The Regia Aeronautica issued a requirement for a new medium
bomber that could cruise above 200 mph at 15,000 feet and above
230 mph at 16,400 feet, all with a range of 620 miles and carry
a 2,600 pound bomb load. Several companies submitted proposals
but it was Celestino Rosatelli of Fiat that proposed the best
design and the Fiat was put into full-scale development in
1935. The aircraft was designated BR.20 after the designer
(Bomardiere Rosatelli) and the first aircraft were delivered
in 1936.
The BR.20 was a twin-engined monoplane powered by two Fiat
A.80 radial engines rated at 1000 horsepower each. The aircraft
was constructed around a tubular frame with duralumin skin
covering the wings and most of the fuselage. The design incorporated
variable pitch propellers and retractable landing gear to reduce
drag and optimize power to achieve the required speed and range
requirements.
While the BR.20 was a success, it was quickly overshadowed
by the parallel development of the tri-motor SM.79 Sparviero.
The type saw combat in the Spanish Civil War as well as exported
to support the Japanese invasion of China. In Regia Aeronautica
service, the BR.20 was pressed into combat as Germany began
its Blitzkrieg. While the BR.20 did participate in the Battle
of Britain, heavy losses led to their early withdrawal from
that campaign with the survivors returning to Italy. By the
time of the Armistice between Italy and the Allied powers,
the BR.20 was still in service with the Regia Aeronautica,
but mostly in training and logistics roles.
The Kit
Classic Airframes is back with what may be their final kit
- the BR.20 Cicogna in 1/48th scale. Co-developed with MPM
in the Czech Republic, this kit has definitely evolved from
the earlier kits produced by Classic Airframes and MPM or Classic
Airframes and Sword. Let's take a look:
The kit is molded in gray styrene and presented on seven parts
trees, plus one tree of styrene clear parts and a bag of nicely
cast resin parts. How does this differ from previous releases?
In the past, the styrene parts were primarily for the exterior
construction and the resin parts were used to detail out the
interior. Not so here.
One other factor in earlier Classic Airframes multi-engine
subjects is that interior detailing in styrene was nearly non-existent.
This time around, the kit features more interior detailing
and all provided as styrene parts. The resin parts are exclusively
used to build up the two Fiat engines as well as provide separately
molded wheel hubs.
The engineering looks similar as previous kits but closer
inspection will show some serious improvements including a
new wing/fuselage join which will be much stronger than the
previous butt-joint approach from the past. The interior even
provides blanking plates with tubular details to cover the
wing roots from view on the inside and blend in with the surface
detailing molded into the fuselage interior.
The Fiat engines really do look good and the individually
cast cylinder heads are built up onto the crankcases. The styrene
motor mounts and firewalls mount the engines onto the wings
with the styrene cowling halves closing up power units. A pair
of resin intakes and a single resin exhaust pipe round out
each engine.
While there is more detail here, construction looks to be
straightforward with no obvious challenges to be seen. The
minimal use of resin in this kit will make the BR.20 far easier
to build for those who haven't had much experience with multimedia
kits.
Markings
The kit provides markings for six BR.20s:
BR.20, Handasai, IJA, circa 1939
BR.20, Manchuria, IJA, circa 1939
BR.20, Anking, IJA, circa 1938
BR.20, Yunchung, IJA, circa 1939
BR.20,
8th Sqn/25th Grupo, Regia Aeronautica, Forti, circa 1941
BR.20, 48th Sqn/37th Grupo, Regia Aeronautica, Yugoslavia,
circa 1941
The decals are very nicely done, all in register, all using
a single decal for a single marking - none of these markings
require you to stack one decal atop another to complete the
marking. Nice! The decals were printed by Cartograf. The profiles
are in color for decal placement.
Conclusion
If this kit is indeed Classic Airframes' finale, it is a going
to be a great build. While you might note the higher suggested
retail than usual, this isn't surprising given the greater
number of styrene parts provided.
Definitely recommended!
My most sincere thanks to Classic Airframes
for the review sample!
