Macchi M.33 Schneider Cup racer - SBS Model 1/72nd resin

 

If there is a modeling paradise, the kits the blessed build there will most likely be from SBS Model. A beatific harmony between subject and production, detail and engineering, beauty and quality.

(The completed model can be seen here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2021/09/macchi-m33-1925-schneider-trophy-sbs.html

Their latest release in an ever-improving wonderful series of civil subjects is the Macchi M.33 1925 Schneider Cup entry. 

You can have a brief glimpse of the M.33 and other competitors in this clip:

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675033830_Schneider-Cup-Race_Curtiss-R3C-2_Gloster-Napier-III_Maachi-Flying-Boat

Italian seaplane racers in general are elegant, streamlined, almost gallant, and invariably leave a trail of "ohs!" and "ahs!".

Their charm is so irresistible that I have built or scratchbuilt several of them:

Some time ago I scratched (heaven forgive me) the Macchi Castoldi M.C.72:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/scratchbuilt-172-macchi-castoldi-mc72.html

Then I wrestled the horrid, despicable Delta kit of it:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2016/10/modified-delta-2-172nd-macchi-castoldi.html

Until the beautiful SBS kit was released:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2017/07/sbs-macchi-mc72-hydro-speed-record.html

I also faced correcting the very many shortcomings and inaccuracies of the Savoia S.65 Karaya kit:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2020/02/savoia-s65-schneider-cup-modified.html

And sometime ago I scratched the Macchi M.67 (again, heaven forgive me):

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/scratchbuilt-172-macchi-m67-racer.html

Other Schneider planes I built:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2020/07/supermarine-sea-lion-schneider-trophy.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2018/07/supermarine-s-4-schneideer-cup-1925.html

When SBS Model released their M.33 I was indeed excited as they do a very good job with their masters and their castings are fantastic. There is in general quite a bit of material available for Italian racers, but not a lot on the M.33, given its not stellar performance on the Schneider Cup (came 3rd in the Baltimore 1925 contest at the hands of pilot Giovanni de Briganti -whose last name strangely translates as "brigand" or "bandit"). Only two M.33 were built, and only one could participate, as their tune-up left something to be desired, and their tired powerplants were far from being the dernier cri, a no-no for that highly competitive environment. The trend went more and more also in favor of floatplanes, to the detriment of flying boats. Still, its clean and pleasant lines make the M.33 a very desirable model. I found a couple pages in Ralph Pelgram's "Schneider Trophy Seaplanes* and Flying Boats" (Thanks again David for that wonderful gift) and Le Fana Nro 100, plus other bits here and there.

*British call floatplanes "seaplanes", instead of using it like everywhere else, as the generic word for floatplanes and flying Boats.

SBS Model kits have become a synonym with superlative quality, and are among the very best resin (or any other media, in fact) kits in the market, with added beautiful cast metal and photoetched parts, plus excellent decals, and very good instructions, at a price in general similar to lesser offerings. So to me is just a given that whatever they do release in the civil department, I acquire.

SBS' M.33 is the latest on their ever-evolving range and quality, let's see what's there:

Sturdy cardboard box and contents well protected:

Parts and accessories bagged separately:

Beautifully cast metal:

Clear and well-cast windshield:

Instrument panel film, photo-etched parts, and even pre-cut masks for the windshield:

Color guides, decal sheet, comprehensive instructions:

Two accessory bags you can acquire, a dolly and a photo-etched rigging:

Parts perfectly cast and protected with tabs:

Nice surface detail:

Beautiful detail, as usual:

The main components:

The fuselage is solid (look, mom, no vertical split seams to fill!) but has the cockpit cavity:

The cast is made to facilitate the extrication of the parts:

The planning bottom has to be cleaned up of minimally intrusive pouring stubs:

Main part liberated. You can spot the slots and runners that secure alignment, two short ones at the front, and two long ones at the back :

The wing is presented to the fuselage, and in my case it required a couple of passes with the sanding "T" at the very front to get a clean, nice fit. Do this if you need to, slowly and checking frequently so you don't overdo it:

And praised be the Greek Muse Styrene, a perfect fit!

What a pleasure, parts that actually fit:

Most parts are now separated from their casting blocks. I think I will leave some of the remaining still attached until after they are painted. You can see that you get some spares, like a radiator half, a prop blade, a rudder pedal. This is always welcome and appreciated, as it gives the modeler reassurance and if not used in the model, they may find a place in some scratch project, as I have done with spares many times.

Care needs to be taken especially removing the bigger parts, like the engine nacelle two main components, as their casting blocks are thick. The resin used is of superb quality, and will respond to sawing/cutting/drilling/sanding beautifully:

As per instructions, the holes for the rigging are drilled. They are marked already on the parts, all but the stab. The position for that is a bit outboard of the middle hinge, according to photos. The spinner is removed from its casting block and drilled to make possible to hold it for painting:

Now a wash in lukewarm soapy water to get rid of sawing dust, residue, fingerprints, etc, and then a good rinse:

SBS did not commit to a specific interior color, not too relevant as very little will be seen once the fuselage is closed. The plane was made of wood, so I will go a grayish brown, to be safe. The prop was made of wood, but it looks black in all photos, perhaps it had some coat as spray and water are notoriously damaging. The prop has in some photos metal guards, so you may like to add those:

The fit of the stab is perfect (dry-run). The fin has two dimples where two pips go, to help location and gluing. Nice!:

In order to hold the floats, as they have to be painted in two colors, the location of the fore strut is further drilled (small drill) to be able to insert a sharpened toothpick, thus facilitating painting:

The headrest fairing is next glued:

Now for the aftermarket item, the trolley, which is simple and effective:

Parts easily separated from their casting blocks, and glued. Notice the notch for the little metal keel that you have to add to the hull bottom:

SBS again does not commit to a color for the trolley. The only photo I have of it shows it from behind in a medium hue. I went for a base of wood, and later will paint the contact areas black (as it is most likely had some rubber of felt) and will weather it. For the wheels I will go for a stained dark grey. The vague interior color was airbrushed after masking the surrounding area. The engine nacelle sub-assembly was given a coat of primer to spot possible blemishes (if any, my fault, needless to say):

Preparing the metal parts for a priming session. The metal cast is superb. Notice the pips going in different directions to properly follow their anchoring points surfaces:

The metal used (some type of bronze, I guess) is manifold the resistance of the usual bendy white metal accessories:

Here too we can see the differently angle pips, again to properly follow the surface where they will attach:

The photo-etched fret will be primed and painted:

The radiators are glued in place, remember there is one spare in case you mess sup:

Look at the precision of the casting:

The trolley has two rings that can be enhanced:

The metal parts are primed. Color was applied to some details, the prop blades (one is a spare) were painted an almost black wood color:

The small photo-etched keel is added, as well as the sub-fin:

The latter is absent in most photos, but this one from the race seems to shows it, if faintly:

The prop blades metal guards will be painted next:

The components of the little instrument panels are being prepared:

A coat of aluminium color:

The instrument panel assembly is glued underneath the wing. The interior parts (bulkheads and side panels), once the photo-etched bits were added, just slid into place, rudder pedals (one spare), joystick and sit also in place:

And now the wing is added. In my sample the fit is almost perfect, the fuselage volume attached to the wing cast being just a smidgen narrower than the rest of the fuselage. Careful and clean light sanding should take care of that very small step. Little can be seen of the interior now, but we know it's there 😄:

Now, a philosophical question: glue the tail feathers on, and use the decals for the Italian tricolore, or keep them apart, mask and paint them, and then add them? What Oedipus would have said if the Sphinx would have asked him?:

The parts are so well done, that the engine nacelle struts just stand there in place (dry-run):

A coat of primer. I decided I will paint the tricolore so the tail is airbrushed first with white:

I am trying for the light blue color on the fuselage. This is a mix of Alclad and light blue lacquer. 

This is a lighter version (on a random scrap):

And this a darker one. I think I will go for the lighter hue:

Nice shine. A few touch ups and it will be ready for the paint:

After masking the white band, red is applied:

The tail feathers are ready now. Nothing wrong with the kit's decals, but it's easier for me this way:

The base paints for the metal color are applied, using two tones to end up different metallic hues:

The windshield clear resin part is separated from its casting block (caution here, the non-usable part is quite thick and somewhat brittle) and the pre-cut masks are applied:

The wing float bottoms are masked and aluminium is airbrushed on top. The rest (spinner, engine, windshield) is given different hues of aluminium, then the wings in turn masked to apply the very light blue fuselage color:

More masks are applied to be able to paint the planning bottom:

Masks removed:

The painting stage is completed. Next, general assembly, some rigging and decals:

The tail is on, and all the photo-etched parts have been added to the engine nacelle:

The headrest cushion and windshield are on:

The nacelle is in place. This is a somewhat delicate operation:

You have one spare wire for each subset, which is much appreciated. I have never used P.E. rigging before (which represents better the flat rigging wires used in many instances in real planes), so I will give it a try:

The nacelle cabane and tail rigging wires are now in place. Good thing that SBS included a spare for each set, as I lost, never to be found again, one each, and had to resort to those spares:

The floats are next. Beware that their struts are perpendicular to the bottom of the wing, not to the water (that is, the rigging wires are of equal to each side -but of different lengths on front and back):

I have mentioned before that the approach with this kit is not as usual, that is to struggle to improve things, but the opposite, that is to say not to mar this exquisite kit, thus I work on it only a little bit every day, never rushing things:

 

An eerie sky, fog and ashes and smoke from the wildfires:

As I had painted the tail feathers myself, the only decals I used were the number 7 and the small lettering in front of it. These went on perfectly, the decals are of very good quality. My dwindling vision had indeed a hard time adding the photo-etched rigging, and some positioning and inserting requires having a hundred eyes -like the character in the TV series "Marco Polo"- and may be an equal number of hands. I found that most of the "wires" in my build needed shortening a teensy tiny bit, but the ones in front of the wing floats were almost too short. I still have two more to attach, but my eyes are already very tired. May be tomorrow I can complete the build:

Model is now complete (link at the header). The eerie skies continue: