SM-85...Flying Bananna

gera · April 22, 2008, 04:52:23 PM

Italy´s venture into a dive bomber gave way to the SM-85. A twin engine wood-tube contraption that had a very weak landing gear and its engines did not give the power it need to be efective....so it went down to history. Two squadrons were formed and only one mission was carried out against a British convoy off Malta in the early days of the war....all planes were scraped after that flight.
Since its was such a nice plane I had to make it.......I really like it very much.

Solid wood Mahogany.....it cuts like soap!!! but lasts for centuries!!!

The fuselage with cut out of cockpit form. ( later to be used for making a transparent plastic one)

Engines both wood and "filing cardboard"

Bamboo landing gear for Plaster of Paris wheels...

More construction

Notice " Plaster of Paris" engine

Back in 1961 I had no airbrush, did not even know they existed, BUT....I wanted to imitate
the "mottle" effect the Italians and Germans put on their aircraft...so I started experimenting
and found that the best way to get the "effect" was to use " Chalk-Pastels" with a very small
brush....after several tries I GOT the trick!!!!....if you do it correctly form 3 feet away everyone
thinks it was done with an airbrush!!!

..........SO for this model I desided to use my old
technique with Pastels for its "mottle" effect...