Fanderson Maxi Metal Fireball XL5 Review

We bought this model from Fanderson in 2004.
This Fireball XL5 model is about 5" long and is made of white metal. The model is fully painted. At first glance this looks to be a very good Fireball miniature. Unlike the Konami model, this has a brighter, silver finish and the portholes are in the correct 2-3-2 arrangement. The model is very nicely made with a good deal of accurate-looking detail.

There are a few design flaws and compromises though. There are no rocket nozzles on Junior's fins - probably due to the nature of the white metal. The wing pods are strangely thin in cross-section and there are vestigial pegs visible on the outer surfaces where I presume they were pinned onto the wings.
Canopy girder detail is minimal, there being only one 'hoop', but this does not look bad. The 'glass' effect is very well done and works surprisingly well.

Sadly the finish isn't what it could have been on this model. There's a yellow paint splash on the fuselage and the silver paint appears to have been applied far too thickly, obscuring some detail and running in places. The XL5 strip decals are misaligned, being too far down the tail fin and so there's a gap at the rear. If only a little more care had been taken with the finish this would have been an excellent model. It has a rather scruffy and amateur air that shows a lack of quality control in the manufacturing process.
So I'm afraid this little ship is spoiled for the proverbial ha'porth of tar.

Another problem with this model is that it has no display base. I suspect the metal will bend and eventually break if it's left lying flat for long. A few years ago this same model was released complete with a launch rail and launch trolly display stand - but that appears to have been scrapped for this release. Still, there are so few XL5 models around, I think we have to forgive most of the faults.

Konami Fireball and Maxi Metal Fireball
Maxi Metal Fireball XL5 and Konami Fireball XL5

The Maxi Metal Fireball XL5 is on the right.
Konami incorrectly coloured the XL5 lettering on Junior white, and also messed up the porthole arrangement - Fanderson got those details right.
Many colour publicity photos taken after the show finished were of hastily constructed stand-ins since the original studio models were lost or destroyed. This has led to many such mistakes over how Fireball XL5 should look.

Maxi Metal Fireball XL5

Fanderson Maxi Metal Fireball XL5

Overall this is a great little model. Pity a bit more care was not taken in the final stages of production.
I think this Fireball XL5 model is a lot more attractive than it's Konami counterpart though it loses out on play value due to not having a detachable Fireball Junior. The weight of the model enhances it's appeal.
The rather careless painting and decaling together with the lack of a display stand gives the model an unfortunate incomplete appearance. I hope Fanderson can fix some of these issues in the future.

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