Manufacturer: Aviation USK
Aircraft: Fiat RS-14   [Fiat CMASA RS14 "Ricognizione Stiavelli 14" Series 1]
Scale. 1/72
Meduim: Limited-run injection with brass-etch details and vacform canopy (no spares)
Decals: Two aircraft
Pros: Only one available in this scale. Nice decals.
Cons: Has some outline/shape errors.

Aircraft:
Aviation USK are to be congratulated for releasing a limited-run injection kit of the Fiat RS-14, one of Italy's most elegant WWII seaplanes. It was developed as a replacement for the slow Cant Z.501 Gabbiano (nick-named "The Slug" by its pilots) and the larger Cant Z.506. Its clean, compact and aerodynamic shape resulted in a highly manoeuvrable aircraft, so much so that the prototype was able to do a loop during testing. A unique feature was the removable ventral weapons pod that was slung under the fuselage, which predates the B-58 Hustler by some margin. Its entry into service was delayed by the usual development problems, especially fatigue in the float struts which led to a few collapses during landing. It ended up being used alongside the Cant Z.506, which was preferred because of its better stability in rough seas and more reliable Alfa Romeo engines.

The Kit & Instructions:
The eccentric packaging of the USK kit is reflected in the instruction sheet, which was printed on both sides of a bright yellow A4 sheet. When comparing the parts against the plans in the Ali d'Italia RS-14 monograph ("Mini" Series No.3), it is clear that there are some outline/shape errors, most of which are easily rectified. If only USK had used this monograph, it would have saved a lot of work. The booklet hi-lights most of the problems in a short article in the back. If you have this kit, get the monograph as well, as you will need to refer to it many times whilst correcting the various parts. Don't let the poor painting on the cover put you off.

Construction:
What follows is a list of the corrections that need to be made :

1. Fuselage made shorter at the tail end by 2.5mm.
2. Tail fin & rudder separated and re-profiled according to which version you wish to build. The 3 series had a slightly different shape.
3. Horizontal tail surfaces separated and re-profiled. The elevators can be posed up or down, if desired.
4. Fuselage side-gunner openings reduced in size and new doors made with plasticard. None were supplied in the kit.
5. Engine cowlings made 2.5mm shorter and the cooling vanes re-scribed.
6. Prop spinners replaced with larger versions, using spares (AML G.50 spares were used for this build).
7. Fuselage ventral weapons pod lengthened by 5mm. Use a section from the spare, as there are two common sprues in this kit.
8. Incorrect brass-etch float rudders replaced with plasticard versions.
9. Mid-turret to fuselage join made smooth.
10. The position of the crew access hatches corrected and new windows made from excess vacform material.
11. Side windows for the nose glazing reduced in size.
12. The wing to fuselage join corrected by moving the leading edge of the wing upwards by 4mm and the resulting join smoothed out with Milliput. Make sure the angle of the engine cowlings is altered as well, otherwise they will point upwards.

Other points worth mentioning are:

The parts supplied for the interior are very basic, so plenty of extra detailing is possible, including a new instrument panel as the brass etch version is too big. There are some interior shots in the Ali d'Italia booklet that will help.

The rather thick fuselage mouldings can be made thinner at all canopy/window openings to get a more scale-like thickness.

The floats should be left off until the camouflage has been applied, otherwise they will get in the way when using the airbrush. This applies to the re-shaped rudder, which has a different camouflage colour. 

The prominent elevator mass balances can be scratchbuilt, as those supplied in the kit are poorly moulded and the etch versions are wrong (and too flat). 

Other items that need to be scratchbuilt are the various radio aerial masts and the flap & aileron hinges on the wings.

The nose canopy glazing is supplied as two halves. The split, however, is not vertical or horizontal but angled (about 45 degrees) and their rough edges made a good join hard to achieve. All the canopies have some framing errors, but it does not detract too much. One can only hope for a Falcon replacement set.

Painting & Decals:
The white fuselage ID band and rudder cross are sprayed on, instead of using the decals. Humbrol 125 is used for the Grigio Azzurro Scuro upper surface colour and Xtracolor X134 for the Grigio Azzurro Chiaro lower surface. The demarcation line is fairly soft between the two. The rudder is sprayed Humbrol 91. This is due to regulations calling for a high contrast between the camouflage and white rudder cross and using Verde Oliva Scuro allowed for this.

The decals are fine, although there are no squadron insignia. Fortunately, Skymodels have produced a decal sheet (72-019) that includes the rather fetching Donald Duck insignia of the 287 squadriglia and another one used by the 170 squadriglia.

Overall:
This is a time-consuming build and after reading this you may wonder why bother at all, as it looks like too much hard work. None the less, it's a rewarding subject and such a nice looking aircraft deserves to be in a seaplane or Regia Aeronautica collection. Recommended to those who do not mind taking a bit of time building a kit of this nature.

As a footnote, there is a 1/48th scale RS-14 resin kit made by Criel (or Massi) Models. I have not seen it, but I have been told it is has an accurate outline, but sparse interior detail. There maybe still be some available, so try <www.pacmodels.com> or <www.misterkit.com>. Be warned though as it's not cheap.