SM.82 Marsupiale

Italeri, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Italeri's 1/72 scale S.M.82 Marsupiale will be available online from Squadron.com
 

A marsupial is an animal whose female has a pouch in which she can carry, feed and protect her young. Most marsupials are associated with Australia, such as kangaroos and koalas, although there are other species native to the Americas.

The only Italian Marsupiale that I have ever heard of is the Italian transport aircraft and bomber, so called for its large storage capacity, although it could certainly hop large distances too.

The Savoia-Marchetti S.82 Marsupiale was developed from a concept requiring the transport of a fully equipped platoon of paratroopers, including two weeks' supplies. The S.82 was a classic Italian WWII design with three Alfa 128 9 cylinder motors, which were insufficient for the Marsupiale's bulky airframe. Nevertheless, the S.82 was a successful transport aircraft, capable of transporting disassembled fighters by air over long distances. Its record as a bomber was less than stellar though.

This was a big aircraft. The fuselage was longer than a Lancaster and far more voluminous. In fact, the cargo area was divided into two stories - a bit like an Airbus A380 of its day.

I was surprised to receive Italeri's 1/72 scale Savoia-Marchetti S.82 kit this week. I was not aware of its impending release and when I saw the gigantic box, I assumed that this must have been some older Supermodel kit re-released.

I was wrong.

The large box was packed full of a brand new kit from Italeri. Indeed, this is one of the best original Italeri kits that I have seen.

Italeri's 1/72 scale Savoia-Marchetti S.82 comprises 167 parts in light grey plastic, 29 clear plastic parts and markings for three aircraft. The package also includes a 48 page reference booklet and a cardboard poster of Roberto Valentini's box art.

 

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The exterior of the model features recessed panel lines on its smooth surfaces, supplemented here and there by lines of rivets. Fabric texture has been heavy on several recent Italeri kits, but this release sees very subtle fabric rendition on control surfaces.

The authentic surfaces are carried over into the interior of the model. The entire fuselage interior is moulded with structural detail - ribs, stringers, wiring and various boxes.

The fuselage sidewalls are complimented by a highly detailed cockpit interior with separate parts for the control columns and yokes, throttle and mixture quadrants (including handles), instrument panel (decal dials are supplied), radios, rudder pedals and seats. The seats are especially noteworthy for their cleverly moulded adjustable mounts and armrests.

Interior detail continues into the main cabin with bulkheads, two levels of beautifully textured floors, ramps, and a full bomb bay with ordnance supplied and separate bomb doors. The defensive machine guns at the rear of the cabin are very well done, and the retractable "dustbin" bomb aimer's turret is equally good.

Undercarriage parts and engines are simple assemblies, but are still nicely detailed. The engines have cooling fins and push rods moulded in place.

All control surfaces are separate except the ailerons, which would be typically in the neutral position anyway. I was especially pleased to see the separate flaps, as these will add interest to the large surface area of the wings. Alternate actuator parts are used depending on whether the flaps will be glued up or down.

The main wheel hubs are nicely detailed, and the tyres are flattened.

The double side doors may be glued in the open or closed position.

The clear parts are thin and free from distortion. The main canopy includes an opening in the top for a positionable hatch.

Kit engineering is quite conventional with locating pins for most parts and tabs for the large wings and horizontal tailplanes.

The kit decals are printed in perfect register with a satin finish.

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Three marking options are provided - one in a three colour striped camouflage, and two in a complex three colour mottle. The lower surfaces of all the options are finished in Aluminium.

If you don't have any reference material on this somewhat obscure aircraft, do not despair. Italeri supplies a 48 page reference booklet with a brief text history, contemporary wartime photos, extracts from the technical manual, a photographic walkaround of the only surviving example with plenty of detail photos, and colour profiles.

The package is completed with a fold-out cardboard poster of Roberto Valentini's very attractive box art.

Italeri has really put it all together for their brand new 1/72 scale Savoia-Marchetti S.82 Marsupiale. The kit is beautifully detailed inside and out, features excellent moulding and is an appealing and unusual subject. The inclusion of the reference booklet is the icing on the cake.

In my opinion, this is one of the best aircraft kits that Italeri has ever produced.

The relatively large parts count means that some experience will be helpful when building the kit, but there is nothing in the box that looks too challenging for most modellers.

With its bulky fuselage, striking camouflage and high level of detail, Italeri's 1/72 scale S.82 Marsupiale will be an impressive addition to display shelves and competition tables.

Recommended.

Thanks to Italeri for the review sample.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2007 by Brett Green
Page Created 20 December, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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