Special Hobby 1/72 Fiat CR.25 "VIP Transport Version"

SPECIAL HOBBY 1:72 FIAT CR.25 "VIP TRANSPORT"
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Carlos Giani (carlos_giani2002@yahoo.de)

Aircraft: The prototype of the Fiat CR.25 flew for the first time on the 22th July 1937, showing immediately very good flight performance. It was an all-metal structure, low-wing monoplane with retractable undercarriage carrying a crew of three (pilot, observer/bomber and radio operator/gunner). The Italian Air Ministry decided, in early 1938, to use this plane for strategic maritime reconnaissance/bombing and long range escorting. Nevertheless, the former order for 40 units was reduced to only 10, which were delivered in early 1940. Nine of them, called CR.25bis were located at the marine base in Palermo-Boccadifalco, Sicily. From there they absolved many missions either escorting the convoys to Libya or reconnaissance the sea surrounding Malta.

Although there existed nearly no spare parts for them, they served very effectively. Thus, in early 1943 they were almost retired from active front service and sent to north Italy for transport purposes. The 10th series plane was designated CR.25D and used by the Italian Military Attaché in Berlin, were it was confiscated after Italie´s ceasefire on September 8th 1943.

Parts: Inside the well-known, end-opening MPM-group standard box you get a plastic bag containing three medium-grey styrene sprues with 53 parts, one sprue with seven acetate parts, double vacu-formed alternative glazing, one bag with the decals and one little bag with 41 resin parts. The styrene parts are clean and well molded (as usual with Special Hobby), with nearly no flash, finely engraved panel lines and passable sprue attachments; just some ejector extrusions to eliminate. The fabric coverings on outer wings, rear fuselage and stabilizers is well represented (not overdone!). Of course, there are no locating pins. For the glazing you have to use the vacu-formed parts, since the injected ones are obviously not for this version (SH also produces a CR.25bis, Kit N° 72036). Nicely, they are doubled! The resin parts are mainly for the engines, each one consisting of block and 14 individual cylinders; the rest are the propeller hubs, the exhaust pipes, a couple of air intakes and one steering wheel.

Construction starts with the fuselage, where you have to open a couple of extra windows (and scratch build the glass). The pilot's cockpit is acceptable, consisting of floor, rear bulkhead, seat, column with resin steering wheel and some instruments/consoles. The two fuselage halves are glued together, with the rear wheel being trapped between them. From here on construction is conventional, with the lower wing half being one piece, which will help to get the correct dihedral. On each side you have to glue in the roof of the wheel wells, so that you get fully enclosed undercarriage compartments. Since these parts are not exactly symmetric, they are marked „R“ and „L“ on their (later non-visible) upper side to avoid a mix up. The two-piece stabilizers, two-halves engine cowlings, a couple of air intakes, four exhaust pipes, undercarriage, well doors and antenna offer no real surprises.

The real hard work will be the construction of the engines, since each cylinder has to be removed carefully from its resin billet and finely positioned onto its engine block. The propellers consist of separate blades which have to be glued on a resin hub (Have a said before that I hate this system?).

Instructions: A ten-sided A5 booklet, with history/technical data in English and Czech on side 1, parts layout on side 2, construction on ten steps from side 3 to 6, colouring/decaling four-view guides for three versions from side 7 to 9, and some advertising on side 10. Detail painting is given throughout, in some cases even with FS number. The camouflage colouring is given in Gunze Sangyo numbers, although to me they seem to be a bit inaccurate.

Versions:

MM3651, test flights 1939, in overall silver
MM3651, Italian Military Attaché at Berlin, October 1942, in upper green/red-brown mottle over sand, lower light grey.
MM3651, Italian Military Attaché at Berlin, after March 1943, in upper olive green, lower light grey.

Decals: Printed by Aviaprint, they look very thin and with very transparent carrier film; no stencilling.

Detail: Not overwhelming but fine.

Options: There are no real options in this kit

Impressions: Looks good, as usual with the kits from Special Hobby. I think it will built up into a nice plane without major problems.

Recommendations: Italian second-row planes are consistently ignored by the Big Boys, but thanks mainly to Supermodel (Fiat CR32, SM81, CANT Z1007, CANT Z506, Regianne 2000/2001/2002) and Special Hobby (Fiat CR.25, Piaggio P.108, I.M.A.M. Ro 57, Macchi Mc200) you can get more than just an MC.202 and a Fiat G55 in your collection without switching to resin. Recommended, although short-run beginners may have some difficulty with the vacu canopy.

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