STORMO! Forums

I’m working on the Trumpeter S.79 and struggling to understand the dorsal hump. Photos and profiles vary, some showing the full hump, some showing only the front portion. Was the back half removable, or did it retract somehow into the aircraft? With the rear-facing machine gun mounted on the cockpit bulkhead, where did the gunner stand? I see the “arrowhead” to deflect that gun only sometimes; was it not on all aircraft? And where was it located?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Hi Dave,
Welcome to Stormo. Here are some scans that might help. The dorsal hump was retractable and was made up of various panels that slide forward toward the front of the aircraft. The rear firing gun was attached ahead of the bomb bay and was attached to the frame of the aircraft just above a bulkhead at an attachment point - see the third scan below. There's also some good builds in the Gallery, look for Peter Dixon's Trumpeter 1/48 S.79, the article should have some photos of the internal areas.

The first three photos in the scan below correspond to Serie (batch) I aircraft. The remaining photos show the sliding panels of production aircraft.

Thanks, Vince, very helpful. Mine won't be as impressive as Peter's, but I'll plan on submitting for the gallery when done.

Richard

Thanks Richard I look forward to seeing your work.

Magnificent all in one word, clearly beyond my patience never mind research & parts detailing budget! Does anybody know when the model was built, have to think it was before Italeri released their 1/72nd S.79 kits c.2003 onward.

The 1967-vintage Airfix kit never was a "favored Italian", first build - an original 1967 MPC/Craftmaster U.S.A. issue - was total disaster, extremely poor quality decals didn't help matters, Krasel Industries still years away from releasing their first Microscale Regia Aeronautica decal sets after I'd quit modeling! In spring 1969 was graduating high school senior, last semester took Graphic Arts course from laid-back teacher who'd piped-in KZAP-FM Sacramento album rock music from next door electronics class taught by the self-avowed anarchist Clyde Echols, tried making a silk screen master of fuselage fasci but soon gave up, next Airfix kit builds c.1979-80 with ETRL/ESCI decals weren't that well constructed either, not till after 2006 did I build kits that were.

Good question, Enrico Leproni built his model in 1973. Color photos of the model (an SM.79 II) are in the back page of AD#11. The Airfix kit is very basic but it can build-up into a pretty good model with some work. Of course you should use the Italeri kit unless cost is an issue in that case you should be able to find an Airfix kit on ebay for about 1/3 the cost of the Italeri one.