Subject: Re: Fiat CR42 Italeri - article submission
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Elia Pagani" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2008 20:25:48 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Elia Pagani 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2008 2:36 PM
  Subject: Fiat CR42 Italeri - article submission

  Hello Steve,

  I'm new at ARC an this is my first submission, so I'd like to add some notes:

  I'm from Italy, living in Bergamo, close to Milan. I'm a  member of the local section of IPMS Italy, and

  of course I'm an aircraft modeller.

  Hope the article works fine, and the photos here attached as well. Let me know for any issue

  thanks and best regards

  Elia Pagani

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1/48 Fiat CR42 - Italeri

  by "Elia Pagani"
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  This is my first article for ARC and I select to submitt my last production, that is the Fiat CR42 in 1/48 from Italeri. There was not a lot a choice in the past when building one of the most famous Italian fighter of the WWII in my favourite scale and I appreciated that Italeri finally developped this kit that is the best offer today available in terms of cost/quality ratio. The kit dimensions are accurate, panel lines are recessed (not a lot of panels in this biplane, actually), just the typical shape of the fabrics of the wing is too evident, but with some sanding the effect can be smoothed. Unfortunately the only problem to me is that the kit represents the late CR42 serie with the last type of squared carburator air intake with sand filter and this is good for the versions used by the Luftwaffe (the actual version of the kit)or for an Italian assault version, but not for the version that I decided to build that is an early fighter version (what else?) deployed in North Africa during the fall of 1940.

  Luckily, the kit provides several spare parts for different options: two type of spinner, normal and "cut" type of wheels covers, etc, so I had just to build from scratch the std carburator air intake because all the rest I need was already available from the box.

  Construction

  The cockpit from the kit is quite detailed, but I preferred to replace the cockpit walls showing the steel tubular structure just impressed in relief, by a brand new tubular structure made from 0.5mm plastic rod that has been fitted to what has been saved of the kit cockpit: the front structure with the dashboard support and part of the floor with the seat. A significant detailing improvement has been achieved by using the Eduard Zoom set FE332 to details the two instrument panels and the two control consoles at the sides of the seat.  The typical Italian safe belts are coming from photoeched, as well, though they are missing from the photographs. Other kit details of the cockpit not enough accurate like the oxigen and the air compress bottles, the S.Giorgio gunsight and the compass have been made from scratch.  The cockpit has been painted in light grey (Humbrol 64).

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg   Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg  

  The kit provides a fine replica of the Fiat A74RC38 radial engine, made of five separate parts: leaving the cover panels in open position it would require more detailings, so I preferred to have the NACA with all the panels fixed and just adding the spark plug wiring at the top of the cylinder and drill out the exhaust terminals to give them a more realistic look The engine cilinders have been painted in black with the base cover in light grey and the exhausts terminal in metallic bronze. I also did some drybrushing in silver to highlight the cylinder details and some weathering done by a washing of black oil paint diluted by enamel thinner.

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here  

  Painting

  The painting of a biplane has to be performed before mounting the upper wing: this add more risk to compromize the final job since a complex part of assembly and some more handling has to be done working on the finished surfaces, hence you have to suffer until the end before understanding if your work is acceptable or you just waisted your time.

  The version I choose to represent is the std CR42 early painting scheme: overall top and side surfaces in "Giallo mimetico 3" and irregular spots of "Verde mimetico 3" and "Marrone mimetico 2" . All those colors are Lifecolor acrilics, just adding some brown to the "Giallo" since the original from the bottle looks too light once diluted and sprayed on the model. The underside is "Grigio mimetico" obtained from Humbrol enamel 140 with some white added to make it lighter. The upper wing tips have been painted in white as per the std tactical marking of the period. The Italian painting scheme was not an easy task to complete and it was repeated twice before obtaining the desired look. Once complete the mimetic colors, I sprayed all the model with Tamiya Acrylic Gloss Clear to get the model ready for the weathering and decalling. 

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg  

  Decals and finishing:

  The subject I represented is an aircraft in charge to the 4'Stormo, 9'Gruppo, 97a Squadriglia, based at El Adem, Cyrenaica, in November 1940. Decals come from Aeromaster sheet 48-188 (Fiat CR42 Falco Collection), but I just used the Squadron number, the Stormo and Gruppo badges, as they are very nice and accurate. I preferred to replace the wing and side fuselage fasces of the national insigna with others coming from a Tauromodel decal sheet, instead. After placing all the decals, I highlighted the panel lines with an oil dark gray paint washing. Propeller has been painted black on the back side and light grey on the front side, with spinner in red. The final overall coat is a light spray of acrylic matt clear from Gunze Sangyo.

  The final effort was to glue the upper wing to the rest of the aircraft, I already realized from previous trials that the wing struts were slightly shorter than what required to fit the wing distance, hence I had to split in two each of them and add some plastic to make their lenght adequate, and this was a quite boring exercise.

  I completed the model adding the navigation lamps on the upper wing made from Cristal clear, the control wiring for rudder, ailerons and the bracing wires on the outer struts made from stretched sprue. 

  At the end I was quite satisfied of the final result, hope the same for you. Thanks for reading.

  Elia

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg  

  Photos and text © by  Elia Pagani - IPMS Italy #2709