The RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942

[Rheged]

I anticipate that there will be a considerable rush of people keen to nominate this for a Whiffy award  when it is finished .    I'm looking forward to the backstory as much as the model!

[PR19_Kit]

You wait till you see the colour scheme I have planned for it. 

With the emphasis on 'colour'...... 

[tigercat]

Mountbatten pink ?

[ericr]

 

[PR19_Kit]

Mountbatten pink ?

Not exactly. 

In fact, not at all.

As the SM-77 was shot up quite badly before its surrender to the attacking Gladiators, it needed a fair amount of patching up having been flown back to RAF Heliopolis on the Nile. Of course the RAF didn't have any paint to match the RA colours, so used the closest they had, thus the Mid Stone patches on the Nocciola  Chiaro 4" upper wing colour. As the entire wing centre section was rebuilt to take the four Merlins, it will all be re-done in Mid Stone and the underside in Azure Blue, and will eventually have some Dark Earth camo patches as well.

That's all before the Italian 'camo' is added, not to mention the RAF roundels overlaid on the RA fasces markings. 

[Tophe]

it'll be even better with all four engines of course.
At the moment it's a 'Tophe-like' with only a couple on one side. 

At the moment, it is wonderfully asymmetric, thanks!
(2 engines are enough, according to me, no need of 4)

[tigercat]

I look forward to seeing the finished  visual smorgasbord

[PR19_Kit]

I look forward to seeing the finished  visual smorgasbord

So do I......................

But it's being a right pain at the moment.

[jcf]

How was it to fly
Being so short-coupled it would be interesting, to say the least. 

[PR19_Kit]

I bet it'd have been VERY throttle and trim sensitive, to say the least also....

[Tophe]

it'll be even better with all four engines of course.
At the moment it's a 'Tophe-like' with only a couple on one side. 

At the moment, it is wonderfully asymmetric, thanks!
(2 engines are enough, according to me, no need of 4)

I have found the Historical explanation!
Kit you are building the 4-engined S.77 while I was referring to the 2-engined asymmetric S.77A: 

[PR19_Kit]

The wings are a bit short................. 

[Tophe]

Yes, I apologize...
(This is not a vector drawing, that could be changed completely as I want, just a bitmap modification, not easy to extend where there is sweep angle)

[Tophe]

I have tried to extend as bitmaps but the lines become blurred, sorry...

[PR19_Kit]

MUCH more like it!