Caproni Ca-311
Here's a rescue from my Shelf of Doom. It's the old Italeri kit in 1:72 I bought on impulse from the bargain table about 15 years ago just because it was cheap and appealed to me. I thought about building it several times, but put it off because I was intimidated by the thought of making masks for those 100 plus tiny little windows. Then I recently came across some masks for this kit (which cost more than the kit), and decided to go for it. The parts fit very well, I just needed a little Mr. Surfacer around a couple of joints. It has raised panel lines, no big deal except for the exaggerated rib detail on the fabric control surfaces, which I mostly sanded off. Then I discovered the kit had only one propeller, the other one was just gone. So, I scratched a new prop with a short piece of aluminum tubing for a hub and found some suitable blades in my junk stash that could be re-profiled to match the kit propeller. My only additions were tape seat belts, some instrument decals on the tiny little panel, and some brake lines. The decals were very good, but the painting guide was for 4 different aircraft, only one of which corresponded to the decals provided. Also, the painting guide called for verde oliva splotches over verde chairo. I've never seen a 2-tone green camo on an Italian aircraft but since this was not a serious build I decided to go for it. It looks more Japanese than Italian. Anyhow, it was fun to build something that didn't need major plastic surgery.
A very nice result, Chas @chasbunch
I fully understand why you put this one aside until you ran across the masks.
Your scratch build propeller looks perfect, I have no clue which one is the original and which one is the fresh build to be honest.
I can't tell either !
Superb result given to beautiful airplane. Great post!
G’day Chas (@chasbunch),
I remember building this kit as a kid (1970s).
Am I right that it also included a stepped upper canopy option?
You’ve achieved a great result.
Liked!
Thanks, Michael. Yes, the kit has the option of the all-glass nose or the stepped canopy for a 311M.
Beautiful work Chas. I really hope someone does the Caproni series in 1/48. @chasbunch
Excellent model and great scratch building of the missing prop, Chas!
Nicely done Chas.
Beautiful, I like the Italian machines and their coloring. Well done.
Something appealing in these Italian planes. Excellent result in this scale Chas. After 15 years plastic must be quite brittle.
Excellent build! I have the Italeri Ca. 313, and wish I could find a mask set for it! Perhaps the KitMask folks will pump one out here soon...
Thanks, Greg. Yes, I found the mask at Kitmask when I stumbled upon their website. They have lots of good stuff hard to find elsewhere.
I’m glad you saved this one from the SoD!
It looks beautiful. Awesome paint job too.
Nice work, Chas. I love seeing old kits like this come to life.