Vintage Models Schneider Cup Racers Series Supermarine S.4 Floatplane Racer 1925 World Speed Record Holder VM 72001 1:72 Scale Resin Kit The British answer to the Americans taking 1st and 2nd in the 1923 Races, the S.4 was designed an built in only 5 months. Flying for the first time on August 25, 1925, the S.4 was a fully cantilever design using no bracing wires. Producing 700 hp for the race time, it captured the World and British Air Speed Record with a speed of 226.75 mph. During the mandatory pre-race trials, the pilot lost control of the aircraft due to flutter and crashed. He survived, but the aircraft was a write-off. This is a beautiful little kit with 17 resin pieces, a photo-etch fret and vacuform wind screen. A unique and eye-catching model. See "Scale Aviation Modeller International", volume 7 issue 2 of February, 2001 for a great build review article. $36.45 Macchi M.52 Floatplane Racer 1927 Schneider Cup Winner VM 72002 1:72 Scale Resin Kit For the 1927 Schneider Cup Races, Engineer Castoldi produced a derivative of the M.39, the M.52. With smaller floats, a shorter wing span, a 10 degree sweep to the wings and a more powerful (1100 hp) Fiat AS.3 engine, it gave Italy great hope to win the contest taking place off Venice. Alas, the crowd was disappointed when all three M.52's suffered engine problems and the race was won by the British Supermarine S.5 with another S.5 taking second place. The Fiat engine was reliable enough for short sprints and set an absolute world speed record of 479.28 km/hr (297.81 mph). This high quality kit consists of 15 resin pieces and a photo-etch sheet. See "Scale Aviation Modeller International", volume 7 issue 2 of February, 2001 for a great build review article. $36.45 Macchi M.52R Floatplane Racer 1929 Schneider Cup Winner VM 72003 Because of the expense of the racing effort, it was agreed by the parties to hold the Races every two years, so the next race was scheduled for 1929 at Britain. For this race, the M.52 was modified with the wing given a greater sweep angle and reduced span, and a new type of propeller was fitted. The R stands for "Ridotto" which means "clipped". At Venice on March 30, 1928, De Bernardi set a new absolute world speed record of 512.776 km/hr (318.62 mph) and took the 500 km/hr and the 300 mph/hr records in one fell swoop. This high quality kit consists of 15 resin pieces, photo-etch sheet and vacuform windscreen. See "Scale Aviation Modeller International", volume 7 issue 2 of February, 2001 for a great build review article. $36.45 Piaggio-Pegna P.C.7 "Pinocchio" VM 72005 1:72 Scale Resin Kit and Photo Etched Parts With Italy focused on the Schneider Cup races, Engineer Giovanni Pegna (Penya) decided to explore this novel and daring design as a way to decrease drag and consequently, increase the speed of the Italian Cup Racers. The use of hydrofoils eliminated the need for floats and allowed for a theoretical top speed of 373 mph in 1929! Progressing to preliminary floating tests, which were successful, the design development was cancelled due to problems and high costs. The Italian government basically decided to stay with Macchi and its' more conventional float planes. This kit consists of a photo-etch sheet, vacuform windscreen and 20 resin pieces. $36.45 Fiat G.55 serie 1 Fighter VM 48002 1:48 Scale Resin Kit The Fiat G.55 represented the best of Italian aircraft design when sufficient engines and armament was available. Powered with a license built German engine giving it a top speed of 385mph at 23,000 feet, the G.55 was a formidable opponent. Heavily armed with 2 X 12.7mm machine guns and 3 X 20mm cannon, it was Italy's best high altitude fighter. Production continued after the war with use by the Italian Air Force and exports to Egypt and Syria, it led to the development of the G.59 powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This kit consists of high quality resin castings with white metal parts and SkyModels decals. Kit $84.95. For reference sources, please see "Aviolibri" AV03 and "Ali D'Italia" AD10 in our catalog. Fiat G.55 Torpedo Fighter VM 48003 1:48 Scale Resin Kit The Italians saw a need for a torpedo-carrying fighter in order to get into the target fast and get out faster. Successfully test flown, it was never put into production because of the demands for fighters, but certainly represented innovative thinking. Complete with white metal parts and SkyModels decals. Kit $84.95. For reference sources, please see "Aviolibri AV03 and "Ali D'Italia" AD10 in our catalog. VM 48001 Savoia Marchetti 1:48 Scale Resin Kit The "Damned Humpback" became famous in Italy for its' impressive combat record and for the bravery and skill of its' pilots and crews. S.79 pilots such as Carlo Buscaglia and Carlo Faggioni became heroes to the Italian public and remain so to this day. Their use of the "flat turn" to minimize exposure to enemy anti-aircraft fire required skill and intimate knowledge of their aircraft. Sinking the British carrier HMS Eagle and numerous other naval and cargo vessels, the S.79 has a sterling combat record. So it is with great pride that Vintage Models of Italy and Pacific Coast Models present the S.79 as their first model kit. 161 parts including 70 resin, 29 white metal, 61 photo-etched pieces and 2 clear vacu-form sheets. Detailed engines, control surfaces, white metal landing gear, machine guns, electical generator and other metal items along with a resin torpedo and a highly detailed interior make for an excellent example of the finest torpedo bomber of the Second World War. Included in this kit is a decal sheet by Sky Models of Italy with 13 different aircraft to chose from and a technical detail paper and drawings from the factory manual. The photo on the box is previously unpublished. This is a limited production kit. Each kit is sequentially numbered. Kit $159.95. Please see "Ali D'Italia" AD09 & AD11 in our catalog for great reference sources. 1:72 Scale Conversion Kits. For Supermodels MB.339 VMCK 001 MB.339C This conversion set for the Supemodels kit enables you to build the MB.339C version which was flown by the Eritrean and New Zealand Air Forces. This set consists of 9 resin pieces including the nose cone, seat tub and seats, instrument panels and the horizontal stablizer and rudder. Set $12.85. Please see "Aviolibri" AVS04 in our catalog for modelling tips on building the Supermodels kit. VMCK 002 MB.339CD This conversion set for the Supermodels kit enables you to build the MB.339CD version flown by New Zealand and Eritrea. It consists of 9 resin pieces including the nose cone, seat tub and seats, instrument panels and the horizontal stabilizer and rudder. Set $12.85. Please see "Aviolibri" AVS04 in our catalog for modelling tips and historical information.