Azur/FRROM 1/72 SM.79B

 The Savoia Marchetti SM.79B / JIS / JRS B was a twin engine, four crewmember medium bomber / reconnaissance aircraft used by the Aeronautica Regala Romania (AAR) in WW2.  The initial SM.79B version was equipped with Gnome Rhone engines but was underpowered.  Junkers Jumo engines were then fitted resulting in the ‘JIS B’ variation.  The ‘JRS B’ version was license built in Romania.  In 1943, Romania built the aircraft with more powerful Jumo engines.  This variation was the ‘JRS B1’.

The AAR flew the SM.79 against the Soviet Union until September 1944, then against Germany until the end of the war. 

The kit consists of 114 light grey parts, 15 clear parts and 4 resin parts.  There are two nose section options. The surfaces have recessed panel lines.

A detailed 9 page instruction booklet accompanies the kit.    A painting of the subject is shown on the box cover.

Decals for 4 aircraft of the Aeronautica Regala Romania are provided.

 The runners are not numbered.  The instructions have a diagram of each runner indicating the number for each part. There are no locator pins on parts, except for the tires. 

Flight Deck / Fuselage:

 For flight deck assembly, the instructions point to the locations on the fuselage where the parts need to be attached.  There are very subtle or no locator marks on the fuselage or parts for positioning.  Note: Not much of the interior detail is readily visible once the fuselage is assembled and the canopy is on.  I opted to not install 2 machine guns inside the fuselage for this reason.  FS34227 Pale green was used for the interior color.

Windows:

The windows are installed from outside of the fuselage.  They are tapered so they don’t push through when installed.  A lot of sanding and fitting was required until they set flush with the fuselage.  I glued them in place with white glue. 

 Wings:

The underside of the wing is a single piece tip to tip. The port and starboard upper surfaces are each 1 piece.  First, the upper surfaces were glued to the lower.  The assembly is then slid up in place on to the fuselage.  Note: The width of the fuselage was larger than the gap formed at the top of the wings, causing the wings to angle down when installed.  The wing / fuselage mating points had to be sanded in order for the wings to be level.  Application of filler putty was required to fill the gaps and help blend the wing / fuselage seam. 

 The aileron counter balances are very delicate and I found out easily broken off when handling.  (And not easily found after being liberated from the model.)

  Tail Plane:

 I used stretched sprue to simulate the wire used to brace the topside of the horizontal stabilizer to the vertical stabilizer.  Prior to painting the aircraft I used a hot pin to generate small holes that would locate and help hold the sprue when installed at the end of the build.

 Landing Gear:

Landing gear assembly was a bit tricky.   It was not completely clear to me where the drag braces were supposed to attach in the wheel well.  Using tube glue gave me the chance to re-position the landing gear parts as needed.  I did clip off a bit of the ends of the drag braces to give the landing gear a decent alignment.

 Colors are referenced with Gunze paint numbers.  I airbrushed enamels with a coat of clear lacquer applied prior to the applying the decals.  Decals were provided for the rudder stripes but I opted to paint them. The yellow fuselage stripe is painted.

Decals provided with the kit were used.  The carrier film extends a very small amount beyond the color.  The decals have a gloss finish.  One application of solvaset was adequate to set the decals down into the panel lines.  A coat of clear dull lacquer was applied to the model after the decals were set. 

 The end result is a nice looking model of an uncommon subject.  It took considerable effort to complete.  It is a kit better suited for an experienced modeler.    

 -Flying Colors:  Green / Swanborough

-Various Internet Photographs

December2013

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