The Little World

My Nationalist Chinese Air Force is growing like Top Tze. Another bomber to join the Martin B10. Talk about strategic command of the air…

This Fiat BR.20 was originally sold to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force as part of a couple of stopgap squadrons until a native-built bomber fleet could be completed. It saw service in China in a four-colour camouflage scheme. Most were sent back to Japan as trainers and transports when the limitations of the type became evident.

One was too slow, however, and was captured by the Chinese – and then repainted for use in the Nationalist Air Force. I have no good photos from the period but several artists have illustrated it in a light grey with basic national markings. No details of any lettering or numbering have been found.

The model itself has finished well, despite the nose traumas. Italeri’s take on the landing gear is dead simple and would have made a wheels-up model just as easily. Oddly, there are no wheel-well doors.

The decals are home-printed, but an attempt to make the tail stripes with decal foundered on the ribs and actuators – the thing eventually just broke apart. So it was white painted and then masked for blue painting. The new Mr Retarder is taming both lacquers and acrylics to the hand brush, but you don’t mix any other thinner in the pot at the same time. It particularly improves the bow-pen painting of canopies.