Build Progress Reports Will Be Continuously Posted Here, Photos Of Built Models Will Be On Separate Postings
The
Omega Models Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale (Mistral) kit with resin, styrene plastic et. al. parts is a complete kit sporting a Mimetico scheme similar to the below Savoia-Marchetti S.73 & S.74 SEM Model builds, its included to economize on painting.
The
SEM Model Savoia-Marchetti S.73 kit with resin, styrene plastic et. al. parts requires a
SUPERMODEL Savoia-Marchetti S.81 kit for donated parts whilst the
SEM Model Savoia-Marchetti S.74 kit with resin, white metal, styrene plastic et. al. parts is a complete kit. Whilst requiring different construction approaches they are being concurrently built so as to economize on painting given they'll be sporting similar Mimetico schemes, both are complicated builds.
The
Italian Kits Wings Savoia-Marchetti SM.89 kit with resin, styrene plastic et. al. parts also is included though lacking kit instructions, that plus economizing on interior painting given Savoia-Marchetti used an interior gray paint similar to Giorgio Azzurro Chiaro 1 in building their aircraft.
November 9, 2019
- > S.73 & 74 mainwings assembled, ailerons test fitted.
- > S.73 engine mounts glued on, some mainwing leading edge puttying necessary.
- > S.74 mainwing leading edges very rough after removing resin sprues, were extensively puttied for later smooth sanding:
November 10, 2019
- > S.73 tailplane & rudder parts trimmed, sanded & test fitted, must cut & glue on styrene plastic hinge tabs not molded on tailplanes
- > S.74 mainwing, tailplane, rudder, main fuselage & engine cowling parts trimmed, filed, sanded & test fitted, engine nacelle parts filed, sanded, glued on mainwings, join edges putty filled, smooth sanding them tomorrow.
- > SM.89 mainwing, tailplane, rudder & engine nacelle parts trimmed, filed, sanded & test fitted, may have to glue on styrene plastic hinge tabs not molded on mainwing flaps
November 11, 2019
- > S.74 mainwing-engine nacelles joins sanded, mainwings glued on fuselage top center section, joins puttied, sanding them tomorrow.
- > S.74 general model layout progress photos:
November 12, 2019
- > S.74 mainwing assembly complete except for gluing on flap actuators, doing that tomorrow.
- > Fitting & gluing ailerons on mainwings took good deal of doing, both were warped, tad too long, trimming inner ends necessary for "acceptable" fits, additional work on them may be necessary.
- > Mainwing assembly center section insides spray painted out-of-bottle Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors.
- > Radio compartment window edges spray & hand painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels for visual aesthetics.
- > SEM Model S.74 kit came with large clear plastic sheet to fabricate cargo cabin windows from well as clear vacuform radio compartment window parts, latter too difficult to cut out & fit, used plastic sheet to fabricate & glue on radio compartment windows:
November 13, 2019
- > S.74 mainwing flap & aileron actuators, tie-down rings fabricated from sheet plastic, glued on mainwings:
- > S.74 mainwing assembly topsides & leading edges base painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% by volume Flat White for scale shading enamels replicating Giallo Mimetico 3:
November 14, 2019
- > Commenced S.74 interior work today.
- > Cut styrene plastic stakes, glued them in slots on fuselage sides replicating metal structural units.
- > Fabricated two long bench seats & rear fuselage bulkhead from styrene sheet plastic per photo of a militarized S.74 rear interior:
- > Cut sprues off cockpit deck, sanded & test fitted in forward fuselage nose interior area.
- > Cannibalized extra kit part likely meant for civil version to make fuselage flooring, glued it on fuselage interior bottom, trimmed lower part of cockpit deck for flush flooring fit.
- > Test fitted bench seats:
- > Test fitted navigator/radio operator's station above passenger/cargo cabin, researching further whether correctly placed or no:
November 15, 2019
- > S.74 near entire fuselage interior, major cockpit & navigator/radio operator compartment parts, engine cowling interiors, bench seat undersides base painted Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors.
- > Bench seats & upright fronts painted Humbrol 119 Matt Light Earth, upright rears Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels for visual aesthetics.
- > Cockpit & navigator/radio operator detail parts will be painted tomorrow November 16th.
November 16, 2019
- > S.74 cockpit & navigator/radio operator seats spray & hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum & Rust (seat padding) enamels, seat straps fabricated from Scotch Magic Mending Tape spray painted Humbrol 119 with hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum buckles.
- > Kit aileron & tailplane control columns, steering yokes & rudder pedals spray & hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum & "special mix" enamels.
November 17, 2019
- > S.74 fuselage interior assembly work completed.
- > Cockpit flight deck parts glued in place, plugged assembly in fuselage nose, difficulties encountered whilst doing so.
- > Couldn't use starboard kit rudder pedal part, superbly crafted third-party instrument panel got in way

fabricated another from styrene sheet plastic, glue-slipped it on flight deck floor under the panel, also unable to slip lower cockpit area in front of passenger/cargo walkway because of instrument panel, trimmed more of it off to lay over the walkway.
- > Navigator/radio operator station parts detail painted with various Testors enamels, assembled then glued it in place above fuselage cabin clearing the mainwing assembly above it:
- > Passenger benches glued in place:
- > Clear parts cut from a large kit-provided clear plastic sheet glued in place over external fuselage passenger/cargo compartment window area, kit-provided etched brass backed with clear plastic glued in place above it:
November 18, 2019
- > S.74 fuselage upper sides & engine cowlings base painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% by volume Flat White for scale shading enamels replicating Giallo Mimetico 3:
November 19, 2019
- > Large Schema C1A "semi-star" mottles sprayed on S.74 mainwing assembly topsides with Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green replicating Verde Mimetico 3, 50/50 113 U S Rust + 119 Light Earth replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 + 36% each Testors Flat White enamels approximating those photographed on MM.424 "604-8" fuselage sides during WWII:
November 20, 2019
- > S.74 mainwing assembly underside base painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico:
November 21, 2019
- > S.74 Engines & mainwing engine mounts base painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels.
- > Engine spray painted with Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green replicating Verde Mimetico 3, 50/50 113 U S Rust + 119 Light Earth replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 + 36% each Testors Flat White enamel mottles approximating those photographed on MM.424 "604-8", cowling straps behind oil radiator rings Testors Flat Aluminum.
- > Engine cowling ring & mainwing oil radiators painted Friday, November 22nd, 56th anniversary of U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's assassination occurring same day of week whilst attending a grade school mathematics class
November 22, 2019
- > S.74 engine cowling ring & mainwing oil radiators spray painted with Testors Bronze enamel, set aside to dry till tomorrow.
- > Engine crankcases hand painted Testors 2105 Dark Blue Gray, engines centers drilled out for propeller spinner shafts.
- > Propeller spinners separated from sprues & trimmed, shafts test fitted with engines, propeller blade shaft holes drilled out.
- > Propeller blades separated from sprues, test fitted with propeller spinners.
- > Mainwing assembly engine mounts lightly spray painted Poly Scale Black & White mix acrylics replicating engine blow-by grime.
- > Mainwing aileron & flap actuator linkage rods hand painted Testors steel, engine mount heat outlets Testors Black & White "special mix" enamels"
- > Engine cowling exhaust piping painting, fitting cowlings over engines, mainwing water decals applied tomorrow.
- > Landing gear parts separated from sprues, sanded, test fitted with white metal mainwing struts, tailwheel separated from sprue, all ready for painting.
November 23, 2019
- > S.74 Mainwing Assembly (Mostly) Done
- > Entire assembly sprayed Testors Clear Semi-Gloss Lacquer.
- > Large kit fasci, smaller Tauro 48-537 water decals applied upper & underside mainwings, smaller clearing aileron actuators & wing tiedown half-loops, necessity given limited selection of available fasci decal sizes
November 25, 2019
- > No work on 24th, propeller units assembled today the 25th.
- > Poorly seated S.74 starboard forward fuselage passenger window band partially peeled off, trimmed & widened it & insert area, glued former down flush with fuselage; some puttying necessary, smooth sanding it tomorrow.
- > Fuselage Giallo Mimetico 3 base paint now completely dry, mottle spraying commences tomorrow.
November 26, 2019
- > Large Schema C1A "semi-star" mottles sprayed on S.74 fuselage assembly sides with Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green replicating Verde Mimetico 3, 50/50 113 U S Rust + 119 Light Earth replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 + 36% each Testors Flat White enamels approximating those photographed on MM.424 "604-8" fuselage sides during WWII.
- > S.74 main landing gear, tailplane & rudder assembly parts base painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow + 36% by volume Flat White for scale shading enamels replicating Giallo Mimetico 3, wheel spat interiors Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors:
November 27, 2019
- > S.74 fuselage undersides painted Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels replicating Grigio Mimetico.
- > Large Schema C1A "semi-star" mottles sprayed on tailplane tops & leading edges Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green replicating Verde Mimetico 3, 50/50 113 U S Rust + 119 Light Earth replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 + 36% each Testors Flat White enamels, undersides & braces Grigio Mimetico.
- > Tailplanes & braces glued on fuselage, some trimming & putty filling necessary, seams painted over:
November 28, 2019
- > Large Schema C1A "semi-star" mottles & variants sprayed on rudder sail assembly Humbrol 117 U.S. Matt Light Green replicating Verde Mimetico 3, 50/50 113 U S Rust + 119 Light Earth replicating Marrone Mimetico 53193 + 36% each Testors Flat White enamels.
- > Testors Flat White enamel Distintivo di Guerra cross sprayed on rudder, kit House of Savoy decal applied after drying.
- > Rudder sail assembly glued on fuselage, entire fuselage sprayed Testors Clear Semi-Gloss lacquer, passenger & cargo cabin window paint masking strips removed afterwards
- > Mainwing assembly glued on fuselage assembly, job took bit of doing

putty filling necessary along seams, adding it tomorrow along with spot painting:
November 29, 2019
- > S.74 mainwing-fuselage assembly join seams putty filled, sanded & spot painted, good results

white fuselage identification band sprayed on tomorrow November 30th.
November 30, 2019
* End Of The
Blade Runner Month
*
NO dystopian climate change disasters despite entertainment media reporting,
NO Replicants, Flying Cars, Mayan-esque megastructures, burning oil refinery gas towers (nearest are in Carson, CA farther down the Los Angeles basin) etc., etc., plenty of homeless people though,
zillions more of them than when the movie came out in 1982
- > S.74 Testors Flat White enamel white identification band sprayed on, bit of doing it took.
- > Fuselage cockpit edges spray painted Testors Flat Black & White special mix for visual aesthetics.
- > Navigator/Radio Operator Station Ladder fabricated from styrene sheet plastic, spray painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel, glued in place between pilot & copilot seats.
- > Clear kit vacuform canopy cut out, shape filed & sanded to fit on, good results
December 2, 2019
S.74 Model Is Complete, See Post Below
- > SEM Model Savoia-Marchetti S.73 resin with SUPERMODEL S.81 donor parts conversion build resumes tomorrow along with the resin Omega Models Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale.
- > Both feature mimetico camouflage, painting them in turn should save time & resources, hoping to complete them by New Years Eve
December 3, 2019
- > SEM Model Savoia-Marchetti S.73 fuselage halves trimmed, filed & sanded.
- > Starboard-mounted rudder sail broke off whilst doing so

re-glued it back on, filed & sanded over break seams.
- > Small but noticeable part of port side tail cone broke off whilst removing sprue

glued on styrene sheet plastic & putty building it back up; after gluing fuselage halves together will apply more putty, file & sand-shape it.
- > Long S.73 resin fuselage flight crew & passenger/cargo deck part mistakenly cut apart & used for building the SEM Model S.74 model

fabricated new - and better - one from spare SUPERMODEL S.81 kit parts, finishing it tomorrow.
December 4, 2019
- > New - and better - S.73 flight crew & passenger/cargo deck part fabricated, i.e. longer passenger/cargo deck platform, mounts for pilot & copilot seats, control columns, rudder pedals via a reworked spare SUPERMODEL S.81 kit part, several hours spent filing & sanding part sides to fit inside fuselage halves.
- > Fuselage halve interiors, flight crew & passenger/cargo deck part spray painted out-of-bottle Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray enamel approximating color Savoia-Marchetti employed in painting aircraft interiors.
December 5, 2019
- > S.73 fuselage halve window inside edges masked & spray painted Testors Flat Black & White "special mix" enamels for visual aesthetics.
- > Cockpit seats, control columns, rudder pedals, reworked SUPERMODEL S.81 kit instrument panel spray & hand painted assorted Testors enamels.
- > Seat belts cut from Scotch Magic Mending Tape spray over-painted Humbrol 29 Matt Dark Earth, buckles hand painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamels:
December 6, 2019
- > S.73 kit provided clear styrene plastic windows cut, shape-sanded, glued in place on fuselage halves.
- > Kit provided cockpit windscreens & some windows were undersized, fabricated replacements from sheet plastic.
December 7, 2019
- > S.73 fuselage interior parts & halves glued together, all seams puttied, considerable amount of it was necessary.
- > SUPERMODEL S.81 nose engine mount glued on, considerable fuselage-nose part flat-face sanding necessary for decent fit.
- > Major semi-assembled model components shown below:
December 8, 2019
- > S.73 puttied fuselage seams filed & sanded, windows masked for spray painting.
- > Tailplanes glued in place on fuselage, tabs very undersized

much puttying around them required.