I don't deny that there are actual models - I deny their bearings on about anything (apart from the exemptions listed).
"the RBT wouldn't have MP in close combat" and "it's the war machine that attacks and wounds in close combat" This is obviously wrong: read the "Double Profile" paragraph p.108, it tells clearly that the servants are the ones doing the melee fight.
Let's have a look at the paragraph: "Zum Zwecke von Bewegung, Kampfgeschick, Ballistischer Fertigkeit, Stärke, Initiative, Attacken und Moralwert verwendest du stets den Profilwert der Besatzung." it's the first sentence of the paragraph, I won't translate it word by word, but it says, that for the listed profile values, you have to use the crew members values. That's it. Nothing in this paragraph "clearly tells" us, that the crew does the fighting.
On the other hand, we can read the following on p. 110. 5th paragraph, second sentence: "Wenn es an das Kämpfen geht, dann führt die Kriegsmaschine eine Anzahl von Attacken aus, die der Anzahl der überlebenden Besatzungsmitglieder entspricht, wobei deren Kampfgeschick, Stärke und Initiative verwendet wird.", look it up in English, if you may, my translation is as follows: "In close combat, the war machine attacks with a number of attacks corresponding to the number of living crew members using their WS, S and I stats."
Now please do tell, where does it say - RAW - that it is the crew that does the actual fighting - on the contrary, it is explicitly spelt out that it is the war machine that dishes out the attacks *using* the crew members (relevant) statline. (Please do quote the actual English paragraph for it may as well be possible that the German wording isn't up to snuff and I have to revoke everything I've said here. Unless this happens, my point stands.)
My point being after all: If we play the RAW game, we play it all along, or we (rather) don't and let models shooting weapons - be they RBT's or RXB's use their rules while doing so. Your argument leads to an elven crew that doesn't benefit of ASF and MP in melee. If that's your opinion on this, fine, and RAW I did even support it, but that's nothing I'd see hitting my gaming table.