Fiat CR.42 CN
 

Classic Airframes, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Steven "Modeldad" Eisenman

Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Fiat CR 42 CN may be ordered online from Squadron

Click Here to listen to the audio part of this review. Turn on your speakers.

I wanna see it painted, painted black

Black as night, black as coal

I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky

I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

Yeah! 

(Paint it Black, The Rolling Stones, 1966.)

And so will you. 

The CR.42 CN, Caccia Notturna (Night Fighter), is Classic Airframes’ fourth installment in the story of the flight of the Falco.  The three previous boxings were the CR. 42 fighter, in both Italian and Export markings and the CR 42 AS. 

The new CR.42 CN kit comes with the additional resin parts for the Night Fighter packed in a separate bag.  These parts include the two different lengths of extended exhausts; one of which has a special end part.  The new parts also include the experimental under-wing search lights.  There are clear lens inserts for them.  I was happy to see that Classic Airframes remembered to include a generator for the center of the top wing.  Without it, no power for the search lights!  The propeller blade for the generator is quite delicate, and should removed from the molding block with great care. 

The resin packaging was not without a problem.  In my sample, one of the shorter extended exhausts was broken, and the broken piece was not even in the bag. 

There is a supplemental instruction sheet for the new parts.  However, the long extended exhaust is shown as a single piece with the special tip.  The resin exhaust is actually molded in two parts; the exhaust pipe and the tip are separate. Also, the instruction may not be correct in the make up of the “longest” exhaust.  The instructions show that for the long exhaust, resin parts 15 and 16 are joined.  Looking at the parts, I believe that only part 16, and the tip are needed.  With part 15, it would appear to be far too long. 

As was the case with the previous CR 42 releases, the instructions, in step 11, continue to show the inner cabine struts incorrectly installed upside down!  Parts B17 and B5 should be installed as a “V”, with the open end up.  Hello - is anybody listening! 

The five following marking options are supplied:

• Nucleo Autonono Caccia Notturna, Gela, Sicily, circa 1942. Coded 377-4, this is an all black aircraft with white fuselage band, and the insignia of an owl sitting on the crescent moon on a blue triangle.  I believe the description of the unit may be incorrect. This aircraft was part of 377 Squadriglia C.T in September, 1942 and was located at Sciacca, Sicily.  This aircraft was (May have been?) equipped with the experimental search lights.  It is interesting to note that, at the time, the night fighters did not even have artificial horizons! 

• 377 Squadriglia, Palermo-Boccadifalco, Circa 1942.  Another all black aircraft of 377 Squadriglia, with simply the number 6 on a white fuselage band.  This aircraft also carries the Squadron insignia of an owl on a crescent moon.  But this time, there is no blue triangle background. 

• Nucleo Autonono Caccia Notturna, Gela, Sicily, circa 1942. All black with a white fuselage band and the numeral 1 on the band.  This aircraft has the longest exhaust. 

• 377 Squadriglia, Palermo-Boccadifalco, circa 1942.  What else but black!  I do not believe the unit description for this aircraft is correct.  I believe that this aircraft was with 234 Squadriglia, 60 Gruppo B.T.  It was located at Treviso, Italy.  Approximately January-February, 1941, 234 Sq. became a night fighting unit to protect industries from nighttime RAF raids. 

• 300 Squadriglia, 167 Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Notturna, Rome- Ciampino, circa 1943.  For those that want a bit of color, then this is the one for you.  The aircraft is in a base color of Giallo 4, with a mottle of Verde 3 and Marrone 2 Mimetico.  The underside is Grigio.  However, the underside of the top wing, the top-half of the cowling and the inter-plane and cabine struts are black-gray.  The aircraft carries a white fuselage band and definately has the experimental under-wing search lights.  300 Squadriglia was involved in the night defense of Rome. 

Click the thumbnails below to view the larger images:

What could be sexier than a CR 42 Falco in basic black?  So paint it black, …black as night, black as coal… 

I would recommend that before you build this kit, you read John Valo’s excellent build article of the original kit release.

Highly recommended.

References:

• Fiat CR 42, Ali D’Italia, 1998.

• Courage Alone, Chris Dunning, Hikoki, 1998 (OOP)

Thanks to Classic Airframes for the review sample.

Classic Airframes kits are available worldwide through hobby retailers and from Squadron.com

Review and Images Copyright © 2005 by Steven "Modeldad" Eisenman
Page Created 07 March, 2005
Last updated 07 March, 2005

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