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Fly Model 1/72 Caproni Ca.101 Bomber by Richard Mendes |
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The Caproni Ca.101 of mixed steel, wood and fabric-construction was a three-engine airliner and military aircraft based on the single-engine Ca.97 designed in 1927 by Rodolfo Verduzio (1881-1958) first flying in 1928 seeing extensive use as a Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI) transport and bomber as well as several being exported to Austria, China, Paraguay and Hungary (latter buying 20 as mail couriers) employing them in a variety of operational roles. Initially fitted with 200hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx 7-cylinder radial engines and two-bladed metal propellers Ca.101s carried a 1,200 liter (317 U.S. gallon) fuel tank in the upper central fuselage fuel fed to engines via copper tubing, 44 liter (12 U.S. gallon) oil tanks behind each engine, compressed air and fire extinguisher systems centrally located in a spacious quadrangular fuselage. Other radial engines were employed; 7-cylinder 370hp Piaggio P.VIIs, 9-cylinder 420hp Alfa Romeo Jupiters and 240-270hp Alfa Romeo D.2s (Ca.101 D.2 variant) some aircraft powered by mixed engine and propeller types. Besides the production Ca.101 and aforementioned D.2 variant, the Ca.101bis featuring larger wings and longer fuselage was built for Italian colonial operations, powered by an Alfa Romeo Jupiter in the nose and Lynxes under the wings they carried greater payloads at higher operational ceilings though greater drag and weight reduced maximum speed and flight endurance; 72 of the three types combined were built. A further development was the Ca.102 (34 built) with redesigned nose powered by two 500hp Alfa Romeo Jupiter engines and four-blade propellers enhancing performance almost to that of three-engine Ca.133s, though because of an improved aerodynamic nose the plane gained the nickname Pinocchio. The final Ca.101 development was the four-engine Ca.102quarter (1 built) with tandem fore and aft engines under each wing and two-blade propellers, its performance was unimpressive no further development taking place. One hundred twenty-seven Ca.101 and 102 variants are known to have been built not counting all those for export. Main production versions of the Ca.101 were operationally employed by the RAI's 7° Stormo throughout the 1935-1937 Second Italo-Ethiopian War, D.2s in particular with the 14° Volo Bombardiere "Hic Sunt Leones" and 15° Volo Bombardiere "La Disperata" of the 4° Squadriglia Bombardiere Terrestre executing tactical support missions for infantry and bombing missions, some also being as military transports, vulnerable to small arms fire they nevertheless were useful. Not seeing action during the Ethiopian War, Ca.102s alternatively served with the RAI’s 8° and 9° Stormi (latter’s 62° Squadriglia in particular) in other colonies. In 1939 the RAI retired all surviving Ca.101's the Ca.102's before them likely because of their less reliable twin-engine layout, no examples of any type surviving present day. |
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The Caproni Ca.101, 111, 133 line of high-wing braced monoplanes all based on the yet to be scale-modeled 1927-vintage single and tri-motor Ca.97 from the mid-1990s onwards have been molded in 1/72 scale injected plastic, vacuform et. al. media, employed as transports, bombers, communications, liaison, et.al. roles they were a critical component of RAI pre-WWII colonial air operations the Ca.133 in particular solidering on during WWII in a variety of roles as well as post-war with the Aeronautica Militare Italiana and Ala Littoria latter as transports. The 2012-vintage 1/72nd scale FLY Model 72003 Ca.101 nine-cylinder engine kit with injected plastic, vacuform and resin parts quickly followed by Kit 72013 seven-cylinder and 2019-vintage LF Models PE7220 Ca.101 nine-cylinder Alfa Romeo D.2s based on FLY Models molds are the only scale model kits of the Ca.101, initially deceiding not to build any as were outside my RAI modeling interests relented in hopes of new-tooled Ca.111 and Ca.133 kits becoming available by 2022 so as to model one each of the entire 101, 111 and 133 development line "earliest to last". On January 7, 2020 I purchased kit 72013 before knowing about the other Ca.101 kits, subsequently learning it featured 200hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx radial engines and two-bladed propellers of early production Ca.101s deceided to build it anchoring the aforementioned development line it as well as kits 72003 and PE7220 the same though with different resin engine, injected plastic propeller parts and water decal options ala Hasegawa and Special Hobby aircraft kits. The FLY Model 72013 Ca.101 kit save for asymmetric starboard forward fuselage halve molding, short forward and rear mainwing support and landing gear struts, engine cowling extenders to fuselage nose engine mount, broken resin parts as well as having to scratch fabricate others was amongst the easiest model kits had built since the early 1990s. Well molded and detailed the kit's fuselage interior included cockpit and dorsal gun station layouts typical of Special Hobby-like kits though interior parts forward of the starboard fuselage crew cabin entrance would had been welcomed as well as a cabin entrance and door that molded on fuselage cut out and reconditioned as seen on detailed photos. The kit's generic injected plastic dorsal fuselage Lewis machine gun part was too short as well as visually unappealing, cut off its grab handle and mount stake, glued them on a spare Ballaton Model SM.75 resin kit one well as adding a muzzle bead sight fabricated from styrene sheet plastic. Painting the model was straightforward; fuselage, mainwing engine pod and mount interiors spray and hand-painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White 50/50 mix + 36% White scale shading enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione, most of model exterior Humbrol 148 Matt Radome Tan enamel replicating Bianco Avorio 5 per CMPR/IPMS-Italy Scheme G1 common on pre-WWII RAI colonial aircraft, wide variety of Humbrol, Testors Model Master enamel and Polly Scale acrylic detailing colors painting propellers et.al. kit parts. Pre-WWII RAI Ca.101 mainwing engine pods and mounts, mainwing landing gear strut sections, dorsal and ventral fuselage areas, entire nose forward of the aft cockpit, were "speed-ball" curve painted blues and browns, other colors as well, wanting to paint as few areas possible using paints in inventory chose the FLY Model box art of a "speed-ball" Ca.101 seen at Caproni-Taliedo airfield near Milano in 1931 speculatively painted it with left-over Testors Flat Light Blue and Flat Black and White "special mix" 1/10 mix enamels (period photos suggest darker blues as well). Kit fuselage fasci and House of Savoy rudder water decals were applied few if any Ca.101s known to have sported mainwing tri-fasci all model exteriors over-sprayed with Testors Semi-Gloss Clear Lacquer afterwards. |
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Aircraft: Caproni Ca 101 Manufacturer: Società Italiana Caproni Type: Bomber Year: 1930 Engine: Three Alfa Romeo D.2, 9-cylinder radial, air-cooled, 270 hp each Wingspan: 64 ft 6 in (19.68 m) Length: 47 ft 1 in (14.35 m) Height: 12 ft 9 in (4.00 m) Weight: 11,317 lb (5,133 kg) Maximum Speed: 124 mph (200 km/h) Ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m) Range: 620 mile (1,000 km) Armament: 2-3 machine guns: 1,100 lb (500 kg) of bombs Crew: 3 |
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January, 2021 STORMO! © 2021 |