Hi Brad:
It is similar to a European. HOWEVER, if your friend has used the MB 164 (the pen in your photo), he will likely be VERY disappointed in the writing performance of a "kit" European. MOST, if not all of the "kit" Europeans use Cross style BP refills. EVEN THE BEST QUALITY Cross sized refills will NOT perform as well as the Mont Blanc.
In this situation, I would make a Perfect Fit Convertible (Berea). The Perfect Fit uses a Parker style refill or a Schmidt .05 or .07 pencil mechanism without modification. I make and sell between 300-400 of these per year. I DO make a domed top to replace the standard "flat top" Perfect fit top, and customized the center band. THEN, we load the PF with a Private Reserve EZ FLOW refill.
I collect MBs, so we then let the customer compare the Perfect to the MB 164. The perfect outperforms the MB in every category, it writes better, the transmission is smoother, and the Rhodium or Gold TN finishes hold up better than the MB.
Needless to say, we call these the Mont Blanc Slayers.
Respectfully submitted.