STORMO! Cunardmodel 1/72 Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.135S by Richard Mendes

Cunardmodel 1/72 Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.135S
Medium Bomber
by Richard Mendes

Click the STORMO! Eagle to
return to the Gallery

The Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.135 designed by Cesare Pallavicino (1896-1976) was a low-wing, twin-engined, steel, wood and fabric-constructed bomber briefly employed pre-WWII by the Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI), Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő (Royal Hungarian Army Air Force) during WWII, Cuerpo de Aviación del Perú (Peruvian Aviation Corps) during the 1941-42 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. In 1934 the Ministero dell'Aeronautica Italiana issued a specification for a new twin-engine medium bomber, similarly-constructed competitors included the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico Triestino Z.1011, Piaggio P.32 and Ca.135. First flown on April 1, 1935 with 835hp Isotta Fraschini Asso XI R.C.40 V-12 inline engines and fixed-pitch wooden propellers, on June 19, 1937 the RAI ordered thirty-two 900hp L.121 R.C.40 Asso-powered specimens with three-blade metal propellers.

First delivered to 11° Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre in January 1938 Asso-powered Ca.135s were briefly flown by 33° Gruppo, 59° and 60° Squadriglie, 34° Gruppo, 67° and 68° Squadriglie. The planes were underpowered and were reassigned to flying schools. The Fiat A.80 R.C.41 fourteen-cylinder radials as the Ca.135S "Tipo Spagna" but did not improve performance much. The planes were also re-engined with 1000hp Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 fourteen-cylinder radials as the Ca.135 Modificato and improved performance significantly and these planes proved to be very successful and possesed the highest performance designated as the Ca.135/P.XI. The Ca.135/P.XI was evaluated by the Japanese Army Air Force in May 1938, along with the BR.20 and inspite of good performance the BR.20 was chosen. In addition to the 1937 production order in 1938 the RAI ordered 32 more Ca.135s intended to replace 11° Stormo Asso with the Ca.135/P.XI, built from 1939 till June 1940. The Regia Aeronuatica preferred the three eninge CANt Z.1007bis and SM.79 to teh twin engine types and the Ca.135/PXI became an export machine and supplied to the Hungarian Air Force. 100 were supplied to the Hungarians 36 new-built P.XI-powered aircraft constructed and delivered between 1940 and 1942 as the Ca.135bis (67 P.XI and bis total). These planes were attached to the German Luftflotte IV and served successfully against the Soviet Union.

In May 1936 the Cuerpo de Aviación del Perú (Peruvian Aviation Corps) ordered six Isotta Fraschini Asso XI R.C.40-powered aircraft as the Ca.135 "Tipo Peru" to replace their aging Caproni Ca.111s, delivered c.July-August 1937 they were employed as long-range reconnaissance and transport aircraft during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. There was also the Piaggio P.XI powered special long-range version with additional fuel tanks as the Brazilian Ca.135 "Raid" speed racer, 1,400hp Alfa Romeo 135 R.C.32 eighteen-cylinder radial engine-powered Ca.135bis/Alfa capable of 300mph. Approximately 109 aircraft of all versions including the prototype were manufactured between 1936-1941 despite the great publicity given the bomber in the late 1930's, none ever equipped operational units of the Regia Aeronuatica.

A concurrent development of the Ca.135 was the Ca.325 powered by 1,450hp Isotta Fraschini Asso L.180 I.R.C.C.45 18-cylinder radial engines.

Construction

The 1/72 scale early 2000s and 2010s-vintage Cunardmodel CM7201 Ca.135 Isotta Fraschini Asso inline (Ca.135 Asso) and CM7224 Ca.135S FIAT A.80 radial (Ca.135S) engined resin model kits are the only ones available of the bomber in any scale. Well molded with good exterior, fuselage and main-wing wheel well interior detail the kits lacked clear windows well as several interior and exterior parts indicated on the building instructions that had to be fabricated the instructions themselves incomplete though rectified with subsequent re-release of the Ca.135 Asso kit with "more understandable" ones.

Both kits include well detailed fuselage flight decks that were too wide, much sanding necessary to fit inside fuselage halves, clear windows having to be individually cut from sheet styrene plastic and glued in place, other interior parts having to be fabricated as well. The ventral machine gunner's "tub" mounting slots were off-center to port necessitating having to force-lean transparent vacuformed "greenhouses" portside whilst gluing them on ventral fuselage sides. Clear vacuform plastic cockpit canopy, fuselage nose area and dorsal Lanciani machine gun turret parts were individually cut out of molding sheets, filed and shape-sanded for mounting, cockpit canopies required plastic shimming and puttying around windscreens, Ca.135S' wider canopy from different mold than Ca.135 Asso’s more work mounting it over cockpit than Asso's. The Ca.135 Asso kit mainwings have landing gear and flap parts beyond those included with the Ca.135S though latter with good radial engine mounts starboard engine vertically off center due to malformed engine part castings however.

Painting the Cunarmodel Ca.135 Asso and Ca.135S models was relatively straightforward:

• All fuselage interiors, mainwing landing gear and fuselage tailwheel wells, covers, doors and engine cowling interiors base spray and hand painted Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green scale lightened with Testors Flat White replicating Verde Anticorrosione various Testors and Model Master enamel colors employed for spray and hand detailing fuselage interiors, engines, landing gear struts, wheels et.al. parts.
• All model exterior uppersides base spray painted Humbrol 63 Matt Sand + 10% Testors Flat Yellow replicating Giallo Mimetico 3 all undersides Humbrol 140 Matt Gull Grey replicating Grigio Mimetico each scale lightened 36% with Testors Flat White enamels.
• Ca.135 Asso uppersides spray painted Humbrol 149 Matt Dark Green replicating Verde Mimetico 2, Testors Model Master 2009 British Crimson + Humbrol 118 Matt U.S. Tan 80/20 mix replicating Marrone Mimetico 2 each scale lightened 36% with Testors Flat White enamels in a CMPR/IPMS-Italy Schema A3A variant similar to pre-WWII IMAM Ro.37s.
• Ca.135S uppersides spray painted Verde Mimetico 3, Humbrol 118 + 10% Model Master 1705 Insignia Red replicating Bruno Mimetico each scale lightened 36% with Testors Flat White enamels in a CMPR/IPMS-Italy Schema C1B variant.
• Ca.135S’ rudders spray painted solid Testors Flat White given they’d later be painted in Fuerza Aérea Nacional Espania markings those of Ca.135 Asso kept harmonious with upper fuselage camouflage.
• Various Testors and Model Master enamel colors employed detailing exteriors of both models.

The Ca.135 Asso kit came with water decals depicting a pre-WWII 33° Gruppo, 60° Squadriglie aircraft, employed these as well as hand-painting generic propeller manufacturer logos on the blades. The Ca.135S kit came with no decals Internet photos of the presumed "Tipo Spagna" prototype showing no markings other than FIAT-manufactured propeller blade logos, employed those on the 1/72 scale LF/KORA DEC 3230 Italian Logotypes For Propellers Part 1 decal sheet. Following decal applications both models were oversprayed with Testors Clear Semi-Gloss Lacquer.

Technical Data

Aircraft: Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.135 P.XI
Manufacturer: Caproni Aeronautica Bergamasca
Type: Bomber
Year: 1937
Engine: Two Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 14-cyl. two-row air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,000 hp each
Wingspan: 61 ft 8 in (18.80 m)
Length: 47 ft 2 in (14.38 m)
Height: 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
Weight: 18,740 lb (8,500 kg) (Loaded)
Maximum Speed: 273 mph (440 km/h)
Ceiling: 22,966 ft (7,000 m)
Range: 746 miles (1,200 km) with bomb load
Armament: 3 12.7mm machine guns: 3,527 lb (1,600 kg) of bombs
Crew: 5

Additional Images

STORMO! Products