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Broplan 1/72 Savoia Marchetti SM.95C Civil Transport by Vince Fiore |
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The S.M.95 was the last commercial transport aeroplane built by SIAI Marchetti to go into regular service,
and it was also the second type of four-engined aeroplane produced by the Sesto Calende works, after the S.M.74
in 1934. In all fifteen aircraft were completed, and these were used up until 1951 by Alitalia and LATI, and up to
1952 (three aircraft) by the Egyptian company SAIDE. The origins of the S.M.95 date back to the early stages of the war, when SIAI Marchetti started the preliminary studies for the production of a large long-range transport model, capable of being used as both a military and civil aircraft, designed, in the latter case, for use across the South Atlantic. The design and development stage continued until the spring of 1943 when the first of the four aircraft ordered by the Regia Aeronautica as strategic transport aircraft made its maiden flight, in May. However the war slowed down the production programme and only two aircraft were completed during that year. These were requisitioned by the Germans and moved to Germany, where they were assigned to two units of the Luftwaffe, which was already using the transport models of the four-engined Piaggio P.108. The other two S.M.95s ordered did not appear until the latter half of 1945: one was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force, and the other managed to remain in Italy and pass its military tests and trials. It was officially shown at Guidonia in April 1946, and immediately included in 240 Squadron of Transport Command (Stormo Trasporto). This aircraft was used as a military mail transporter and inaugurated the flight from Milan to Rome on April 10, 1946. In the meantime SIAI Marchetti had prepared a production line for six more aircraft, with structural modifications and a shortened nose, designed for the Air Force (Aeronautica Militare). The first of these took to the air in December 1946. It was in fact with these aircraft that the civil career of the S.M.95 began, after the cancellation of the order by the military. The newly established Alitalia was the first to acquire these large four-engined aeroplanes which, in the now permanent civil version, took on the designation S.M.95C. The first four of the six aircraft which were to form the most prestigious fleet belonging to the Italian company went into service during 1947. On August 6, the S.M.95C christened Marco Polo and registered I-DALM inaugurated the first international service run by Alitalia, from Rome to Oslo. on April 3, 1948 the first flight to Great Britain, from Rome to Northolt, was started, and four days later the Rome-Milan-London-Manchester service was also inaugurated. The SIAI Marchetti four-engined aeroplanes showed themselves to be quite robust and had good all-round features. In particular, their capacity ranged from 30 to 38 passengers. One particular technical characteristic of these aircraft was the interchangeability of the engines: there was a transition from the original Alfa Romeo A.R.131 engine with 1,140 hp at take-off, to the English Bristol Pegasus 990 hp radial engine, and then to the American Pratt & Whitney R-1830-SIC3-G 1,215 hp engine. The second Italian airline inaugurated a weekly flight to Caracas in July 1949, using three S.M.95C models christened Sant'Antonio, San Francesco and San Cristoforo. This was a fairly testing flight, the last leg of more than 2,450 miles (4,000 km) being made non-stop; these aircraft nevertheless showed themselves to be well up to the task. Reference: [1] Angelucci E. and P. Matricardi, "World Aircraft - World War II - Part I", Sampson Low, Bershire House, UK, 1978
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I built this subject a while ago and do not recall the build well. I will say it is a vac form by Broplan. It is straight out of the box. Wheels and propellers are from the spare box. All primers and paint are MRP brand. What can I say? Be careful with sanding. The window curtains are from Arctic Decals. The decals must be coated with at least two coats of clear varnish or you will have have problems.
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Aircraft: SIAI-Marchetti SM.95C Manufacturer: SIAI-Marchetti Type: Civil Transport Year: 1947 Engine: Four Bristol Pegasus 48, radial with 9 cylinders, air-cooled, 990 hp each Wingspan: 112 ft 5 in (34.28 m) Length: 81 ft 3 in (24.77 m) Height: 18 ft 8 in (5.70 m) Weight: 48,500 Ib (22,000 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 196 mph at 10,000 ft (315 km/h at 3,000 m) Ceiling: 22,300 ft (6,800 m) Range: 1,250 miles (2,000 km) Crew: 5 Passengers:38 |
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