Manufacturer: Planet Models
Aircraft: IMAM/Romeo Ro41.
Scale. 1/72
Meduim: Resin with vacform canopy
Decals: One trainer aircraft
Pros: Delicate and accurate surface details.
Cons: The price.
Verdict: Highly recommended.

Aircraft:
The IMAM/Romeo Ro41 was originally designed as a "light" fighter in 1934. The Regia Aeronautica thought, quite rightly, that it would have a more appropriate use as a trainer and production started in 1936. It had an impressive climb rate and was very manoeuvrable, which made it a perfect vehicle for training and was well liked by all who flew it. Over 700 were built and production continued for a short while after WWII had ended.

The Kit:
At £23.00, it is a rather expensive kit. The rather flimsy plain white carton, with simple black and white graphics, gives a false impression of the size of the kit, which is rather small (especially if you're used to working in 1/48th scale). The box illustration shows the aircraft minus its wheel covers, but the kit contains parts for covered wheels only, probably to avoid producing an etch set for the spoked wheels. Azur have used this method for their Ro37 kit, but they are too big to be used for this model.

Instructions:
The b&w instructions come on a double-sided A4 sheet, with an exploded construction view on one side and a paint diagram for one aircraft & a bit of history on the other. Colour references are Humbrol only and are not strictly correct. The decals are for a trainer based at Siena-Ampugnano during 1941.

Parts:
The model is made entirely in resin. The smaller components come on a sheet, so care is needed when separating the parts. The larger parts have large-ish gates which also need careful removal, particularly the wings, which have some of the thinnest trailing edges ever seen on a resin model.

The surface detail throughout is extremely well done. As is common with most resin kits, a fair amount of test fitting is required before assembly can start.

Construction:
Cockpit detail is a bit plain, so some extra detailing can be done if desired. References are probably non-existent, so some guesswork is called for. The interior is painted Verde Anti-Corrisovo, with an aluminium seat and joystick and a black instrument panel.

The fuselage and lower wing go together without too many problems. The horizontal tail surfaces are attached next, using the lower wing as a means of checking alignment. The upper wings are a bit tricky to align, so a jig would help here.

The engine looks like a copy of a simplified generic version often seen in various Supermodel or Italeri kits, but it is good enough. The back edge of the cowling needs a fair amount of thinning down to get a more scale-like thickness and there is a separate carburettor intake which is attached to the base, either side of which the two exhausts are attached.

All struts can be replaced with Contrail strut material if desired, as the resin parts look a bit too thick (this can apply to the undercarriage struts as well and it's easier to do than it looks). The outer 'interplane' struts are best left off until the camouflage is applied, as is the simple vac form canopy. The small tail skid is attached last of all. 

Painting & Decals:
After spraying the model with Halfords Gray Primer, white is applied for the training bands that appear on the wings and fuselage. When dry, they are masked off and the rest of the camouflage applied. At a guess, it ought to be Grigio Mimetico lower surfaces, Verde Mimetico 3 uppers with Giallo Mimetico 3 blotching. However, due to the sheer variety of colours and schemes used by the Italians and the lack of decent reference material, Italian markings are a potential minefield. Xtracolor X263 is sprayed for the Grigio Mimetico lower surfaces, Xtracolor X109 for the Verde Mimetico upper surfaces and Humbrol 81 for the mottling. The decals go on without any problems.

After looking at numerous photos it is clear that Italian aircraft tend to have a fairly shiny finish. Therefore a satin, not matt, varnish is recommended as a finish.

Overall:
Highly recommended to all Italian enthusiasts and an ideal kit for those who have not ventured into biplane or resin kit construction before, due to its relative ease of construction. It is also a very attractive, compact aircraft that just goes to show how good the Italians were at biplane design.