152 and 60 151-C1. Production was a very slow pace, by November 1939 only 358 units had been produced but 157 of them didn’t have propellers. Also large numbers didn’t have gunsights. During the production cycle all together about 480 MB-152. C1 were built. Low-wings full metal monoplane with enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gears was armed with two 7.5mm machine guns in the cowling and two 20mm cannons in wings. Its max speed was 482 km/h; ceiling 10,000m; range 640km, wingspan 10.5m, length 9.1m.
In May 1940 France was invaded by Nazi Germany. Pure performance of Armee de l’Aire against Luftwaffe was mainly due to two major reasons. French air force had a large number of obsolete fighters and its inferior to Luftwaffe tactics. Luftwaffe was able to develop their tactics based on their combat experiences from the Spain Civil War.
Probably the biggest shortcoming of 151 and 152 was their engines that weren’t optimized for high altitude. Bf 109 E DB-601 engine was optimized for 5-6000 meters while Bloch’s Gnome Rhone 14N only up to 3000 m. Six fighter groups were formed with 151s and 152s during the Battle of France. Planes that survived the Battle served in the Vichy air force. After Vichy Air Force was disbanded planes were transferred to Romanian Air Force and flew against The Red Army of Russia.
