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Special Hobby 1/48 IMAM (Romeo) Ro.37 A30 Lince (Lynx) by Vince Fiore |
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This airplane appeared in 1934. It was a reconnaissance plane and for many years served as standard
equipment in observation units. During the war and particularly on the African front, the plane was used
in other roles, including tactical support and fighter duty. The biplane had a composite structure of wood and
metal. It was a two-seater armed with one or two fixed machine guns and a movable gun in the rear cockpit. Two
different engines were used in the production models: the 550 hp Fiat A.30 RA 12-cylinder V engine in the
first version of the plane; and then the 560 hp Piaggio P.IX radial in the 37bis model. The plane first saw operational duty during the Spanish Civil War, and during the Second World War the Ro 37 saw duty on nearly all fronts except for Russia and the English Channel. The plane was also exported to Afghanistan, Ecuador, Hungary and Uruguay 1936-38. A Ro.37bis is on display at the Museum of Volandia at Malpensa and is the only complete example of this plane, its relics recovered in Afghanistan in 2006 by the Italian armed forces operating in the area. The markings of the plane at Malpensa belong to the Duke of Aosta of 110 Sq. at Addis Abeba. Source: [1] Angelucci E. and P. Matricardi, "World Aircraft - World War II - Part I", Sampson Low, Bershire House, UK, 1978
25a Sq. was detached to Jesi for operations against France, under XV Corpo d'Armata, with ten aircraft operational. On 11 June 1940 25a Sq. left for 72o Gruppo at Villanova d'Albenga. The following month found 115a Sq. in Libya, having been joined by 33a Sq. from 61o Gruppo on 1 July. 115a Sq. was busy during the advance on Sidi Barrani, returning to Mellaha in October to receive twenty Ca 310s. These were not in operational condition and only a few were used. In early January 1941 five Ca 310s and some Ro 37s were sent with 33a Sq. to Tobruk. Moving to Derna on the 6th, the unit lost several aircraft to the strafing RAF. Five days later 33a Sq. was at Apollonia with a section at Tobruk T5. There followed a rapid series of moves: Soluch on 28 January, El Agheila on 4 February, Tamet on the 5th, Misurata on the 7th, and the evacuation of Cirenaica on the 9th. This was typical of the chaotic situation at the time. Wear and tear on the crews and aircraft reduced efficiency to almost nil. 115a Sq. used its Ro 37bis during the spring offensive, but on 7 August the crews began returning to Italy. The aircraft were left in Libya for other units to use. On 31 December an Ro 63 was transferred from 30 to 129 Sq at Tamet. The latter had replaced 33a Sq. and stayed in Libya when the Gruppo returned to Italy in February 1942. 132a Sq. joined in anuary while based at Ain El Gazala. The Gruppo disbanded on 10 February and the surviving Ro 37s were collected at Sorman and transferred to the Balkans. Between March and May some of the pilots retrained on CR 42s and formed 158o Gruppo Assalto at Sorman. The observers were passed to the RST units. The Gruppo reformed by August 1942 with 115a Sq., being part of 19o Stormo. It carried out convoy escorts and anti-submarine duties over the Alto Tirreno. Source: [2] Dunning C., "Courage Alone: The Italian Airforce 1940-1943", Hikoki Publuications, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2009
Courage Alone: The Italian Airforce 1940-1943
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This is the Special Hobby - IMAM (Romeo) Ro.37 A30 engine - 1/48 - SH48183.
Special Hobby - IMAM (Romeo) Ro.37 A30 engine - 1/48 - SH48183
115-3, M.M.11115, 115a Squadriglia, 67o Gruppo O.A., Regia Aeronautica,
Bologna-Borgo Panigale, November 1938. I built this kit a couple of years ago. Like all Special Hobby kits, it is not an easy build. In reality, it is a difficult kit. I sent away for the inline engine version.
What you get is the radial version. The kit has a resign inline version REPLACEMENT. You must cut off the radial version front of the fuselage and replace it with the resin inline part.
You have to be very careful with measuring and cutting. Now that you have the resign inline part in place, the filling and sanding begin. All this is quite a task. Now the hard build begins.
The interior build is difficult, to say the least. I built the kit but left the top wing off because, which wasn't the wisest thing to do since I chose this paint patten that added
an extra degree of difficulty. A couple of times I had to take a break from it, in fact, I almost threw it in the bin. Paint used was MRP lacquer. The antenna is E Z line. Recommended
for advanced modellers only.
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Aircraft: Meridionali Ro. 37 Manufacturer: S.A. Industrie Meccaniche & Aerondutiche Meridionali (I.M.A.M.) Type: Reconnaissance Year: 1935 Engine: FIAT A.30 RA, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled, 550hp Wingspan: 36 ft 4 in (11.08m) Length: 28 ft 3 in (8.62 m) Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.95 m) Weight: 5,269 lb (2,390 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 202 mph (325 km/h) Ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,700 m) Range: 726 miles (1,168 km) Armament: 2-3 machine guns Crew: 2 |
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