Fiat BR 20 colors

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Seagladiator
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Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Seagladiator » Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:21 am

Hello,

It's my first time here and i would like to know you have any photo or drawing of an Br 20 in Albanian campaign. I would like to build a vintage kit from Italaerei which has decals from the 276 squadrilia - 116 BT. The box art of the kit shows two type of green on the upper face .. but i would like to have a confirmation about that.

Thank you !

Bernard

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Photos Of My Two-Tone Green 277 Squadriglia BR.20...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:51 pm

Seagladiator wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:21 am
It's my first time here and i would like to know you have any photo or drawing of an Br 20 in Albanian campaign. I would like to build a vintage kit from Italaerei which has decals from the 276 squadrilia - 116 BT. The box art of the kit shows two type of green on the upper face .. but i would like to have a confirmation about that.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Far as I know it was a "for real" BR.20 schema, built my "greenie" in 2007 by the way. The obverse prop blades are painted Testors Flat Aluminum, many later read Regia Aeronautica Italiana specs called for them to painted a color close to German RLM 65 Hellblau. Am currently using Testors Model Master 2078 RLM 65 enamels, are longer available, identical Model Master Acryl 4778 RLM 65 Acrylic is readily available.
Last edited by RetiredInKalifornia on Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Editor » Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:47 pm

Welcome to Stormo!

The Italaerei 1/72 Fiat BR.20 No.103 is a very old kit (1972) but still builds up into a nice model, see Richard Mendes' builds in the Gallery. Italeri reissued this kit as part of their Vintage series not long ago. The kit comes with original elongated rectangular instructions, original sprues in an organy-cream color of the period and original decals. The decal options include one Fiat BR.20, 276 Sq. BT, 116o Gruppo BT, 37 Stormo BT 276-6, Albania, January 1941 and a Fiat BR.20M, 4 Sq. BT, 11 Gruppo BT, 13 Stormo BT, 4-1, Belgium September 1940.

116o Gruppo BT (276a Sq, 277a Sq), 37o Stormo was formed in October 1940 for operations over Yugoslavia and Greece from its base in Lecce-Galatina in the heel of Italy. It initially used a mix of BR.20s and BR.20Ms. After the land campaigns ended, the unit flew escort and reconnaissance missions over the adjacent seas. In October 1941 the unit moved to Sicily for night operations over Malta and stayed there until the end of 1942.

Below are two scans of BR.20Ms of 276a Sq and 277a Sq. I don't have photos of 276a Sq BR.20s, but I'll look around for a photo of 276-6. The CMPR indicates that Fiat BR.20s used both the C2 (Giallo mimetico base) often seen on BR.20s in Spain and C3 (Verde mimetico base) camo schemes - very rare and I'm not aware of any photos of these planes. C2/C3 camo schemes are in the Stormo Color Guide
CMPR Camouflage Schemes. In the first scan, Fiat BR.20Ms of 276a Sq are finished in the three tone camo scheme C1A/C1B, this can be seen in the second scan, in the top most photo on the wing of the plane the photograph is taken, the three tone color scheme is clearly visible. The aircraft nearest the camera is however painted in the C2 camo scheme - this is a 277a Sq machine of 13o Gruppo.

Image

Image

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The Italaerei/Italeri FIAT BR.20 Model Kit...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:53 pm

...love-hate relationship I'd had with it, wasn't building when it first debut, built an already had been resold at least once Italaerei kit in 1980 sprayed two-tone green with Testors Model Master "Italian Air Force" enamels, this before I'd read about Giorgio Apostolo's "by-eye" Mimetico & Tavola X Humbrol paint mixes based on the 1977 CMPR color charts in an IPMS-USA monthly.

This was the absolute very first "authoritative" information I'd obtained regarding painting Regia Aeronautica Italiana aircraft, few years later made my own spray painted-on charts of the CMPR colors, were my references for years till mailing them to a Russian modeler c.1993-94 after I'd "quit" modeling. Thanks to the Internet was able to retrieve this information and much more, STORMO Magazine's Color Guides included.

This year next month by the way marks 30 years ago I'd made these models all per Apostolo's paint formulas:

Image

Image

The display case fabricated at the time when the models were built also has weathered well sitting 16 years undisturbed on the late folk's house never used north fireplace hearth before being moved onto display racks in my bedroom.

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Editor » Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:15 pm

Some more photos:

1) Profile Publications No.110, this is where Italaerei got the two profiles from, the top two profiles 276-6 and 4-1 (before Belgium). This is a very old reference and probably not reliable.
2) ADI 25, BR.20Ms of 276 Sq. and 277 Sq. with and without the white theater bands over Albania. 3rd photo in the scan, the BR.20M in the background is 276-6 (the right side (aft) of 276-2), note the placement of the squadron and individual aircraft number relative to the white band.

It appears as if the Profile Publications confused 276-6 BR.20 with a BR.20M. Also, although the photos are darker, I think the camo schemes are the three tone C1A/C1B Giallo Mimetico types.

Image

Image

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Seagladiator » Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:26 am

Thank you very much for your kind answers.

I will follow your instructions. I will publish here "the step by step " construction of the kit. If you want, i also can show you what i already did wearing Italian markings.

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Re: Photos Of My Two-Tone Green 277 Squadriglia BR.20...

Post by Seagladiator » Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:26 am

RetiredInKalifornia wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:51 pm
Seagladiator wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:21 am
It's my first time here and i would like to know you have any photo or drawing of an Br 20 in Albanian campaign. I would like to build a vintage kit from Italaerei which has decals from the 276 squadrilia - 116 BT. The box art of the kit shows two type of green on the upper face .. but i would like to have a confirmation about that.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Far as I know it was a "for real" BR.20 schema, built my "greenie" in 2007 by the way. The obverse prop blades are painted Testors Flat Aluminum, many later read Regia Aeronautica Italiana specs called for them to painted a color close to German RLM 65 Hellblau. Am currently using Testors Model Master 2078 RLM 65 enamels, are longer available, identical Model Master Acryl 4778 RLM 65 Acrylic is readily available.
Incredible work ! Well done !!!

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Thanks!

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:34 am

Seagladiator wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:26 am
Incredible work ! Well done !!!
Do you need 1/72 scale decal sheets for your FIAT BR.20 builds? I've got one of these complete in pristine condition:

Image

Let me know if interested.

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Editor » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:38 am

Seagladiator wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:26 am
Thank you very much for your kind answers.

I will follow your instructions. I will publish here "the step by step " construction of the kit. If you want, i also can show you what i already did wearing Italian markings.
Yes please do post your work on the forum, I look forward to seeing your work.

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by dogsbody » Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:33 pm

Good luck on your build, Bernard. Even though this is an old kit, first released by Supermodel back in the 70's, Italeri's release is quite good. I don't think Italeri re-did the molds on this one like they did with their SM-81, but I think it will built up well. When I did my Supermodel kit back in the late 70's, it came out great and was one of my better builds from that time.

Please post pictures!


Chris
" What young man could possibly be bored
with a uniform to wear,
a fast aeroplane to fly,
and something to shoot at? "

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Re: Thanks!

Post by Seagladiator » Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:36 am

RetiredInKalifornia wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:34 am
Seagladiator wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:26 am
Incredible work ! Well done !!!
Do you need 1/72 scale decal sheets for your FIAT BR.20 builds? I've got one of these complete in pristine condition:

Image

Let me know if interested.
wow, wonderfull !

Yes interested. How can i contact you ?

Thanks alot !

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Re: Fiat BR 20 colors

Post by Seagladiator » Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:38 am

dogsbody wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:33 pm
Good luck on your build, Bernard. Even though this is an old kit, first released by Supermodel back in the 70's, Italeri's release is quite good. I don't think Italeri re-did the molds on this one like they did with their SM-81, but I think it will built up well. When I did my Supermodel kit back in the late 70's, it came out great and was one of my better builds from that time.

Please post pictures!


Chris
Thank you Chris.
I think that i understood how to show images on this site.

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Just Sent You A Reply...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:17 pm

Seagladiator wrote:
Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:36 am
Yes interested. How can i contact you ?

Thanks alot !
...Please check your website account Mailbox, thanks!

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