The
FIAT CR.42B (Biposto lit. Two-Seater) was the basic training version of the
CR.42 Biplane extensively modified with an elongated two-seat fuselage, empty weight increasing just 40 kg (88.2 lbs) by eliminating lower main landing gear spats & tailwheel fairings well as other weight savings measures, gross weight increasing from 2,295 kg (5,060 lbs) of WWII combat-armed CR.42 single-seaters to 2,300 kg (5,070.6 lbs). Forty existing
Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI) CR.42 aircraft stationed in Agusta & Caproni Trento Italy were modified to CR.42B standard c.1942-43 retaining their 12.7mm
Breda SAFAT machine guns in post September 8, 1943 Armistice
Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana service in southern Italy till 1945, unarmed aircraft serving with the post-WWII
Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI) some years thereafter.
The 1/72 Scale
Italian Kits Wings IKW7218 FIAT CR.42B Resin Conversion Kit designed for utilizing plastic-injected
Italeri FIAT CR.42 parts was a very straight-forward build, the port-side fuselage casting rudder unfortunately was off-center but not enough to justify corrective surgery to center it. The IKW7218 kit came with spat-less main landing gear resin strut parts though I already had a set saved from previous Italeri CR.42 kit builds, unfortunately they both were starboard struts so employed the port resin strut for the build.
The IKW7218 kit came with decals depicting the AMI
FIAT CR.42B “MM.8572” based in Milan, Italy with the
1st Zona Aera Territoriale in 1946; “MM.8572” was one of 35
FIAT G.50s built for the RAI during spring 1942, whether the AMI recycled it or was speculated upon isn’t known as currently am unable to obtain more information regarding
this CR.42B.