Hallo everybody,
I decided my next work: I received this from a French friend as a "Christmas Exchange GB", in exchange I sent him a Resin Ardpol Pomilio in 72.
The SVA5 was the plane with which I started my new modeling life but the kit was a dreadful SMER, this is a FLY and appears to be much better.
Usual preliminary pics:
Mine will be a SVA 5 belonging to the 87a squadriglia "la Serenissima", 1918.
I've chosen the center profile, the one with the white 3 on the green fin...
To be precise the green tail was no.5 (no.3 had a yellow tail scattered with red stars)
So I have to reproduce 4 white "5"s either as a decal or in some alternative way.
Any suggestion?
The decals look good, the print is neat and in good register. The colours according to my opinion are too bright.
The detail of the plastic pieces is fair enough, although the panel lines are not enough visible (they don't even appear in the picture).
I was also thinking about "riveting" the joint lines... but so far I don't remember any picture in which the rivets (or nails, better) are visible
The cockpit structure is molded on the inner side of the fuselage, I don't like it very much but I will check whether to leave it as it is or not.
Resin pieces appear good enough, except the Vickers MGs. I will use photoetched parts.
Anyone can suggest "ready made" Vickers MG of good quality in 48th?
The belts are molded on the seat cushion, but appear to have a good detail definition. Although I was thinking about a scratch built seat or a PE one, will see what to do looking at it after spraying some primer.
I have a lot of documentation from my last build and will use it all, along with the notes I took while studying and building the no.1 of the 87a Squad.
The S/N of the plane I chose is 11779, it was piloted by Lt. Aldo Finzi
The 3rd picture shows the no.5, closing up the fin: the colour shade is darker than the green band of the rudder so I will choose a darker shade of green.
Although this was not his personal plane he flew that plane over Vienna in the legendary raid led by the Italian nationalist poet Gabriele D'Annunzio in August 1918
Here is the correct profile:
OK that is all for now, thanks for your attention!
Antonio
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PS here are some simplified notes on Ten. Aldo Finzi (Ten. = Tenente = Lieutenant)
Aldo Finzi Legnago, 20 april 1891 – Roma 24 march 1944
Aldo Finzi was of Jewish Origins, although he professed himself agnostic he educated his 7 sons according to Christian ideals.
In 1915 he was discarded by the recruiting commission because he had thoracic inadequacy, but he succeeded in getting into the Army to serve in WW1.
He started as dispatch rider on motorcycle, in 1916 he was transferred to Artillery Corps and then he became a pilot in the 48th Reconnoissance Squadriglia, equipped with Caudron G.3 / G.4.
He knew there Natale Palli who invited him late in 1917 to join the 87th Squadriglia "La serenissima" of which he was the commander dispatch rider.
After the war he got the degree in law and started his political career, he joined the Fascist Party in 1920 and took part in the March on Rome and was appointed vice-Commander in Chief of the Police, he also was elected deputy to the Italian parliament before the rise of the Fascists. But after few years he started indicating risks and problems of the dictatorship, then he wrote a report about some "special" action squad acting in illegality so he was set out of any governmental. He openly showed his ideas against racial laws. In the end he was sent to exile and lately (1943) he became a partisan. He acted as a dispatch rider again, but this time he was caught by the nazis and sent to prison.
On March 24th 1944 he was killed by order of Herbert Kappler, German Commander of the SS in occupied Rome, to the "Fosse Ardeatine" an open quarry where 335 persons, most of them civilian, were slain in that same day as an act of retaliation after a partisan attack to an SS Regiment in the city.