Build Progress Reports Will Be Continuously Posted Here, Photos Of The Built Model Will Be In A Separate Posting
July 25, 2019
(https://i.postimg.cc/TwjPJz0J/FIAT-G55-What-If-Machine-Guns-Engine-Exhausts-1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/ryJm0LK8/FIAT-G55-What-If-Machine-Guns-Engine-Exhausts-2.jpg)
- > Mainwing interiors painted Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray + 36% Testors Flat White shading replicating Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1, parts glued together.
* Resin machine gun shell chutes & fairing fitted only on the prototypes & Sottoserie 0 aircraft from spare parts bag glued in place.
- >Lower fuselage halve 12.7mm machine gun troughs hollowed out ala G.55 prototypes & Sottoserie 0 aircraft.
* Plastic stubs replicating gun barrels glued in place lower & upper fuselage halve locations (yellow circles).
- >Exhaust shields fabricated from sheet styrene plastic glued in place on fuselage halves.
July 26 & 27, 2019
(https://i.postimg.cc/rm5ZCTNM/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Interior-1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/dtsNdzkc/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Interior-2.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/kMcfnfj1/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Interior-3.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/q7yxWLhG/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Interior-4.jpg)
- > Fuselage halve interiors painted Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray + 36% Testors Flat White shading replicating Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1
- > Pilot cockpit components painted & glued in place.
* Three-part scratch-built instrument panel per Internet photos of G.55 cockpits spray & hand painted with Testors flat enamel paints.
* Scratch-built pilot controls & circuit breaker panels glued on fuselage halve interior sides, hand painted with Testors flat enamel paints.
* Pilot seat & scratch-built joystick & mount spray & hand painted with Testors flat enamel paints.
* Scotch Magic Mending Tape sprayed & hand painted with spot-mix Testors flat enamel paints seat belts cut & glued in place on pilot seat.
(https://i.postimg.cc/N0cdsSwn/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Assembled-Fuselage-Mainwings-2.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/Gh47qvQX/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Assembled-Fuselage-Mainwings-1.jpg)
- > Fuselage halves glued together, once-piece mainwing glued on fuselage, seams puttied.
- > One-piece cockpit windshield cut apart, filed & sanded, parts masked & spray painted, windscreen glued in place on fuselage, some puttying required.
July 28, 2019
(https://i.postimg.cc/BZwPt53B/FIAT-G55-What-If-RLM76-Paint-1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/Hk1x7BhX/FIAT-G55-What-If-RLM76-Paint-2.jpg)
- > Model puttied areas sanded, some filing & extra sanding necessary around rear mainwing roots.
- > All model undersides & fuselage sides base painted Humbrol 247 RLM 76 + 36% Testors Flat White shading enamels.
July 29, 2019
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNMLtJdc/FIAT-G55-What-If-Mostly-Panted-1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/8cDtkqLC/FIAT-G55-What-If-Mostly-Panted-2.jpg)
- > The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana employed Luftwaffe-style camouflage from March 1944 on.
* All model uppersides & fuselage side mottles painted Humbrol 245 RLM 74 & 246 RLM 75 + 36% each Testors Flat White shading enamels.
(https://i.postimg.cc/L5rnbfxq/1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/T2yjCcw3/2.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/8cHTh6qQ/3.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/nLDZ3561/4.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SxXpK3Np/5.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/XvdSf5CH/6.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/6pK1kP20/7.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/QM44Wx64/8.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/WzMwS2nP/9.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/VNd9p9Rg/10.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Rh9HSwcj/11.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/L61cKfyH/12.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QzJHjXy/12a.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/8PzbLV6x/13.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SKF810nS/14a.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/63zvQyYq/14.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Hk58ySBf/15.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/sgp1XM2z/16.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/rmtwBs37/16a.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/8Cv8Dvkd/17.jpg)
(http://[18.jpg]([url=https://postimg.cc/nXG0rpPx]https://postimg.cc/nXG0rpPx[/url])) (https://i.postimg.cc/P58V8jGT/18a.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/x84gcstX/19.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/TYBCx4KS/20.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/dtZj5j59/21.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/2ybhXC75/22.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Sx78PTCc/23.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/xd6xbyjV/24.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBPmn7rq/24a.jpg)
Those are most excellently done, Mr Kal and I like the idea of up-gunning them.
I don't think I've seen a better representation of that famous gray scheme and I especially like the contrast with the little Italian flags.
Very cool, retired daddy-o!
8)
Brian da Basher
The kit canopy was one-piece, "trimmed" the windscreen off, spray painted it and dome separately. I'd just trimmed paint & masking tape crud off the dome:
(https://i.postimg.cc/jdQ0Lg5k/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Canopy-Clean-Up-1.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/XYQRgr9f/FIAT-G55-What-If-5-Cannon-Canopy-Clean-Up-2.jpg)