Piaggio P.108B „I. Serie”

Flying Machines, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

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The Piaggio P.108B may not be well known, but it was a fully operational aircraft in the Regia Aeronautica.

This four-engine bomber was a large and impressive aircraft. It had a bigger wingspan, developed more power and carried a greater internal bomb load than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The P.108 was also heavily armed for an Italian bomber, with two 12.7mm machine guns in remotely controlled turrets atop the outer engine nacelles and another six in more conventional locations around the airframe.

The first Piaggio P.108s was introduced to the Regia Aeronautica in late 1942. The type served in night raids over Gibraltar, as a bomber on the North African front and in Russia, with the final examples seeing out the last days of the war at Fliigno in Italy.

I confess that my bookshelves are not bulging with references on the P.108B, but there is some information online (thanks Modeldad!):

It is a long time between drinks for Flying Machines.

Their last - and indeed first - release more than two years ago was a very nice 1/48 scale Reggiane Re 2005 Saggitario presented in plastic and resin with a great Cartograf decal sheet. The Flying Machines brand is part of Misterkit from Italy, with the styrene and resin being manufactured in the Czech Republic.

This same formula has been applied to Flying Machines' debut 1/72 scale release, the Piaggio P.108B „I. Serie”.

Flying Machines' 1/72 scale Piaggio P.108B „I. Serie” comprises 85 parts in grey styrene; 13 in clear injection moulded plastic; 21 pale yellow resin parts and markings for two aircraft.

The plastic parts are up to the current high standard of Czech-sourced kits, with a satin texture, crisply recessed panel lines and convincing fabric texture where appropriate on the wings and control surfaces.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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Transparencies are also supplied as injection moulded parts. They are very thin, clear and free of distortion with well defined raised framing. The clear parts include an option for the turretless nose as seen on the P.108B „II. Serie”, but the use of these parts is not mentioned in the instructions. Below is an image of one half of the „I. Serie” nose (left) and the „II. Serie” nose (right). Do not be alarmed by the apparently rough finish on the „II. Serie” nose - the sections that are to be painted are not polished to the same degree as the windows themselves.

Resin is provided to detail the cockpit and wheel wells. A resin tail wheel strut, propeller hubs and eight lovely hedgehog exhausts are also supplied in this medium. My favourite resin parts, though, are the seats. Armrests, cushions and harnesses are all cast in place. They look quite comfortable, even in this small scale!

The kit exhibits some of the predictable hallmarks of a limited run offering, including the absence of locating pins and the presence of raised ejector pins on the inside surfaces of larger parts. Neither of these issues will present a big problem, but the modeller should take some extra time to remove the ejector pins prior to assembly, and test fit prodigiously before committing parts to glue.

Clever kit engineering will assist with the alignment of the long fuselage halves and a strong fit for the wings. There are three bulkhead inside the fuselage, and the wings are connected to a wide spar that feeds through both sides of the fuselage wing root.

The shape does generally conform to photos, and many of the distinctive features including the scalloped cowl flaps, the remote gun turrets and appropriate surface textures (metal and fabric) are all appropriate and admirably done.

Markings for two aircraft are supplied - one in a mottled finish over grey, and one in dark green over grey. The decals are produced by Aviprint, and look thin, crisply printed, opaque and in perfect register.

Flying Machines' 1/72 scale Piaggio P.108B „I. Serie” is a well-detailed, well executed kit of an unusual and appealing subject. Being a limited run offering, the usual cautions about preparation and test fitting apply, but this model should be appropriate for anyone who has built a few resin and short-run plastic kits.

The sheer size of this kit inevitably conjures the hope of other large subjects in 1/72 scale. Might we see a new 1/72 scale Lancaster, Halifax, Whitley, Stirling, Marauder or similar coming out of the Czech Republic in the forseeable future? This current generation of high-quality, short-run manufacturers certainly have the technology today.

In the meantime we can revel in the joy of building a very nice model of Italy's only four-engine bomber of WWII thanks to Flying Machines.

Recommended

Thanks to Misterkit for the review sample.

Flying Machines and Misterkit kits and accessories are available online from Misterkit's website.

Review Text Copyright © 2004 by Brett Green
Page Created 14 October, 2004
Last updated 03 May, 2006

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