1:72 Italian WWII Torpedo A.130 Variant 1

The Italian aerial torpedo A.130 for 1:72 scale

A model of the torpedo printed by 3D technology at 12K resolution, made up of three parts. The print captures the fine details of the casing, the tail surfaces and the propellers, which on a thing this small are reproduced only with difficulty by pouring into a mold. The maker points out that printed parts are fragile, so a sharp knife and modeling nippers pay off when separating them from the supports. The version designated as variant 1 has a sister piece designated as variant 2.

The aerosiluranti and their weapon

Torpedo aviation was what made the Regia Aeronautica most famous in the Mediterranean. The crews of three-engined machines flew at dusk right above the water, dropped the torpedo a few hundred meters from the side of a ship and turned away through the fire of the escort. The torpedoes themselves were built by the Italian arms works at Fiume, and their designation was derived from the weight of the warhead and from the dimensions. Hits from these attacks marked more than one convoy heading for Malta and belong among the most quoted episodes of the war in the Mediterranean Sea.

Before you hang it under the fuselage

Wash the printed parts with lukewarm water and detergent, so that no print resin residue stays on the surface, and let them dry properly. Glue them with cyanoacrylate glue; ordinary cement for plastic will not take hold here. Before painting, fill any traces left by the supports and go over the surface with primer. Try the attachment points dry against the model beforehand, so that the torpedo hangs in line.

Suitable for

• builders of Italian torpedo aircraft
• modelers who want sharper detail than plastic gives
• collectors of armament and underwing stores in 1:72 scale
• a diorama with preparations for an attack at an airfield

For the assembly count on cyanoacrylate glue and primer.