Misterkit Fiat CR 42 - OK, this might not be the most clever kit to build if there is three weeks left on the Battle of Britain 80 Campaign. In my defence, I can say that I have already done a bit of work on it during this summer so I'm not starting from an absolutely blank page.

This one has been in my stash for over 20 years, bought from a friend who ran a part-time hobby shop, pushing dangerous stuff like High Planes, Ventura, murky East European smelly resin kits - you get it! I held an unhealthy fascination for these kits for many years and if I had saved the money I spent with him on these kits I could probably have afforded a full-scale, flight-worthy, Spitfire by now. Or at least a Mustang...

The kit itself is from Italian hobby shop/manufacturer Mister Kit, they are still around and their CR 42 kits can still be bought new from their web site. Btw, on the subject of full-scale, flight-worthy, Spitfires, I paid the equivalent of about 30 Euros for mine. 20 years ago. So I can't afford to not build it either !

So, preparing for what can very well end up as an epic failure, here we go!


Roberto Valentini box art of one of the BoB Fiats that flew from Belgium. I wouldn't look forward to meeting Mr Spitfire in a bad mood flying this one...


Bits and pieces! Plastic is by MPM and very much a product of its time, the mid 1990s. This means that there will be a bit of cleanup, detail is rather soft and there are NO LOCATION POINTS WHATSOEVER for the forest of struts that make up the main workings of a CR 42... The resin included is top notch, I would have wanted a pair of wheels though, and to round it off there is a small etch fret with mainly interior parts. Finally, I got myself an Eduard set intended for the Italeri kit for good measure!



Magnus

Interesting theme, Magnus. Italians in the BoB were a short intermezzo. All aircraft they used there were obsolete and no match for a Hurri or Spit. In one of the older "Luftwaffe im Fokus" magazines there's a small report about the RA in Belgium with interesting photos of Fiat G50 and others.

So I will follow your build with interest and I have no doubt that these parts will again turn into a little gem in your hands.

Torsten

What a cool plane! I'm glad I wasn't flying it in the Battle of Britain....

Torsten! It's a very strange story with the Italians going to Belgium in the late autumn and staying over the winter. They must, apart from being shot at, have been freezing something terribly as well! Fiat G.50 is another favourite that I have to build some day !

Phil! Exactly so, I wouldn't mind having one today though - a Pitts Special might be cool but just think about turning up at the local aerobatic competition in one of these !

I quickly realised that without sorting out the struts this was a non-starter, no need to spend time super detailing the rest of the kit if I couldn't get the struts in place in a good way.


I used a 3-view plan to make a drawing of the strut fixing locations in CAD that I then printed, scaled to fit the kit. Using this, I could then construct a very simple drilling template ensuring that at least the holes were located in their correct positions and also that port and starboard wings were drilled the same.


Struts fixed using short lengths of brass wire in order to be able to dry fit and check the angles before committing to glue. The Bare Metal foil is there in case I need to fill in the lower end of the struts with CA glue to get a good fit against the lower wing. I don't want it to stick since I'll handle the upper wing with the struts separately until everything is finished, including paint and decals.


At least it doesn't look impossible...



Magnus

OMG Magnus!

You are living very dangerously with this kit!

Of course I am along for the ride

Russell! I'll really need company and support on this one !


This is so tedious but I'm finally getting something that is at least acceptable. Using super glue helps a bit since it fills the gaps between struts and wing surfaces, it is however difficult to sand and file especially since the structure is rather fragile and easily cracks when sanding it.

Interior is mostly a case of looking busy through the rather small cockpit hole...



Magnus

Looking good, Magnus! This one will test your sanity

However, I am sure you will get a great result with an attractive camouflage.

Looking forward to see more

Torsten, I have read that one. Kagero also made a book about it. Quite nice and with some nice color plates in it. Cool inspiration.

You are a brave, brave man, Magnus. As was any Italian who flew these things against Hurris and Spits.

I'm seriously contemplating a 1 month extension on the BoB campaign, if that helps you.

Michael

OMG Magnus... it's like a glass spiderweb!

Jesper! Good to see you ! I'm sure I'll have great fun with the camo, for the final result: we'll see...

Michael! Thanks ! An extension would certainly be most helpful, I would really appreciate it! Reminds me of going over to the campaign tread for a visit by the way.

Russell! Yep !


This one most definitively has a wing loading problem!


Didn't turn out too bad, I now realise that I forgot to paint the stick handle though. Can be reached with a paint brush so I'll solve it later!



Magnus

This really is a horrible little model, I'm sorry !

I've glued the landing gear in place only to realise that the angles are all wrong (they are much too splayed outwards, cast with the wrong angle between spat and leg) and that symmetry was out for lunch either when they were cast or when the masters were done. I've sanded one of the spats so that they at least are more or less the same thickness but one of the gear legs is still far thicker than the other one. Oh well, I leave it as it is.


Gear is on and I'm doing the final work filling in the gaps between the struts and the fuselage using super glue.





Magnus

well, as we say, Magnus, you've turned a pig's ear of a kit into a silk purse

Russell! We'll see where it all ends. I'm not ready to give up just yet !


I correct myself, I thought I could live with the landing gear but I've decided that I can't...



Magnus

Magnus, you might just be the last one over here at the old site: You're not ready to give up yet hey??

Come on over and join us at the dark side

Russell! I'll finish this one over here and will move over to you with my next build!



Magnus

I realise now why I very much prefer kits to scratchbuilding...


Since getting the struts to fit against the curved spats was impossible (for me at least ) I fixed the struts using metal wire so that I could adjust the angles to something suitable. After this, I filled the gaps with CA and baking soda to get a strong and sandable joint...


...which I then sanded to something that was absolutely smooth and perfect, or at least that's what I thought until first layer of primer...


Some sanding later and now I'm adding the upper edge of the fairings using Milliput, the one on the left has been sanded to shape while the one on the right awaits it's turn in the torture chamber...


And just to be able to post something of more general interest: a Fiat on a stick. With the tailplanes on!



Magnus

Amazing work on the details of this dinosaur as always, Magnus!


Don't forget to switch off the light here before you join us on the other side ....

Torsten! I promise, I've checked where the switch is !


Last parts to put in place: a pair of photo etch air outlets that I formed over a suitably sized drill bit. I brush painted them with metal primer (VMS Metal Prep 4K) since I've had problems with paint wearing of metal parts even if I have primed them using Tamiya Fine White. Seems to work so this is something I can recommend!


I attached the windscreen using CA (since I can reach the inside and remove any fogging) and built up a leather coaming around the rear edge using Milliput. I always get nervous working with the clear parts but it went well !


Ready for the fun to start! I've masked the areas for the national insignia to ensure a white background for them (they look nice enough on the decal sheet but wise from previous experiences with this build, there are no guarantees for anything...). I will also mask the fuselage band.


I just had to start painting...


...and one thing leading to another I ended up with this. Which I'm not very happy with after finding a book that I thought was lost a long time ago where there is a very nice three-view showing one the machines based in Belgium and that certainly doesn't look like this. Oh well, it's an enjoyable process so I can live through it again, I'll keep you posted on the results ! Of course that three-view is just an artist's impression but it is an Italian artist and I assume he knows his Fiats a lot better than I do!




Magnus

Magnus,

you are an inspiration to me for perseverance, and expert modeling.

Magnus, this will certainly be one kit you will remember building...

Frederick and Russell! Thanks for your comments - no way I can give up now, is there ? It has been close several times but I think I will see it through, the fun has begun and there is after all not too much more to do than paint and weather!


Repaint! I used the 3-view for inspiration...


...and this is with the brown done as well. Fuselage and lower wing had a more standard mottling, I'll start with that tomorrow!



Magnus

You can do it Magnus!

Russell! I finally feel that I can see the light in the tunnel now !








How very unpleasant! The Fiat has one of my pet hates: wrap-around camo around the leading edges !



And these are the colours I used to mix up the camouflage from! The green is used out of the bottle while Tamiya XF-59 was picked up from a nice build on Hyperscale but I found it turned out a bit on the orange side on my small scale kit so I mixed it with Gunze 79 and finally added a drop or two of yellow. As for the brown - I don't want to talk about it but here are the ingredients at least !

I like the colours but the overall look isn't 100% what I wanted (paint fields should be smaller and there should be more of them) but I'll let it go this time. I've got a double boxing of Hasegawa Macchi 202:s that can be used as a means for further exploration of the world of Italian camouflages!



Magnus

Eight days left and I seriously think I'm going to make it in time !


Decals are on, sharply printed with very good colour density but a bit on the stiff side. I finally resorted to Daco's strong setting solution.



Magnus