The MGB appeared in 1962 as a follow on to the MG A.  It was successful from the start, and went on to become one of the most successful sports cars in automotive history.   Over 512,000 cars were produced between 1962 and 1980.   The car was produced as both a roadster and as a GT coupe.  Roadster production outpaced the GT by roughly a 3:1 margin.    

There were five major series of the car—Marks I through III were produced between 1962 and 1974.  Then in 1975, the first of the “Black Bumper” cars appeared.  In 1977, the second black bumper version was introduced.  Production ended in 1980.  (Editor's note: The black bumper cars were built to meet US bumper requirements, doing nothing for the looks of the car. These cars also had the ride height raised due to those requirements making the later MGBs rather ill-handling cars. You can see from the box art how high these cars sit.)

This model of the roadster  was originally released in 1994. According to the box, this kit represents a 1978 model year MGB.   This makes it a car from the second series of the “Black Bumper” cars — model years 1976-1980.   It is part of Aoshima’s “Euro Sports Club” series—the box identifies it as #2 in the series.

Kit is molded in  multiple colors.   The body is molded in a dark green, while the chassis is molded in black.  There is a sprue of chrome parts.   The seats and other interior parts are molded in light gray.  There is also a small PE fret with the MG badges for the body.

The moldings all look very good, no flash or troublesome ejector pin marks. 

This is a “curbside” kit—there is no engine included, and the bonnet (hood) is molded closed.  The kit only includes parts to build a UK car, with right-hand drive.   The decals are for European license plates.  

One of the things I like about the kit is the option for the convertible top.  There are parts to built the model with the top up, or top down with the boot cover installed.   The top up piece is molded in clear, and includes the rear window.   Also, the kit includes a molded plastic tonneau cover, which covers the interior except for the drivers seat. 

According to the Hobby Link Japan website,  Aoshima also offered a 1967 MGB in the same series.   That kit builds a car with the older, lighter chrome bumpers.  Those are included with the kit, but identified in the instructions as unused parts.   It looks to me that by simply swapping the bumpers, you could build the earlier model car . 

 The instructions are printed in English and Japanese, and seem very clear.   The car is not a complicated vehicle, so it should be pretty easy to assemble. 

The kit includes  a small decal sheet.   There is one Euro style number plate, and a generic “MGB” plate.  There are also decals for some of the gauges on the dash.

I’ve always been a fan of British sports cars.   I used to own a Triumph, and I had friends with MGs.   As such,  I have a soft spot for these old cars—if this kit was widely available in the shops I certainly would have noticed it.    I suspect that these kits were not widely distributed in the USA. 

I got the kit from a vendor at a model show— I think I paid $5.  Given the age of the kit and the low price, I didn’t have high expectations.  But once I opened the kit and examined it—I was pleasantly surprised.  This is a nice little kit—if the fit is close to the quality of the moldings, it should be quite the little gem. 

As a comparison, the last sports car kit I built was the AMT Sunbeam Tiger.  Box to box, this is a noticeably nicer kit, albeit simpler, as it is curbside.

Highly recommended to MGB owners, and fans of British sports cars in general.     

Review kit courtesy of my wallet. 

There is ton of information about the MG available on the web.  I used this site as my primary reference:

 History of the MGB:     http://www.mymg.com/mgb.htm

Bill Michaels

October 2009