I always liked the SM-79 Sparrowhawk ever since building the Airfix release as a,kid. Sawtbis oneo eBay and thought "gotta do it.
So - first the potted history:
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. The SM.79 was easily recognizable due to its fuselage's distinctive dorsal "hump", and was reportedly well liked by its crews, who nicknamed it il gobbo maledetto ("damned hunchback").
The SM.79 was originally developed in the early 1930s as a cantilever low-wing monoplane of combined wood and metal construction. It had been designed with the intention of producing a swift eight-passenger transport aircraft, capable of besting even the fastest of its contemporaries, but had quickly attracted the attention of the Italian government with its potential as a combat aircraft. Performing its first flight on 28 September 1934, early examples of the type established 26 separate world records between 1937 and 1939, qualifying it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the world. As such, the SM.79 quickly came to be regarded as an item of national prestige in Fascist Italy, attracting significant government support and often being deployed as an element of state propaganda. Early on, the aircraft was routinely entered in competitive fly-offs and air races, seeking to capitalise on its advantages, and often emerged victorious in such contests.
The SM.79 first saw combat during the Spanish Civil War. In this theatre it normally operated without fighter escort, relying on its relatively high speed to evade interception. While some issues were identified, and in some cases resolved, the SM.79's performance during the Spanish deployment was encouraging and stimulated demand for the type, including a decision to adopt it as the backbone of Italy's bomber units. Both Yugoslavia and Romania opted to procure the type for their own air services, while large numbers were also procured for the Regia Aeronautica. Almost 600 SM.79-I and –II aircraft were in service when Italy entered the Second World War in May 1940; thereafter, they were deployed in every theatre of war in which the Italians fought.
The SM.79 was operated in various capacities during the Second World War, initially being used mainly as a transport aircraft and medium bomber. Following pioneering work by the "Special Aerotorpedoes Unit", Italy put the type to work as a torpedo bomber; in this role, the SM.79 achieved notable successes against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean theatre of the war. A specialised drone version of the aircraft flown by remote control was also developed, although the Armistice with Italy was enacted prior to any operational deployment. It was the most numerous Italian bomber of the Second World War, with about 1,300 built. The type would remain in Italian service until 1952.
Facts & Figures
Crew: 6 (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer/gunner, radio operator, bombardier, rear gunner)
Length: 16.2 m (53 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 20.2 m (66 ft 3 in)
Height: 4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 61.7 m2 (664 sq ft)
Empty weight: 7,700 kg (16,976 lb)
Gross weight: 10,050 kg (22,156 lb)
Powerplant: 3 × Alfa 128 R.C.18 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 642 kW (861 hp) each
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 460 km/h (290 mph, 250 kn) at 3,790 m (12,430 ft)
Range: 2,600 km (1,600 mi, 1,400 nmi)
Service ceiling: 7,500 m (24,600 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.3 m/s (1,040 ft/min)
Wing loading: 165 kg/m2 (34 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.173 kW/kg (0.105 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns:
1 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) forward Breda-SAFAT machine gun.
2 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) dorsal Breda-SAFAT machine gun 1 at the top, 1 in the belly (optional).
2 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns in lateral "waist-gun" ports (optional).
Bombs: 1,200 kg (2,645 lb) internal bomb load or an external 450 millimetres (17.72 in) torpedo.
The kit
Instructions
The Sprues
Decals
This going to be a VERY slow build - at least at first. Not only does it have tomfot in with everything else but there are 3 large packs of Edouard PR upgrades + masks in a Big Ed set.
All I've done tonight is take the cabin floor off the sprue and carry out the first PE task - filling the slots where the kits pedals should have gone. There are 4 x PE folded parts to replace them.
But as I say - it won't be quick at all. Even if I gave it 100% attention the time it takes for the Ammo Ultra adhesive to set (ideally overnight) is going to make this a protracted build.....
And the main undercarriage wheels are started - they've been primed and the plan is to give the tyres a coat of rubber black around the rim, paint the hubs Dark Sea Grey then assemble the wheels and finish the rubber black.
