Subject: Savoia Marchetti 79

Manufacturer: Airfix

Constructed in 1980

I couldn't resist the challenge of the desert camouflage scheme - something really different! Armed with a few photographs of the original aircraft, good lighting and a steady hand I applied the green paint by brush with no pencil pre-drawing of the scheme onto the model. The task was completed in one four-hour session. Eyeballing photo-to-paint-pot-to-plastic, repeated several hundred times does leave one in need of a beer or two! I was, and still am, very pleased with the result.

The kit was released in 1967 and was a typical early Airfix offering. The wing trailing edges were way too thick as were the undercarriage doors, the rear of the engine nacelle cooling gills were solid and the control surfaces were separate components. You could position the elevators and rudder and the ailerons were moveable and looked a dog. The phantom riveter was obviously otherwise engaged on this product. Not a rivet to be seen but we do have the 1970's phenomenon of raised-line panel detail which is lost when you sand joints. Fortunately, the fit of the parts was quite good and little filler or sanding was needed.

Cockpit interior detail was non-existent but then you can see nothing in there through the small and rather thick transparency. The wheel wells are also devoid of detail and not boxed in. I am not carping. This was a state-of-the-art 1960's kit and with some extra effort resulted in a very pleasing end result.