Hi guys,

Can anyone tell me more about the 1:48 Savoia Marchetti from Trumpeter. I am wondering about the quality and fit of parts and also if there are any aftermarket goodies ?

TIA,
Marc

Hi Marc!

I can't give you much informations about the Trumpeter kit... All I know is that it is a good kit with some minor innacuracies here and there, but only noticable for an expert I guess. The detail is good but the kit is all injected... so...

An alternative for this kit would be the Classic Airframes version of the same plane... Even better, I would go for the Flashback one! This is the Classic Airframes one with some goodies (see picture below)



You have the basic injected parts, resin details (cockpit, engines, weighted tyres, armament etc...), photo etched parts for more details (seat harness, instrument panel, engine details, armament details, access door with ladder etc...), maskings for the windows and decals for three very colorfull decorations!

At Hannants the kit is almost the same price as the Trumpeter one and it is more accurate if I believe the reviews I read in magazines and on the web...

If you want the easier kit and you are not into accuracy, go for the Trumpeter one! If you want more detail, go for the Flashback (Classic Airframes) kit! But you should consider it is short run and thus more difficult to build... As you asked for aftermarket products, I assume this is not a problem for you.

I think I'll build the SM.79 for the "Bombs Away" campaign in the near future.

Jean-Luc

Hi Marc

I agree with Jean-Luc 100%.

I bought the Trumpeter kit when it came out, but before any reviews were available. The fist impression was good - it is a lot of model for £30, but then I looked at the parts more closely (I'd already built the Classic Airframes kit, so I was pretty well used to staring at SM.79 parts! :-)) my doubts crept in...

The first thing I noticed was very heavy "fabric" effect on the fuselage and control surfaces (actually, Trumpeter have the ailerons as metal-covered when they should be fabric) - really OTT.

The stabilisers look too small and the engine nacelles too blunt at the rear - the cowling's openings are also too large.

But the really weird thing was when I did a test fit... the wing's air-foil is bizarre! It's not exactly upside-down... but it would stand a better chance of flying that way.

I don't know if I'll ever build my Trumpeter SM.79! I've got another Classic Airframes kit and the Flashback version on the shelves (Jean-Luc's right - the Flashback one has most options), so I'd always go for them.

I hope this helps

Rowan

whew! it's good that i read this thread. i was ready to buy the trump kit since i'm here in china (trumpy country... ).
thanks! i'll steer away from that kit...

Thanks guys for the head's up.

I will try to locate one of the kits you've mentioned. Could you give me a prie-range of these kits ?

TIA,
Marc

Hi Marc

I just looked on the Hannants website. The Flashback kit is 48.32 Euros (+p&p) compared with 43.87 Euros (+p&p) for the Trumpeter kit.

All the best

Rowan