SM 79 Sparviero in Spanish service
- Subject:
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force 1939-now)
Transport Group AISA
April 1944 - Madrid- Scale:
- 1:72
- Status:
- Queued
- Started:
- December 8, 2021
Ten years ago I built a transport Sparviero used by the Italian cobelligerent Air Force. It's still waiting for the final touchup and so I decided to start another Sparviero, that will give the occasion to finish also the first 🙂
In this case I'll try to build a particular plane modified by the Spanish Aisa in 1943 and used for liaison service.
I'm not sure about the colours. I repeatedly studied the two pictures and, according to me, the general colour of the plane should be a very clear grey or aluminium (planes exported to Iraq were light grey while the planes used after the war by the Libanese air force were white). Moreover, it can be seen that the colour of the naca is not unique, but, after two rings (I think copper and silver like many Sparvieros) there's a dark colour: I think it's blue like the lighting on the fuselage. Finally, unfortunately, the decals for this last are not correct.
It's for sure an interesting topic, an I'll go on very calmly 🙂
Project inventory
Full kits
Detail and Conversion sets
Decals
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Photoalbums
4+Part of my Collection
Comments
Moreno BaruffiniDear Cuajete, I wrote in the project description my thoughts about the colour of the plane. What do you think about? Thank you!
CuajeteI don't know, Moreno... I think it could be aluminum, but it is difficult to know with so little data. In this other pic (with another decoration) it seems that it is aluminum, due to the reflections:
aviationcorner.net/show_photo_en.asp?id=300375
Even in this other pic, with better quality than the project, I would also say that it is aluminum (or maybe something like High Speed Silver). But it would be of great help if some expert in black and white photography could give his opinion.
aviationcorner.net/show_photo_en.asp?id=202720
Moreno BaruffiniThank you very much! I saw these pictures some time ago but I lost the links 😅
Also my initial guess was aluminium, but the problem is that the Sparviero was made mainly by wood and fabric...
Alex KInteresting project indeed... Based on the photos posted by Moreno and Cuajete, I would personally go for an aluminium scheme with blue engine nacelles, as per the lightning... (and NOT as suggested in the LF instructions). Just my two cents! BTW, the "wood and fabric" structure of the aircraft doesn't mean it couldn't have been sprayed with an aluminium dope... Good luck with this project, Moreno! 👍
Moreno BaruffiniDear Alex, you are right! I spent some time reading documents concerning the colours of the Regia (first of all "U. Postiglioni e A. Degl'Innocenti, Colori e Schemi Mimetici Della Regia Aeronautica, II Edizione, CMPR, GAVS sez Roma, GMT, 2a Ristampa, 1997) and I noticed that until 1936 all the aircrafts were painted with an aluminium colour.
Then this colour remained mainly for seaplanes, and was also added "grigio mimetico".
I'm not still completely convinced, as the tail fin should be white and does not seem the case (Moreover, Sparvieros exported to Iraq seems grey and not aluminium)...but I think I'll follow your and Cuajete advice.
Concerning the nacas, I totally agree, the nacas should be blue!
Alex KYes, I see what you mean regarding the rudder (shown white in LF's profile, as it should be normally expected), but in this case I think it is still in aluminium dope... Look at the difference in shade in comparison to the interior of the open door or to the circular emblem (?) on the tail fin. [Once again, apologies if I am talking here about things I'm not really knowledgeable about - I was just intrigued by what can we deduce from the existing B&W photos...]