Caproni Ca. 3 - Italian heavy bomber

The three-engine Caproni bomber appeared in 1914, powered by three "Gnome" rotary engines. In the serial version, three 100 HP in-line "FIAT" A 10 engines with fixed-pitch wooden propellers are installed. These planes entered service in 1915 in the summer and was the most effective bomber of all air forces, except for the Russian "Sikorsky". The same model was produced throughout the war, first in the "350' version (with two "FIAT"and one "Isotta Fraschini" engines) and later as the "Ca 450 hp" with three "Isotta Fraschini" V.4B 180 hp engines. Several hundred were built, 1st to 15th Bomber Squadrons (of which 11a Squadron operated in Albania, 12a in Libya, and 3a, 14a and 15a were sent to France in 1918), and 201a Squadron, only flew flights for the defense of the Italian mainland. All designations such as "Ca.31", "Ca.32", etc. are fake post-war reconstructions: this bomber was exclusively called "Ca 450 HP" or "Ca.3". The first models had a crew of three, consisting of two pilots and an observer-gunner in the front, but all later "Caproni" had a fourth crew member - a gunner, who fired from a turret, raised above the central engine. Bomber production was curtailed in 1918, but, when its successor, the "Ca.5,600 hp", failed, these bombers were rushed back into series production at the Savigliano factory. The last version was the swept-wing "Modificato 3", which even went back into production in 1923, around 150 of which were built by the Regia Aeronautica and in service with bomber squadrons until 1927, 13 years after the original flight. Many Caproni "Ca.3"s were used in Foggia to train American pilots, who also used them in operations, where they flew without incident in Squadriglie 1a, 2a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a and 10a.

A large, well designed and richly detailed model of a World War I Italian heavy bomber. However, it is not complicated, so even novice and little advanced modelers, working under the supervision of a more experienced modeler, will be able to cope with the intricacies of this model. Only "but" - there will be nothing to simplify here - everything is open and visible. Therefore, You will have to use all Your abilities and reserves of patience, diligence and attention. One thing, that this publication guarantees, is accuracy and good coincidence - this is guaranteed by the name of the author of the project: Stanislaw Šliwinski. The model has a lot of wire details, spacers, steering cables, the graphic instructions are excellent, the textual ones are just an addition to the graphic ones, there is no stock of colors.