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Italeri 1/48 FIAT CR.42 Falco (Hawk) by Richard Davenport |
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Designed as an interim fighter until the Italian monoplane fighters were available in sufficient numbers, the Fiat CR.42 was a modern biplane fighter that served the Regia Aeronautica in a multitude of roles including fighter, ground attack and night fighter duties. The Fiat CR.42 was also used by several foreign air forces who put the plane to good use and production was even resumed by the Germans in 1944. The Fiat CR.42 represented the culmination of a design formula that had begun in the 1920s. Designed by Celestino Rosatelli, the Fiat CR.42 was an aerodynamically refined aircraft, its clean lines hinted at what might have been had the fighter developed along the same lines as the Grumman F4F Wildcat; the F4F having started out life as a biplane. The Fiat CR.42 was used as a fighter by the Regia Aeronautica in the early phases of WWII over France, the English Channel, Greece and North Africa. Over Malta The small Mediterranean island of Malta held great strategic importance for both the Allies and the Axis during World War Two. Malta, a major base for the British Mediterranean Fleet, was situated along the main north-south route between Italy and North Africa and the east-west route between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. On 11 June 1940 the battle for Malta began with 17 CR 42s of 157° Gruppo, 1° Stormo stationed at Trapani, Sicily. A further 11 Falcos assigned to 163° Squadriglia Autonomo, 3° Gruppo Autonomo at Maritza were available, along with the 53 CR 32s of both Stormi. Early in the battle 9° Gruppo (4° Stormo) brought their CR 42s to the area before being redeployed to Libya on 12 July. Nine CR 42s of 9° Gruppo shot down a Hurricane over Malta during the morning of 3 July. The following day, CR 42 pilots claimed seven fighters and one bomber destroyed on the ground at Hal Far although the RAF reported only two Swordfish torpedo bombers that were damaged in the raid. The departure of 9° Gruppo for Libya was balanced by the deployment of 23° Gruppo Autonomo to Palermo, Sicily. On 12 July, both 23° and 157° Gruppi attacked Malta for the first time. In addition to their attack missions, the Falcos escorted Axis bombers, rescue, and reconnaissance aircraft in the vicinity of Malta. On 11 December 1940, CR 42 pilots of 23° Gruppo downed a Blenheim and two Wellingtons in separate attacks. The departure of most of 23° Gruppo for North Africa in December left a small force of CR 42s at Palermo. This force evolved into 156° Gruppo in April of 1941. During December of 1940, unit redeployments to North Africa and Italy left two groups - 7° and 16° - to operate mixed formations, including CR 42s, against Allied troop concentrations and ships. During this time, Reggiane Re 2001 and Macchi C 202 aircraft assumed the fighter role in the Malta Campaign. Reference: Fiat CR 32/CR 42 in Action, Aircraft Number 172, Squadron/Signal Publications. |
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This is the Italeri 1/48 Fiat CR.42 (#2702). It represents the aircraft of Maggiore Ernesto Botto, commander of the 9° Grouppo, 4° Stormo while stationed in Sicily and flying missions over Malta. While flying missions during the Spanish Civil War, then Capitano Botto was hit by a bullet in the right leg, which was smashed. During his hospitalization, it was necessary to amputate part of his right leg, which was then replaced with an artificial limb. On 3 July 1940 Botto shot down Hurricane (P2614) piloted by Officer John Waters of Hal Far (Malta) Fighter Flight. Some have criticized that the wing struts are too long on this kit, the windscreen and control horns for ailerons and are rudder too thick. But I enjoyed the model. My one concession to the critics was to sand down the exaggerated ribbing. There were no significant issues in the build. The only supplement to the kit was the seat harness by Eduard (49105) and I used E-Z Masks (#277) for the painting. To replicate the base color of "havana", or light tobacco brown, I used a combination of Vallejo Leather Brown (70.871), Yellow Ochre (70.913), Tamiya Flat Yellow (XF-3), and a little LifeColor Giallo Mimetico 16 (UA 528). Mottling consisted of Model Master Chestnut (2107) and LifeColor Verde Scuro Mimetico 39 (UA 530). The underside is Alclad II Aluminum (ALC 101). The interior is Model Master Acrylic Pale Green (4739). The prop face is Vallejo Sky Blue (70.961), the spinner is Tamiya Red (X-7). |
Aircraft: Fiat CR.42 Manufacturer: FIAT S.A. Type: Fighter Year: 1939 Engine: FIAT A.74 RC 38, 14-cyclinder radial, air-cooled, 870hp Wingspan: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m) Length: 27 ft 3 in (8.30 m) Height: 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) Weight: 5,060 lb (2,295 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 273 mph (440 km/h) at 19,685 ft (6,000 m) Ceiling: 34,450 ft (10,500 m) Range: 490 miles (785 km) Armament: 2 x 12.7mm SAFAT machine guns; 2 x 220.5 lb (100 kg) bombs Crew: 1 |
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