|
|
The Sicilian - Savoia Marchetti SM.79 II Sparviero |
 |
built by Christian Jakl (1:48) |
| |
| |
In 1934, Alessandro Marchetti suggested a new aircraft that was to surpass
his SM.81. Although his SM.79 P was designed as a passenger aircraft for
eight people, the Italian dictatorship planned military use for the aircraft
much like the Luftwaffe did with the He 111. The twin-engined SM.79B was
not accepted because it was officially assumed that twin-engined passenger
aircraft were not reliable.
However Iraq, Brazil and Rumania ordered some of the military version of
the B model. Romania decided to use the Savoia on a large scale and bought
48 machines outright and acquired permission to build the aircraft under
license. In 1935 the first bomber versions were built as the great potential
of the aircraft was realized. During the Spanish Civil War SM.79 units delivered
12000 tons of bombs to their targets and operations were considered a success.
At the end of hostilities the Franco regime took over more than 80 Savoia-Marchetti.
More variants appeared and the Regia Aeronautica received the SM.79-II's
equipped with better radial engines. When Italy entered the Second World
War in 1940 the Regia had 570 of this type.
They were primarily used against shipping. They operated against the RAF
usually protected by fighter escort since they were never safe over the
Mediterranean and North African Theater of Operations. Allied bombing of
the Italian aviation industry caused major problems in the production of
aircraft and spare parts and as a result three quarters of the remaining
SM.79 were grounded. By 1942, units and available spare parts of the Regia
Aeronautica had shrunk to the point where one instead of two torpedoes was
carried to give at least the impression of a still formidable force. By
war's end there were only 36 operational SM.79 scattered over various airfields.
A total of 1330 SM.79 had been built. For quite a while they were used as
transport aircraft until Italy could build up their commercial aviation
industry. |
 |
| |
 The
model
Great on the outside, lacking on the inside sums it all up. Trumpeter leaves
it to the modeler to pass an objective judgment on this kit. If one goes
by the structure and the outward appearance of the kit then it is perfect.
Landing flaps, rudders, elevator are all separate parts. All doors can be
shown in the opened position but this is where the problems arise. The interior
detail is sparse at best. Eduard can help here with a bit of photo- etch
but this far is from enough. In my model I removed all interior structures
from the fuselage walls and replaced them with scratch built Evergreen replacements.
All fuselage structures (length and width) missing in the kit I have scratch
built and incorporated with the Eduard bits. The catwalk is also missing
but can be seen when the hatch door is open. The cockpit lacks armor and
the gunner's seat. The braces to mount the forward firing guns are also
missing. On the exterior I noticed only one mistake. The vertical stabilizer
braces are wrong; they were only used by the earlier civilian version. .
They have to be replaced by wire braces. The cockpit clear parts are too
thick and even after polishing do not allow a clear view of the cockpit
interior.
The
diorama
There is not much to look at in this diorama. The idea with the wooden base
has exited many and adds a rustic flavor to the whole thing. Many wartime
photographs which showed the aircraft covered with tarps to protect against
sand and heat persuaded me to do the same. First I wanted to cover all the
engines and the cockpit but then this would have hidden the special character
of this Marchetti. I decided to cover only one engine and I posed the cockpit
tarp in such a way as if the job of covering it had not been completed.
Hence the complete outline of the fuselage is visible.
I had problems with the exact representation of this aircraft since I lacked
sources about maintenance and exact appearance of the weapons and equipment
of this machine. Whether there was a ventral gondola I cannot say, there
are photos where torpedoes and ventral gondolas appear. Two of the figures
are from Hecker and Goros and are part of the "Italians". That is about
it as far as members of the squadriglias are concerned; another chapter
of history ignored by the manufacturers. Three Luftwaffe figures from Verlinden
had to fill in .The only one topless with shorts available. The barrels
are from  Griffon
- a Czech producer of small parts that others won't touch. |
|
| |
Conclusion
A good kit if one does not require a lot of detail. The parts fit very well
and there is hardly anything to fill and sand. There are only markings for
one version. The Italian aircraft had such colorful paint jobs that it is
a shame to be tied to only one aircraft. However the SM.79 is and remains
a unique aircraft and belongs in a good collection. |
| |
| |
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
meet the modeler |
|
|
|
| |
Christian Jakl |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
I was born in Vienna in 1971 and now I live in the middle of the mountains in the Tyrol district. I am in marketing and my specialty is graphic design and layout. Ships, planes and automobiles is how it started and now I have taken up aircraft models only. I concentrate on the German and Soviet air force. My favorite mode of display are dioramas in 1/48 scale. Here I can let my imagination run wild and can produce many of parts. Experimentation and the use of new techniques are foremost on my mind. I also combine stock kits with other add on’s and try out new tools. There is always a lot to learn.
It is not all that important to me if a detail is no exactly in the right spot; the final product has to look right. If somebody stands in front of my model and is enthused then I did my job right. The only problem I have is the time factor and in this I probably not alone. I wish everybody a lot of fun with this page and hope that critiques and comments are forthcoming. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Email: jakl.christian@gmx.at |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
This page: GALLERY: The Sicilian - Savoia Marchetti
SM.79 II Sparviero (1:48) - built by Christian Jakl
was last modified on: Jun 20, 2005
The URL of the page is: http://www.rlm.at/cont/gal07_e.htm
© Copyright www.rlm.at
and the contributing author(s). All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Terms of use: All material within this site is protected under copyright
and may only be reproduced for personal use. You must contact the Author(s)
and/or Editor for permission to use any material on this site for any purpose
other than private use! |
| |
|
