1/48 SMER SM 79 Sparviero

by Denis Coudert

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I am not especially found of Italian airplanes, but I think that some planes built by Italian engineers during WWII are among the most elegant airplanes ever built. The "Veltro" is a good example, and for me the "Sparviero" is the most handsome and elegant tri motor.

I owned this kit for many years and because of his poor quality, I left it sleeping for a long time.  An article on ARC inspired me to build it.

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As you can see on the photos above, it's a vintage kit and the cast seems like "short run".  The torpedo was completely bent and I had to "warm" it to give it a good shape. Some pieces were missing (a propeller blade, the guns, a part of the tail ...) so I had to re-build it or use the spare box.

 

On this kit, every step was difficult.  The cockpit was completely empty.  The camel back was opened and showed ... nothing, so I had to create it (with on old fuel tank).  Gluing the motor was very difficult.  A lot of "putty" was necessary ... and a lot of sanding.  The clear part was poor quality but it was impossible for me to replace it.  Even putting the decals was a very delicate exercise because they were extremely fragile.

With this kit, the painting was the easiest part of the kit, and this scheme gives to the model a more elegant look.  All the painting was completed with handbrushing  ...  and lot of patience.

I think my model can't win a prize, but when I look at the parts of the kit at the beginning and the final result, I am (reasonably) proud of myself.

Thank you for reading.

This article gives me the opportunity to thank Mr Steve Bamford, it's really a pleasure to visit this site every day. THANK YOU !!!, long life to ARC ... and all the ARCers ...

Denis

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Photos and text © by Denis Coudert