Subject: Re: Italeri BR20.M article submission
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Joe Youngerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 11:39:31 -0700

Hi Joe,
Thanks for sending in your Fiat BR.20M article.  It's a beauty.....I love the camo scheme.....that would take skill and plenty of patience.  I'll e-mail you when your article goes on ARC in about 3 weeks.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com
 
Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Joe Youngerman 
  To: Steve Banford 
  Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 9:28 AM
  Subject: Italeri BR20.M article submission

  Gallery Template #06

  Italeri Fiat BR.20M in 1/72 Scale

  by Joe Youngerman
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  The Italians produced some truly superb aircraft during World War Two and many fine aircraft during the 30's as well. Ordered  as a replacement for the SM. 81's the BR.20 entered service late in 1936. Several problems with engine overheating, vibration and insufficient armament were addressed to some extent as production continued. The new BR.20M or "Modificato" did not reach units until February 1940 with the major visible change being a more streamlined nose with an improved turret. While the BR.20 was a capable airplane during the Spanish Civil War, in which in participated, its age was begining to show by 1940. With its fairly slow speed and lack of needed firepower it became very vulnerable to enemy fighter aircraft. It saw plenty of action though and its unfortunate the type is not well known. The Japanese operated them against China and the Italians employed them during the battles for France, Greece, Yugoslavia, Malta, and North Africa. The North African operation is the period in which my model is depicted. 

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 

  The Italeri model I used here is quite old and the box my kit was in was the original issue. The kit still holds up well despite its age. Though all detail is raised with plenty of rivets, it is well done and not too heavy. The cockpit detail is basic so I used Eduard's Photo Etch set for this aircraft. The detail added is considerable and definately worth the investment. 

     The fit of the kit is good though plan on quite a bit of sanding and some filler for the fuselage and to attach the clear molded nose section. I sanded off most of the fuslage detail and re-scribed it using three view drawings from Wudawinctwo Militaria's great book on the BR.20 as a guide. I did not re-scribe the wings though I did light sand them to make the rivets very subdued. That with some shading went a long way to making the wings look good I thought. I also sanded and re-scribed the tail section components. Along the way I added scratch wheel well details, aileron control cables, antennae wires, and hollowed out the exhaust pipes. After considerable researching I chose to use Polly Scale Italy Camo Yellow as the base for the topsides with a mottle pattern of Polly Scale RLM 62, which is a close match for Italian Medium Green. The undersides were painted with ModelMaster Italian Blue/Gray. Props should be natural aluminum with the "backsides" painted black. There are plenty of incorrect profiles out there so be sure to check photo references. My copy of "Camoflage and Markings, Italian Air Forces, 1935-1945" by Richard J. Caruana was a huge help!

          
        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

    The model was post shaded using a very thinned mix of Polly Scale Black and ModelMaster Raw Umber. The exhaust is very thinned Black with a bit of Rust added. After a good coat of Future the Tauro Decals were added which went on very well using a bit of Micro-set and Micro-sol. The model depicts an aircraft operating with 1st Squad, 11th Groupo, 13th Bomber Stormo in North Africa during 1941. I hope you enjoy it and I would recommend this project to those who admires these lesser known Italian types!

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  Photos and text © 2004 by Joe Youngerman

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