Retired In Kalifornia's Italian Aircraft Model Builds In Progress Photos

Post in-progress or completed model pics here
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RetiredInKalifornia
Generale di Divisone Aerea
Generale di Divisone Aerea
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End Of A 56-Year "Love-A-FROG" Affair ;>(

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:51 pm

The above models albeit "What-Ifs" forever ends my passionate 56-year off-on love of these easy though at times vexing to build FROG Aeronautica Macchi C.202 Folgore 1/72 scale model kits. The very first build in 1964 was a "slap-together" though immediately was captivated with the aircraft notwithstanding the Impressionistic box top art rendered by the great aviation artist Joseph ("Jo") Kotula (1910-1998) along with 23 others of the original 1964 U.S.A. AIR LINES FROG kit issues. More Folgori would be built during the latter 1960s, all painted varying shades of dreadful first by hand then airbrushed with a U.S. $15 single-action Binks Wren airbrush, still available 60-plus years later via Pittsburg Spray Equipment, not till c.1979-80 would the next ones be built sprayed with Badger 150 et. al. model airbrushes.

For the record; my all-time number of single-subject model builds "at one time" were eight FROG C.202s whilst living at the folks former house here in Cameron Park c. summer 1990, had them professionally photographed for publication in FineScale Modeler, sadly didn't have copies the prints. In 1991 I'd exhibited them at a IPMS-Silverwings Sacramento model contest, this when Silverwings allowed modelers to independently show off their builds without having to pay for table space, knowing the "same people" still run Silverwings no chance of my winning any contest awards despite them being very good builds at the time.

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RetiredInKalifornia
Generale di Divisone Aerea
Generale di Divisone Aerea
Posts: 454
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:34 pm

Group III Balaton Modell SM.75, IKW/Cunarmodel Ca.135S, FLY Caproni Ca.101 Model Builds

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Mon Apr 27, 2020 3:31 pm

GROUP III PLASTIC MODEL BUILDS ARE COMPLETE

Build Progress Reports Will Be Continuously Posted Here, Photos Of Built Models Will Be On Separate Postings

The Balaton Modell Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 & Italian Kits Wings/Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135S model kits will be constructed concurrently to (hopefully) save on building supply resources well as being the last Italian-subject resin kits in stock, all other "Italians" left in stock, including the FLY Caproni Ca.101, are styrene plastic injected or vacuformed:

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April 28, 2020

- > All SM.75 kit Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 engines assembled:

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- > Kit lacked parts for poppet valve push rod housings in front of cylinders, several air/fuel carburetor housing parts broken or missing as well, fabricated them from styrene sheet plastic.

April 29, 2020

- > Major SM.75 kit interior parts separated from resin sprues, trimmed & sanded; all bench seats assembled.

- > SM.75 kit came with parts to construct 13 bench seats per kit instructions, passenger cabin floor parts molded to take 14 :think: fabricated extra bench seat from styrene sheet plastic, glued it in place as well.

- > SM.75 kit aft fuselage kit parts separated from sprues, trimmed & sanded glued together; defective starboard tail end molding putty filled:

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April 30, 2020

- > SM.75 kit fuselage halves, mainwing, tailplane & rudder parts separated from resin sprues, trimmed, sanded, test fitted.

- > Starboard fuselage halve forward of cockpit canopy broken off by kit fabricators :wtf: glued back on & smooth sanded by them.

- > No difficulty removing sprues off tailplanes & rudder, trimming & smooth sanding them.

- > Much difficulty removing sprues off fuselage halve noses, break-off holes created whilst doing so :twisted: much putty filling, trimming & smooth sanding work necessary.

- > Much difficulty removing sprues off mainwing parts, no break holes created whilst doing so :biggrin: good deal of trimming & smooth sanding necessary though.

- > SM.75 kit provided clear plastic film for fuselage cabin windows too thin, fabricated replacements from clear styrene sheet plastic, glued them in place instead:

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May 1, 2020

- > Fuselage halve interiors, flight deck & passenger cabin parts, mainwing wheel wells & doors, engine cowling interiors spray painted out of bottle Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors, set aside all for overnight drying.

May 2, 2020

- > Bench seat tops, Scotch Magic Mending Tape (SMMT) piece hand & sprayed painted Humbrol 29 Matt Dark Earth enamel.

- > Pilot/Co Pilot seat frames spray painted out of bottle Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors, seats sprayed Testors Rust enamel.

- > Spray painted SMMT strips cut replicating seat belts ends hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel, glued on pilot/co pilot seats.

- > Cockpit flight controls pedestal part spray painted Model Master, pedestal top & forward instrumental panel part upper area spray painted Testors Black & White "special mix" enamels.

May 3, 2020

- > All SM.75 kit fuselage interior parts detail painted with various Testors enamels & assembled:

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- > Kit came with two extra fuselage bulkheads, placements not documented on assembly instructions :wtf: slots in fuselage halve interiors match locations they'd likely be placed despite bottom portions not matching with passenger cabin floor locations :think: resolved issue by cutting bottoms off, aligning & gluing bulkheads on passenger cabin floor locations keyed to fuselage halve interior slots, good results :thumbup:

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May 4, 2020

- > SM.75 kit forward fuselage interior parts assembly glued in place on port half, fuselages halves glued together, assembled aft fuselage section glued on forward fuselage section, seams puttied:

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- > Upper starboard cockpit instrument panel, aft starboard passenger cabin floor section, rear cabin bulkhead parts too wide :evil: extensive trimming & sanding, spot spray & hand painting necessary getting them to fit inside starboard forward fuselage half, good results though should had done more fuselage interior parts assembly test fitting, trimming & sanding before gluing them on the port fuselage halve :oops:

- > All assembled fuselage seams puttied; aft fuselage section vertical sides up to 1.25 mm too narrow in places :wtf: should had shimmed aft fuselage section join seams to maybe fit flush with forward fuselage section but likely still be off alignment :problem: tomorrow with see whether forward-aft fuselage join areas can be trimmed & sanded, if not aesthetically worth doing will sand-smooth joins best possible :shifty:

May 5, 2020

- > SM.75 forward-aft fuselage join areas shape sanded for best possible aesthetic appearances, side-on view good :esmile: top down view not as much :|

- > Puttied fuselage dorsal & ventral join seams smooth sanded, acceptable results.

- > Clear molded styrene plastic cockpit canopy part trimmed & shape sanded, glued in place over fuselage cockpit, seamed puttied, smooth sanding them later.

- > Fuselage passenger cabin windows, tailplane & rudder slots masked over for spray painting later:

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May 6, 2020

Entire SM.75 upper fuselage, tailplanes & rudder parts base spray painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% Flat White shading replicating Giallo Mimetico 3, set aside to dry:

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May 7, 2020

SM.75 rear fuselage, tailplanes & rudder spray painted Humbrol 149 Matt Dark Green replicating Verde Mimetico 2, Humbrol 113 Matt Rust + 119 Matt Light Earth 50/50 mix replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 scale shaded 36% Testors Flat White enamels in CMPR/GAVS Schema E6 bands ala IPMS-Italy color chart:

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May 8, 2020

- > SM.75 forward fuselage spray painted CMPR/GAVS Mimetico Scheme E6 ala IPMS-Italy color chart bands.

- > Mainwing parts assembled, seams puttied; good fit starboard wing :esmile: way over-sanded outer port wing piece :wtf: :oops: glued port piece ends from leading edge backwards followed by shimming aft gaps with cut styrene sheet plastic, liberally putty filling all seams, acceptable results, praying smooth sanding & re-scribing goes off OK tomorrow!

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May 9, 2020

- > SM.75 starboard mainwing seams smooth-sanded, liberally puttied port wing seams smooth-sanded & re-scribed, acceptable results.

- > Mainwings & engine cowlings base spray painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% Flat White shading replicating Giallo Mimetico 3, set aside to dry till Monday the 11th, moving next to painting & assembling propeller units:

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May 10, 2020

- > Following review & reconsideration join seams of both SM.75 upper mainwings re-sanded & re-spray painted, appreciably better aesthetic results.

- > All kit landing gear wheels puttied where necessary & smooth-sanded, base spray painted Testors Flat Rubber, Black & White "special mix"

- > All kit propeller blades trimmed, backsides spray painted Testors Black & White "special mix".

- > All engine crankcases spray painted Testors Model Master 1705 Dark Blue Gray.

- > SM.75 kit Alfa Romeo engines lacked forward-facing piston head exhaust header pairs, set molded inside nose engine cowling but not wing engine ones :?: :think: removed all those molded inside nose engine, fabricated headers from styrene sheet plastic, glued them in place on all engines, doing so allows file-sizing headers for cowling placements, better aesthetic appearances as well.

May 11, 2020

- > Mainwings spray painted Humbrol 149 Matt Dark Green replicating Verde Mimetico 2, Humbrol 113 Matt Rust + 119 Matt Light Earth 50/50 mix replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 scale shaded 36% Testors Flat White enamels in CMPR/GAVS Schema E6 bands ala IPMS-Italy color chart:

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May 12, 2020

- > SM.75 fuselage & tailplanes undersides base painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico.

May 13, 2020

- > SM.75 kit lacked tailplane underwing bracing struts, cut & shape-sanded sheet styrene plastic strips over-sprayed Grigio Mimetico enamel to fabricate them from later.

- > SM.75 mainwings base painted Grigio Mimetico enamel.

- > All circular engine firewall areas spray painted Testors Flat Steel enamel:

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May 14, 2020

- > SM.75 tailplanes, fabricated & painted underwing bracing struts glued in place on aft fuselage tail areas, set aside to dry overnight.

- > Upper fuselage-tailplane root gaps noticeable at certain view angles may need to be filled in, doing so may damage their surfaces, deciding what to do tomorrow.

- > Generic rudder navigation light housing fabricated from styrene sheet plastic glued in place.

May 15, 2020

- > SM.75 starboard upper fuselage-tailplane root gap partially putty filled in & spray/hand over-painted, smaller less noticeable port side root gap left alone.

- > White rudder Distintivo di Guerra cross masked out, spray painted Testors Flat White enamel, spare House of Savoy crest decals applied.

- > SM.75 kit fasci & "605" (605° Squadriglia Transpordo) decals applied on fuselage, Machine "1" decals taken from Tauro Models decal sheet.

- > Fully painted & decaled rudder sail part glued in place on fuselage, EZ Line stretch thread replicating bracing wires sized cut, glued in place upper tailplanes to rudder sail:

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May 16, 2020

- > All SM.75 kit Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 engines fully painted; cylinders Testors Flat Black & White "special mix", front push rod covers & air inlet pipes Flat Aluminum, exhaust pipes Flat Rust & Steel spot mix enamels:

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- > All SM.75 kit engine cowlings fully camouflaged (detail painting commences tomorrow March 17th):

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May 17, 2020

- > All SM.75 kit engine cowling cooling gills masked-off & spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum per some wartime SM.75 photos, forward cowling ring outwards Flat Steel enamels, all set aside to dry.

- > All SM.75 kit mainwing & tail landing gear parts flash-trimmed & spray painted Flat Aluminum enamel, all set aside to dry.

- > Synchronization stripes for all SM.75 kit propeller blade back sides masked-off & spray painted Testors Flat White enamel.

- > All SM.75 kit propeller blade fronts spray painted Testors Model Master 2078 RLM 65 enamel approximating pre & WWII Regia Aeronautica Italiana-specified front blade color per CMPR/GAVS research.

- > All SM.75 kit propeller spinners spray painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico commonly applied on pre & WWII Italian military aircraft.

- > All kit propeller & spinner parts assembled, all dimensionally undersized :wtf: no right-sized spare propellers, must use them :sad:

May 18, 2020

- > Testors Brass enamel spray painted over all masked-off engine cowling forward areas, good results, only one cowling section re-mask & spray necessary :biggrin:

- > All fuselage & mainwing engine firewalls masked-off, outside areas surrounding them spray painted Poly Scale Flat Black & White "special mix" acrylics replicating engine grime, good results.

- > One set of kit engine exhaust pipes hand painted Testors Flat Rust & Steel spot-mix, pipe insides Testors Flat Black & White "special mix", glued in place on fuselage engine cowling.

- > SM.75 kit lacked extension part necessary for proper fuselage engine inside cowling placement, scrap circular styrene plastic extension piece glued on rear of one assembled & painted kit Alfa Romeo 125 engine for center aligning it in fuselage placement hole, engine then "alignment glued" in place inside fuselage engine cowling, good results though after two join attempts.

- > Fuselage cowling with engine glued in place on fuselage nose, aesthetically excellent results after just one join attempt :thumbup:

- > SM.75 kit lacked fuselage radio mast, fabricated one from styrene sheet plastic per pre & WWII photos, glued in place on dorsal forward fuselage, spray painted forward fuselage Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% Flat White shading replicating Giallo Mimetico 3.

- > SM.75 kit also lacked D/F loop, spray painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" over one from spare parts bag, glued it in drilled hole aft of radio mast per pre & WWII photos.

- > Entire SM.75 fuselage sprayed Testors Clear Semi-Gloss lacquer, aesthetically good results :thumbup:

- > Shaft holes drilled in all SM.75 kit landing gear wheel hubs, wheels "weathered" with sprayed on Poly Scale Mud acrylic paint.

- > Tailwheel glued on too short in length fork strut, scrap circular styrene extension piece cut shaped, fork strut glued in drilled hole, assemblage repeatedly test fitted & cut down in length to properly fit inside fuselage tailwheel slot then glued it in place, good results.

- > EZ Line stretchable thread replicating radio wires glued in place between rudder sail & dorsal fuselage radio mast:

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May 19, 2020

- > SM.75 kits mainwings fully painted & assembled, all kit tri-fasci mainwing water decals placed:

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- > Kit lacked mainwing pitot tubes & navigation lights, fabricated them from sheet styrene plastic, all glued in place, all detail spray & hand painted.

- > Kit lacked extension parts necessary for proper mainwing engine inside cowling placements, scrap circular styrene plastic extension pieces glued on rear of remaining two assembled & painted kit Alfa Romeo 126 engines for center aligning them in mainwing placement holes, no "alignment gluing" in place inside engine cowlings was necessary, good results after just one join attempt per engine-cowling pair :biggrin:

- > Kit mainwing engine exhaust pipes meant for Romanian version :think: employed cut-trimmed spare resin long FIAT CR.42 night fighter exhaust pipes approximating those seen on some early militarized civil SM.75s, spray & hand painted them Testors Flat Rust & Steel spot mix, Flat Black & White "special mix", glued them in place behind respective engine cowlings, acceptable results:

- > Mainwing landing gear struts fully assembled & painted, wheels slid in place, landing gear covers glued in place on wheel well edges with cut sheet styrene plastic retention nibs hand painted Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors:

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- > Model will be completed tomorrow May 20th after sealing mainwings with Testors Clear Semi-Gloss Lacquer.

Balaton Modell Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Complete, See Post Below

Italian Kits Wings/Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135S

May 21, 2020

- > Ca.135S pilot/copilot aileron/tailplane control column unit assembled, ready for painting.

- > Kit instructions required fabricating a crossbar to mount control columns & pilot side pivot plate on :eh: fabricated it from styrene sheet plastic, glued on columns & plate.

- > Kit rudder control bar trimmed, ready for painting.

- > Pilot/copilot seats trimmed, too short relative to control column unit & rudder control bar :wtf: glued on cut-to-size styrene sheet plastic extenders, letting them dry overnight for size sanding tomorrow.

May 22, 2020

- > Ca.135S control columns & pilot side pivot plate assembly, rudder control bar, pilot/co-pilot seat backs & frames spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel.

- > Pilot/copilot seat fronts spray painted Testors Flat Rust approximating one of several Italian seat cover colors.

- > Kit main internal fuselage part base spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

May 23, 2020

- > Ca.135S kit lacked pilot/copilot seat belts, fabricated them from strips of cut Scotch Magic Mending Tape over-sprayed with Humbrol 29 Matt Dark Earth buckle ends hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamels, glued in place on seats.

- > Kit bombardier & gunner/observer seat parts spray painted Testors Flat Rust enamel approximating one of several Italian seat cover colors, glued in place on main internal fuselage deck part front end, lacking seat belts glued on painted cut Scotch Magic Mending Tape strips.

- > Kit rudder control bar glued in place on main internal fuselage deck part.

- > Kit control column yokes hand painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" & Flat Aluminum enamels, glued in place on columns, assemblage glued in place on main internal fuselage deck part.

- > Pilot/copilot seats glued in place on main internal fuselage deck part.

- > Kit engine control panel & throttles (two more fabricated from cut styrene sheet plastic), spray & hand painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" & Flat Aluminum enamels, glued in place, assemblage glued in between pilot/copilot seats.

May 24, 2020

- > Ca.135S kit bombardier & gunner/observer platform glued in place in front of main internal fuselage part base spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.


- > Bombsight spray painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix", glued in place rear center bombardier & gunner/observer platform.

- > Communications radio station kit part base spray painted "special mix", set aside to dry for later hand detail painting.

- > Cockpit instrument panel front painted "special mix", back Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Lanciabombe, landing gear retraction air compressor unit, photographic plate holding box kit parts spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum, glued in place on rear main internal fuselage deck part.

Memorial Day U.S.A. May 25, 2020

- > Ca.135 kit fuselage halves trimmed & sanded, spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

May 26, 2020

- > All Ca.135S kit fuselage halve window sills laboriously hand painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels improving visual aesthetics after gluing in clear plastic panes.

- > Inside sills laboriously hand touched-up with Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Fuselage halves set aside to dry, commencing installation of clear styrene plastic window panes tomorrow.

May 27, 2020

- > All Ca.135S kit fuselage halve windows fitted with cut clear styrene plastic panes; tedious work, good overall results :biggrin:

May 28, 2020

- > All Ca.135S kit fuselage interior parts assenbled & painted; all parts except those shown separately glued in place on flooring & fuselage halves:

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- > Fuselage flooring too wide :wtf: much sanding necessary to fit inside fuselage halves when closed up, some pilot seat sanding necessary as well, acceptable results.

- > Kit specified three-piece structural tubing fans needed to be fabricated to fit inside each fuselage halve over large rectangular mainwing access portals, did so with cut styrene sheet plastic hand painted over with Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Fuselage interior parts & halves glued in place tomorrow.

May 29, 2020

- > Ca.135S kit fuselage interior parts fuselage halve test fit:

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- > Fuselage interior parts & halves glued in place, took some doing :crazy: seams puttied, good results :biggrin:

- > Assembled fuselage with unassembled mainwing, tailplane & rudder sail parts:

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May 30, 2020

- > All Ca.135S fuselage seams smooth-sanded, good results.

- > Kit vacuform cockpit canopy cut out, windscreen front too long :evil: windscreen & canopy sides too wide :evil: clunky canopy-windscreen molding with gaps :evil: starboard rear canopy-fuselage area gap :evil:

- > Windscreen front trimmed back, likely more trimming needed, fuselage cockpit canopy-windscreen corners & rear starboard rear fuselage cockpit canopy area shimmed with styrene sheet plastic, puttied over & shaped-sanded setting aside till tomorrow.

May 31, 2020

- > Ca.135S clear vacuform plastic cockpit canopy kit part extensively edge-filed, shape-sanded, glued in place over fuselage cockpit, acceptable results.

- > Noticeable forward canopy/windscreen-fuselage corner join gaps, smaller though noticeable upper rear canopy-fuselage corner join gaps putty shaped-filled.

- > Clear vacuform plastic lower fuselage bombardier station & nose cap kit parts edge filed, shape-sanded; cut styrene plastic shims needed to glue on on bombardier station clear part; parts glued in place on fuselage, good results :esmile:

June 1, 2020

- > All Ca.135S cockpit canopy, lower fuselage bombardier station, nose cap & fuselage windows except those for the ventral tunnel gun "greenhouse" masked for painting, very tedious work :crazy:

- > Cockpit canopy, lower fuselage bombardier station & nose cap window sills spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Kit clear vacuform plastic ventral tunnel gun greenhouse cut out, extensively size-trimmed, filed, sanded & test fitted, resuming work on it tomorrow.

- > Kit ventral tunnel gun gunner's bicycle seat spray painted Humbrol Flat Rust enamel paint some days ago, glued in place inside lowerable gunner's "tub" spray painted Verde Anticorrosione some days ago as well, holes drilled though upper rear tub corner to glue on a scrap resin rod for later mounting inside ventral fuselage.

June 2, 2020

- > Small rectangular cut styrene sheet plastic piece with hole drilled in it for mounting a spare parts Breda-SAFAT machine gun glued in place inside the Ca.135S kit ventral fuselage gunner's "tub", hand painted over with Testors Flat Aluminum enamel.

- > Gunner's tub exterior spray painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico.

- > Ventral fuselage areas bordering tub placement slot also spray painted Grigio Mimetico.

- > Scrap resin rod spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione, slid in holes drilled in gunner's tub, glued in place.

- > Triangular pieces cut from styrene sheet plastic, glued in place on fuselage interior vertical moldings behind gunner's tub preventing latter from sliding out, hand painted them Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Small rectangular cut styrene plastic tab glued on aft end of ventral fuselage tunnel gun stowing cavity, hand painted "special mix" for improved visual aesthetics.

- > Aft ventral fuselage tunnel gun stowing cavity upper edges spray painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels for improved visual aesthetics after gluing on the tunnel gun stowing cavity "greenhouse".

- > Greenhouse solicitously glued in place over ventral fuselage gun stowing cavity.

- > Poorly plumbed gunner's tub placement slot molding skews greenhouse portside leaving aft midway fuselage-greenhouse gap :twisted: plastic shimmed, putty filled, smooth sanded it over, acceptable results.

- > Ventral fuselage tunnel gun greenhouse window pane masking for spray painting commences tomorrow.

June 3, 2020

- > Ca.135S ventral fuselage tunnel gun stowing cavity greenhouse masked for spray painting, tedious work, over-sprayed first with Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione then Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico, good results.

- > Single-unit tailplane part glued in place over dorsal fuselage tail area, join edges puttied, set aside till tomorrow.

June 4, 2020

- > Radio/Gunner seat broke off whilst assembling the Ca.135 fuselage halves on May 29th :shock: wedged in between fuselage flooring & port fuselage halve :wtf: didn't notice that till last night :oops: extracted it after removing a fabricated lower portside interior fuselage "W" support strut, hand-repainted & glued back in place on starboard fuselage halve in front of Lanciabombe, fabricated another "W" strut from cut sheet plastic, glued in place & hand-painted over.
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- > Fuselage tail cone trimmed, sanded, test fitted, glued in place, seams putty filled & sanded, tail cone wheel well spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione, good results.

- > Mainwing landing gear housing parts trimmed & test fitted, interiors & mainwing wheel wells spray painted Verde Anticorrisone, housing parts glued over wheel wells, seams putty filled & sanded, good results.

- > Molded-in internal mainwing fuel tanks near wing roots viewable from dorsal fuselage Lancini machine gun turret spray painted Verde Anticorrisone.

- > Mainwings glued on fuselage, root seams puttied & smooth-sanded, good results.

- > Ca.135 kit lacked tailplane elevator & rudder mass balances, fabricated them from styrene sheet plastic scrap styrene & resin kit parts, all glued in place, good results.

June 5, 2020

- > Entire Ca.135 model upper sides & engine cowlings base spray painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% Flat White shading replicating Giallo Mimetico 3, set aside to dry till tomorrow.

June 6, 2020

- > Entire Ca.135 model upper sides & upper engine cowlings spray painted CMPR/GAVS Schema C1B ala IPMS-Italy color chart variant with Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green & 118 U.S. Matt Tan + 10% Testors Model Master 1705 Insignia Red plus 36% by volume each Testors Flat Flat White shading enamels respectively replicating Verde Mimetico 3 & Bruno Mimetico, good results, model set aside to dry till tomorrow.

June 7, 2020

- > Entire Ca.135 model undersides & lower engine cowlings SM.75 spray painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico.

June 8, 2020

- > Ca.135 kit FIAT A.80 radial engines spray & hand painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix", Flat Aluminum, Model Master 2105 Dark Blue Gray enamel paints & assembled.

- > Kit propellers spray painted "special mix" & Flat Aluminum enamels per period photos of Ca.135S aircraft.

- > Kit mainwing landing gear struts flash trimmed & spray painted Flat Aluminum.

- > Kit mainwing landing gear wheels & hubs spray & hand painted Testors Flat Rubber, Black, White "special mix" & Flat Aluminum enamels.

- > Dorsal fuselage Lanciani gun turret mount ring spray painted "special mix" enamels.

June 9, 2020

- > Ca.135S kit FIAT A.80 radial engines glued in place on mainwing mounts.

- > Starboard engine alignment vertically off center, defective front engine part casting :evil: not enough to "pull hair" over, leaving alone.

- > Already painted kit engine cowling oil cooling units further detail hand painted with Testors Flat Aluminum & Brass enamels, good results.

- > Engine cowling carburetor air inlet interiors detail hand painted Testors Aluminum, Flat Black & White "special mix" & Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione, good results.

- > Aft mainwing areas surrounding engine mounts lightly spray painted Poly Scale Flat Black, White, Mud "special mix" acrylics replicating engine blow-back grime, good aesthetic results.

- > Engine cowlings slid over engines, glued on upper mainwings, good results.

- > Entire Ca.135S model over-sprayed with Testors Clear Semi-Gloss Lacquer, aesthetically satisfying results :thumbup:

- > Ca.135 period photographs show taller, more strongly curved actuator horns than those molded on kit mainwings & tailplane, fabricating new ones from scratch meant shaving them off, no guarantees the fabricated replacements be better looking either, leaving alone!

- > Mainwing aileron, tailplane & trim tab actuator cables fabricated from cut nylon fishing line hand over-painted with Testors Aluminum enamel, glued in place over kit molded in place wing slots & actuator horns, tedious work, acceptable results.

- > Underneath mainwing landing light wells hand painted Testors Silver enamel, kluge though results aesthetically acceptable.

- > Fuselage window paint maskings removed, cleaned & surface oiled, aesthetically satisfying results :thumbup:

June 10, 2020

- > Ca.135 kit starboard & port mainwing instrument tubes mounted on mainwings, drilling holes necessary, patch puttying needed as well.

- > Instrument tubes & adjoing mainwing areas over-sprayed with kit build Giallo, Verde, Bruno & Grigio mimetico colors, acceptable results.

- > Nose mounted Pitot tube mast also spray painted with kit build mimetico colors, detailing it later.

- > Mainwing & fuselage tail cone navigation lights hand-painted Testors & Model Master Red, Green, White enamels, acceptable results.

- > Kit fuselage tail landing gear fork & wheel spray & hand-painted Testors Flat Rubber, Black, White "special mix" & Flat Aluminum enamels, good results.

- > Mainwing & tail landing gear wheel treads sprayed PolyScale Mud acrylic paint, good results.

- > Painted fuselage tail landing gear unit glued in place in ventral tail cone cavity.

- > Mainwing landing gear oleo strut areas hand painted Testors Silver enamel.

- > Mainwing wheels glued in place on landing gear struts, assembled unit glued in place in forward wheel well cavities gear retraction struts then glued in place, detail hand painted Flat Aluminum, good results.

- > Outer mainwing landing gear covers spray painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico, glued in place on wheel well edges, good results.

- > Kit engine exhaust pipe parts too long, exhaust ports first drilled out then pipes cut-trimmed to fit in engine cowlings, spray & hand painted Testors Flat Steel (low hours on engine) pipes then glued in place, acceptable results.

- > Kit Rudder parts spray painted Testors Flat White per period photos of Ca.135S, rudder trim tab actuator cables fabricated from cut nylon fishing line hand overpainted with Testors Aluminum enamel, glued in place over kit molded in place rudder slots & actuator horns, good results.

- > Rudder parts trimmed & glued in place on one-piece tailplane, good results.

Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135S Complete, See Post Below

FLY Models Caproni Ca.101 With Seven-Cylinder Radial Engines

The Caproni Ca.101 three-engine airliner based on the single-engine Ca.97 was designed in 1927 by Rodolfo Verduzio (1881-1958) first flying in 1928 seeing extensive use as a Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI) transport and bomber.

The presumed first 1/72 scale Ca.101 kit was the presumed early 2000s-vintage RCR Models 72013 resin with Alfa Romeo D.2 nine-cylinder radials the new-tooled FLY Models 72003 & 72013 injected-plastic, resin & brass etched parts kits respectively with Alfa Romeo license-built nine-cylinder Bristol Jupiters & Armstrong Siddeley Lynx or Piaggio P.VII seven-cylinder radials out in 2012 followed in 2019 by the LF Models' PE7220 Ca.101 D.2 with injected-plastic, resin & brass etched parts presumably based on the FLY Models kit.

Unaware till recently these kits even existed was reluctant to by any the Ca.101 outside my interest range of modeling post-1930 Italian aircraft (1924-vintage Ansaldo AC.3 in RAI mimetico excepted), given I'd wanted to build the Aviation USK Caproni Ca.111 & 133 vacuform kits decided to by the FLY Models 72013 Ca.101 with seven-cylinder engines to represent the type design's evolution from earliest variant on assuming by end of 2022 a scale model kit maker will new tool the former two for sale.

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June 13, 2020

- > Ca.101 resin radial engine parts assembled, detailing them tomorrow.

- > Large single piece upper & two-piece lower mainwing kit parts separated from sprues, trimmed & sanded, glued together.

- > Kit fuselage halves separated from sprues, trimmed & sanded, test fitted with mainwing:

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June 14, 2020

- > Ca.101 mainwing join seams puttied, smooth-sanding them tomorrow.

- > Radial engines spray painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels.

- > Piston valve pushrod housings fabricated from cut nylon fishing line hand over-painted with Testors Flat Aluminum enamel, glued in place two to a cylinder, tedious work :crazy:

- > Major fuselage interior plastic & resin kit parts cut from sprues, filed & sanded.

- > Resin dorsal gunner's station platform part glued on fore & aft plastic fuselage structural tubing support parts, assembled unit glued in place on aft one-piece flight deck part.

- > Plastic forward fuselage structural tubing part glued in place behind raised cockpit on one-piece flight deck part.

- > Dorsal gunner's station platform port instrument panel riser Lewis Gun ammo box missing :wtf: fabricated generic replacement from styrene sheet plastic, glued it in place.

- > Molded on starboard fuselage halve cabin door precludes viewing fuselage interior cut it out.

- > Fuselage cabin entrance & cut out door edges straight-filed & sanded, acceptable results.

- > Cut out cabin door smaller after cutting it out :frown: edges built up with shaped-cut & glued on styrene sheet plastic strips, straight-filed & sanded, acceptable results.

- > Cut out cabin door backsides smooth-sanded, acceptable results:

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June 15, 2020

- > Ca.101 mainwing joins smooth-sanded, good results.

- > Dorsal gunner's station platform port instrument panel riser Lewis Gun ammo box found in trash :clap: fabricated generic replacement removed from platform, glued cleaned-up & trimmed ammo box in place.

- > One-piece dorsal gunner's seat/mount part cut from styrene plastic parts tree, trimmed for painting.

- > Fuselage halve interiors, flight deck assembly, cockpit instrument panel bulkhead, cabin door backsides, dorsal gunner's seat/mount spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Pilot/copilot seat fronts spray painted Testors Flat Rust approximating one of several Italian seat cover colors.

- > Painted parts left to dry overnight, resuming work on them tomorrow.

June 16, 2020

- > Ca.135 kit pilot/copilot seat backs & pedestals sprayed Testors Flat Aluminum enamel.

- > Pilot/copilot molded-on seat belts detail hand painted Humbrol 29 Matt Dark Earth & Testors Flat Aluminum enamels, good results.

- > Scotch Magic Mending Tape spray Humbrol 29, strips cut replicating seat belts ends hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel, glued on pilot/copilot seats, good results.

- > Assembled pilot/copilot seats glued in place on cockpit flight deck in front of fore fuselage structural tubing support.

- > Kit cockpit aileron & tailplane control columns separated from sprues, trimmed, mounted on fabricated cut styrene plastic crossbar per period Caproni Ca.101 parts diagram, spray & hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum, Flat Black & White "special Mix", glued in place in front of pilot/copilot seats, good results.

- > Verde Anticorosione base painted cockpit cinstrument panel areas masked off & spray painted "special mix", rudder pedal blocks hand painted Aluminum.

- > Instrument panel detail painted Testors Flat White, engine control levers fabricated from styrene sheet plastic, glued in place, detailed hand painted Aluminum, White & Testors Flat Yellow, good results.

- > Fully detailed & painted Instrument panel bulkhead glued on cockpit flight deck riser in front of aileron & tailplane control columns, misaligned :twisted: pulled off tried again still misaligned :twisted: third try OK:

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- > Dorsal gunner's station platform Lewis Gun ammo box hand painted Aluminum, top of L-shaped column hand painted "special mix" detailed with Aluminum, gunner's seat pedestal glued in place:

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- > Kit clear plastic windows glued in place on fuselage halve interiors.

- > Assembled fuselage interior flight deck test fitted between fuselage halves, instrument panel bulkhead too wide, upper edges sanded, OK fits:

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June 17, 2020

- > Ca.101 assembled fuselage interior flight deck glued in place on starboard fuselage halve.

- > Fuselage halves glued together in stages, good fits, some seam puttying necessary.

- > Clear kit cockpit canopy parts glued together, glued in place over cockpit (read next), assembled mainwing unit trimmed, test fitted over forward fuselage, good results:

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- > Starboard fuselage halve molding narrow tapers towards nose :x cockpit canopy front hangs over starboard side :twisted: issue not correctable without damaging cockpit canopy, leaving alone despite unsightliness.

- > Rear starboard fuselage cockpit vertical end area uneven :twisted: styrene plastic shim cut, shaped, glued over it, OK fit with clear kit cockpit canopy.

- > Lots of puttying necessary below starboard front canopy-fuselage join overhang areas & across windscreen-fuselage join, sanding them tomorrow:

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- > Clear ventral observation window kit part glued in place in fuselage, good results:

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June 18, 2020

- > Ca.101 fuselage halve seams & fuselage-cockpit canopy puttied joins shaped & smooth-sanded, good results.

- > Resin kit fuselage nose engine mount sanded-off sprue, glued on pre-sanded to fit fuselage nose area, join seams puttied, shape-filed & sanded, good results.

- > Masked-off cockpit canopy & ventral observation window panes, assembled mainwing unit center interior area spray painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% Flat White shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione.

- > Assembled mainwing unit center interior area masked-off, entire unit spray painted Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan enamel replicating Bianco Avorio 5 per CMPR/GAVS Schema G1 ala IPMS-Italy color chart pre-WWII Italian colonial aircraft, set aside to dry till tomorrow.

- > Fuselage open areas & porthole windows masked-off, starboard & port sides aft of cockpit windshield, fuselage cabin door exterior spray painted Bianco Avorio 5, set aside to dry till tomorrow.

June 19, 2020

- > Ca.101 fuselage areas & mainwing unit center top area masked off per FLY model kit color profile renderings & internet photos, spray painted Testors Flat Blue & Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels 1/6 mix approximating blue color shown on the renderings - right or wrongly:

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- > Later today resprayed fuselage areas per period Ca.101 photographs:

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June 20, 2020

- > Ca.101 kit tailplanes & support struts spray painted Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan enamel replicating Bianco Avorio 5 per CMPR/GAVS Schema G1 ala IPMS-Italy color chart pre-WWII Italian colonial aircraft, set aside to dry till tomorrow.

- > Kit rudder base painted Testors Flat White, it & aft fuselage rudder sail masked-off, spray painted Testors Flat Olive & Model Master Insignia Red Italian flag colors, set aside to dry till tomorrow.

June 21, 2020

- > Ca.101 kit House Of Savoy water decals applied on painted kit rudder, rudder glued on fuselage sail, some spot painting necessary.

- > Kit tailplane braces cut from sprues, spray painted Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan enamel replicating Bianco Avorio 5, set aside to dry.

- > Holes drilled in rear fuselage areas to mount painted kit tailplanes, they & braces glued in place, good results.

- > EZ Line stretch thread "bracing wire" glued in place between rudder sail & tailplane topsides per Ca.101 period photos.

- > Kit tailwheel part strut & wheel yoke hand-painted Testors Flat Aluminum, wheel Flat Rubber, Black & White "special mix".

- > Kit mainwing engine pod parts separated from sprues, trimmed & glued together, some puttying necessary.

- > Kit mainwing support & landing gear struts separated from sprues, trimmed, spray painted Bianco Avorito 5, set aside to dry.

- > Kit mainwing landing gear wheel parts separated from sprues, trimmed, glued together & puttied, set aside to dry.

June 22, 2020

- > Ca.101 assembled fuselage over-sprayed Testors Semi-Gloss Clear Lacquer.

- > Fuselage sides not properly coated, laboriously removed lacquer film with very sticky masking & parcel wrapping tapes, resprayed them, acceptable overall results.

- > All mainwing engine pod parts spray painted Testors Flat Blue & Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels, spray painting of forward sections with different color may be necessary.

- > Mainwing landing gear strut centers masked-off & spray painted blue "special mix" per FLY model kit color profile renderings & period photos.

- > Mainwing landing gear wheels smooth-sanded, spray painted Testors Flat Rubber, Black & White, hubs Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan enamel replicating Bianco Avorio 5, set aside to dry.

- > Resin kit wind electric generators, nose engine oil coolant barrel, mainwing landing lights, injected plastic dorsal fuselage Lewis gun Scarff ring separated from sprues.

- > Broken/missing wind electric generator & landing light molding elements replaced with shaped-cut styrene plastic ones, all repaired parts & Scarff ring spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum.

- > Generic kit injected plastic dorsal fuselage Lewis gun undersized, replaced with larger spare Balaton Modell Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 kit one modified with glued on parts cut from the generic kit gun, acceptable results, set aside to dry.

June 23, 2020

- > Ca.101 fuselage nose & mainwing engine pod mounts, engine crankcase cowling parts masked & spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel per kit color profile renderings & period photographs.

- > Port & starboard painted wind electric generator support "legs" trimmed, generators glued in place on fuselage sides, good results.

- > Assembled & painted mainwing unit over-sprayed Testors Semi-Gloss Clear Lacquer, good results.

- > Mainwing unit glued in place over dorsal fuselage, good results.

- > All painted mainwing-fuselage bracing struts glued in place.

- > Forward struts 1.5 mm too short over mainwings, forced them down whilst gluing, slight bowing, acceptable results.

- > Rear struts 1 mm too short, notches to seat mainwing engine pods on misaligned :evil: puttied-in notches, shape-sanded & repainted struts after drying positioned them over mainwing & fuselage attachment points, glued them in place, acceptable results.

- > Mainwing engine pods test positioned & fitted over forward & rear mainwing-fuselage struts then glued in place over forward struts aft ends laying over rear struts, some spot painting necessary, acceptable results.

June 24, 2020

- > Painted Ca.101 mainwing landing gear parts glued in position on dorsal fuselage keying slots & over forward mainwing-fuselage struts, good results.

- > Holes needed to be drilled in mainwing-fuselage struts centered over mainwing engine pods to glue-anchor landing gear struts, fuselage mounted V-struts glue-anchored over them, delicate looking though stable.

- > Mainwing landing gear wheels treads "weathered" with sprayed-on Poly Scale Mud acrylic paint, glued in place on V strut outer ends, good results.

- > Painted fuselage tailwheel part trimmed to fit, glued in place on fuselage tail in front of lower rudder, good results.

- > Four sets of "bracing wires" fabricated from EZ Line stretch thread, two sets each glued in place on forward & rear mainwing-fuselage struts either side of engine pods, good results.

- > Kit resin engine exhaust rings separated from sprues & smooth-sanded, spray painted Testors Flat Rust & Steel spot mix, exhaust ports hand-painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels, good results.

- > Engine fronts filed down closing gaps between painted crankcase cowling parts & engine mounts, cowlings glued on engines, holes drilled to mount propellers later.

- > Mainwing engine assemblies glued on mounts, exhaust rings over engine rears, tricky work :!: assemblies glued on mainwing pods, acceptable results.

- > Extenders necessary to close fuselage nose engine crankcase cowling-engine mount gaps :x fabricated them from cut styrene sheet plastic, glued them in place.

- > Fuselage nose engine crankcase cowling glued on engine, exhaust ring glued over fuselage nose engine rear, assembly glued on fuselage nose engine mount, crankcase extenders hand-painted Testors Aluminum enamel, acceptable results.

- > Painted fuselage nose oil cooling barrel mounts shape-cut, glued in place aft of engine, good results.

- > Handles for fuselage cabiin door fabricated from cut styrene sheet plastic, glued in place, over-painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel, door glued on forward frame, good results.

- > Kit resin door step parts (one "leg" missing, replaced with shaped-cut styrene sheet plastic) cut from sprues, spray & hand-painted Aluminum, glued in place below cabin entrance, good results.

- > Kit resin mainwing aileron & flap actuators hand-painted Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan replicating Bianco Avorio 5 & Aluminum enamels, cut from sprues, glued in place underneath mainwings, good results.

- > Painted landing lights glued in place in drilled holes underneath outer mainwings, good results.

- > Kit lacked upper mainwing-mounted radio masts, fabricated them from styrene sheet plastic & glued in place, over-painted Bianco Avorio 5.

- > EZ Line stretch thread glued in place between masts, good results.

- > Propellers & dorsal fuselage Lewis gun remain to be painted, model will be done tomorrow :biggrin:

FLY Models Caproni Ca.101 Complete, See Post Below
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Balaton Modell Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Early WWII Regia Aeronautica Italiana Transport

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Wed May 20, 2020 1:05 pm

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Mainwing castings around lower wing-fuselage roots outwards warped exposing glue join tabs & large gaps :evil: too late discovered :oops: puttying tabs & gaps over will damage paint finish :problem: best leave be considering aren't viewable looking at model from above.

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Re: Retired In Kalifornia's Italian Aircraft Model Builds In Progress Photos

Post by Editor » Wed May 20, 2020 2:23 pm

Brilliant job Richard! One of your best, just gorgeous. Everyone one of those photos look great. Short article if you would together with articles of your Hasegawa and Italeri C.202s - we don't have many 1/72 C.202s the only one I think have is the now departed Rick Chin's C.202 which won 1st place in ist category many years ago at the Western Canadian show.

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Writing Them This Weekend...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Wed May 20, 2020 3:22 pm

Editor wrote:
Wed May 20, 2020 2:23 pm
Brilliant job Richard! One of your best, just gorgeous. Everyone one of those photos look great. Short article if you would together with articles of your Hasegawa and Italeri C.202s - we don't have many 1/72 C.202s the only one I think have is the now departed Rick Chin's C.202 which won 1st place in ist category many years ago at the Western Canadian show.
...IF feeling better; endless days fighting really nasty non-COVID GI & muscle pain viruses this spring, mental concentration building models worsens pain still more, barely got S.75 done & pics up today :cry: ain't gonna die from it though wonder at times, am assuming you don't want articles for the FROG "what-ifs". Starting on Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135S build tomorrow, last all-resin unbuilt Italian kit left, much smaller model than S.75, adequate kit instructions ala their Ca.135 kit with Isotta Fraschini Asso XI RC.40 in-lines had built c.2016, should be easier build as well. FLY Models Ca.101 though a Serie III build is plastic injected, still researching livery want to build it as.

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Model Building Continues "On Schedule" During The June 2020 Multi-Madness...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Thu Jun 04, 2020 9:46 pm

...Regardless of - nay in spite of - it does continue! Fifty years ago during another awful time in USA history, worse than now IMHO even with the COVID-19 pandemic, was in college, wasn't building scale models then though maybe should had looking back, then maybe not...Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI) research resources, e.g. seminal 1977 CMPR/IPMS-Italy aircraft paint finishes & Squadron monographs were years away, didn't know about Vito Charts either, early 1970s Italiaerei RAI kits followed by the Supermodels were coming on the market but again not enough research information never mind water decals save Altmark, Microscale/Superscale & ETRL/ESCI sheets. Humbrol & Testors supposed RAI enamel colors (Pactra & Floquil might had theirs as well) to build those kits were available but not with historical province, could build WWII Luftwaffe models with some province then though. Yes, bad times for sure, least I've got the resources to build scale airplane models with province - did The Almighty wanted it that way?

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Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds Group Listings - LF/KORA Models SAIMAN 202 Kits

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:17 pm

The Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds Group Listings are now only on the FIRST page of this discussion thread, two duplicate postings within the thread have been deleted as unnecessary.

Grossly unbeknownst to me LF/KORA Models in 2018 released a new-tooled injected-plastic kit of the SAIMAN 202 two-seat cabin monoplane with many different decal options for the 202bis & 202/M variants:

LF/KORA Models SAIMAN 202 Kit Offerings

Tonight purchased one each:
  • KPK72102 SAIMAN 202BIS Italian & German Service (2 Decal Options)
  • KPK72086 SAIMAN 202/M Italian Liasion & Courier Service (4 Decal Options)
The 1/72 scale SAIMAN 202 was an Italian aircraft I'd very much wanted to model to pair with the 1/72 scale JACH SAIMAN 200 biplane, the Italian Kits Wings IW08 resin SAIMAN 202 wasn't available so gave up looking for any aftermarket ones years ago - oh, so little did I know :oops:

The 202's have been added to the Group IV Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds following completion of the Group III Cunarmodel Ca.135S & FLY Model Caproni 101 kits.

Endless profuse thanks to Chris Busbridge's SUPERAEREO website cluing me on the LF/KORA SAIMAN 202 kits, am assuming he's a member of STORMO Magazine as well, no?
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Italian Aircraft Subject BroPlan Vacuform Kits Condition Inspected

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:55 am

Tonight June 8, 2020, the BroPlan CANT Z.506C plastic vacuform conversion of the Italeri Z.506B plastic injected-molded kit, CANT Z.1007 Asso, Caproni Ca.316 & Savoia Marchetti SM.95 vacuform kits were removed from boxes & bags, condition inspected, plastic bagged for easier handling.

All vacuform & injected-molded parts appear in good order, Z.1007 Asso kit water decals leave much to be desired however. BroPlan provided two "Asso" kit decal sheets, ink smears over 210° Squadriglia fuselage codes on both render them unusable :evil: employing SKY Models 72-019 decals for 210° CANT Z.1007bis' instead. The Z.1007 Asso fuselage nose area manufacturer's logos are in fair condition, should be able to use them well as mainwing fasci roundels though likely will use Tauro Models decals in lieu of latter.

The SM.95 kit is HUGE, larger in fact than my Special Hobby Piaggio P.108 models! The vacuform plastic is thick enough to bear the model's weight though ala the recently built resin Balaton Modell SM.75 fuselage has fore & aft sections, may be able to combine them into single fuselage halve units for "easier & better" halve joining. The SM.95 kit comes with post-WWII Aeronautica Militare Italiana water decal markings, want to build wartime version in Regia Aeronautica Italiana Tavola X livery with SKY & Tauro Models decals instead.

Construction of the "BroPlans" commences following the Group IV kit builds later this year.

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Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135 Isotta Frachini Asso XIs & 135S "Tipo Spagna" FIAT A.80s

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Thu Jun 11, 2020 5:38 pm

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Ca.135 Isotta Frachini Asso XI Inlines

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Ca.135S "Tipo Spagna" FIAT A.80 Radials - Was Last Italian Aviation Subject Resin Kit Left In Inventory

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Re: Retired In Kalifornia's Italian Aircraft Model Builds In Progress Photos

Post by Editor » Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:24 am

Great job Richard! Short articles please!

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Been Composing It...

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Fri Jun 12, 2020 11:10 am

Editor wrote:
Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:24 am
Great job Richard! Short articles please!
...Should be done tomorrow. Cunarmodel Caproni Ca.135S was last "Italian" resin kit in stock, remaining are injected & vacuform plastic. FLY Models Caproni Ca.101 kit build commences tomorrow, very nice kit, Special Hobby retailing it via their website, should ask them if they'd tool Ca.111 & 133 models as well. After the Ca.101 comes the Aviation USK/Xotic-72 Savoia-Marchetti SM.84s, didn't buy the SEM Model SM.84 resin when was available, only hope is whomever buys the mold will put it back into production before December 2022, no more builds after then!

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Re: Retired In Kalifornia's Italian Aircraft Model Builds In Progress Photos

Post by Editor » Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:28 pm

Looking forward to all these kits Richard!

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Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds Group Listings - BroPlan Models AUT.18 Vacuform Kits

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Wed Jun 17, 2020 7:46 pm

Reminder: The Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds Group Listings are now only on the FIRST page of this discussion thread.

Tonight June 17, 2020 purchased one each from Aviation Megastore Netherlands:
  • BroPlan MS-86 Aeronautica Umbra Trojani AUT.18 Original Construction
  • BroPlan MS-88 Aeronautica Umbra Trojani AUT.18 Rebuilt
Total for both including shipping U.S. $77 fabulous deal for sure :thumbup: :clap:

Till tonight these 1/72 scale vacuform kits with injected plastic parts were near impossible coming across, on a whim conducted another search, got not only lucky but "hit the jackpot" finding BOTH of these BroPlan kits available for sale on Aviation Megastore, their last ones in fact! Sometime ago bought one of two remaining BroPlan CANT Z.1007 Asso kits from them, pays gleaning old ground for sure, both kits have been added to the Proposed Late 2019 Up To Summer 2020 Model Builds Group V Listings.

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FLY Models Caproni Ca.101 Seven-Cylinder Radial Engines

Post by RetiredInKalifornia » Thu Jun 25, 2020 2:02 pm

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Re: Retired In Kalifornia's Italian Aircraft Model Builds In Progress Photos

Post by Editor » Thu Jun 25, 2020 2:05 pm

wow it came out beautiful, another gem for the Gallery!

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