Scale Aviation Modeller International — February 2018

(Jacob Rumans) #1
kits offer a single Lewis gun as
lateral armament, correct only for
a very early Sparviero (possibly just
the first 84 machines, built between
1936 and July 1939). This means you
are immediately two guns short
if you want to build most S.79s.
There is also no gun for the
gondola, so that’s now three guns
short. Finally, Airfix represents the
12.7 mm fixed gun, set into the front
of the Spaviero’s hump, as just a

stub-ended barrel. As I had already
done so much work on the model, I
decided I wanted a full gun here as
well, so now I am four guns short!
What’s required for a lateral
1940/41 armament is a pair of
Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm weapons (as
to the guns themselves, anyone
seeking to study things a bit
further should get hold of Aerofan
magazine A.13 no 55/56, which
covers Breda-SAFAT

weapons). I know
of no Breda-SAFAT
guns in 1/72 on the
accessory market, but over
the years I have acquired a
number of Airfix 79s, and was lucky
enough to find five Airfix rear-
defence guns that I could adapt.
The Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm
and 12.7 mm
guns were,
respectively, 1085
mm and 1385 mm
long, which equates to
15.0 mm and 19.2 mm in

1/72 scale. The Airfix gun is 20 mm
overall. I removed the handgrips
and replaced them with a pistol grip
and a stub-end recoil cylinder at the
breach. I shortened the barrels but

“BY CROSS-KITTING WITH PARTS FROM


THE ITALERI KIT, YOU CAN PRODUCE


THE BEST 1/72 SCALE S.79 POSSIBLE”


WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • FEBRUARY 2018 • 83


1/72


082-89-VP-Sm79-0218.indd 83 12/01/2018 12:10

Free download pdf