Review of Ali D'Italia no. 1 Fiat CR.42 "Falco" (Falcon) Italian Fighter
Author Unkown
La Bancarella Aeronautica
ISBN Unknown
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $16.95
ISBN Unknown
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $16.95
THE BOOK:
La Bancarella Aeronautica is based in Milan, Italy. This book has a copyright date of 1995.
The book is softcover of 48 pages in 11 3/4" x 8" page format.
The pages are all divided in half as far as language. Italian is down the left side of them and English down the right side. Unique! The picture captions are also in the 2 languages.
The cover is twice the 8" width to 16" folded in the center.
The cover art is on the left side of this sheet and shows 2 Fiat CR.42's flying above the clouds.
Both are in a base of light tan with faded green blotches over the upper sides and light grey undercarraiges.
The CR.42 in the foreground has a slanted white fuselage band with a black no. 70 behind it. It has a red propeller spinner.
The CR.42 behind it has a diagonal white fuselage band with the black no. 70 behind it and a black no. 2 before it. It also has the red propeller spinner.
The folded right half of the cover is tucked inside the book. It has 5 color profiles on it.
1. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with dark green spots on it and a light grey undercarraige. A blue circle with a fasci on it under the cockpit and a white fuselage no, 363. It has three vertical stripes on the rudder -red, white, red -with the House of Savoy shield on the white stripe. It is with the 363 Sq. 150 Gr., 53 St. of the Italian Air Force in 1939-1940.
2. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with ameobic dark green shapes over it and a light grey undercarraige. It has the blue fascist insignia under the cockpit and a white fuselage band with a black no. 45 on it. It has a white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 45th Gruppo, Italian Air Force.
3. A CR.42 CN in overall black above a light grey undercarraige. It has the blue facist insignia under the cockit, followed by a blue inverted triangle with a black owl and a half moon on it. It has a white fuselage band with a black no. 377-4 on it. It has the white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 377th Sq. Aut. experimental.
4. A CR.42 DB (MM 469) with a Daimler Benz DB 601 inline engine experiment. No unit is said. It is overall light tan with faded green blotches above a light grey undercarraige. It only has a white fuselage band and the white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it.
5. A CR.42 hydro experimental aircraft on pontoons. It is overall light blue with the blue circle fascist symbol under the cockpit and the red, white and red vertical bands on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on the white band. It is shown as it was in 1940.
The other side of the front folded sheet has a color 5-view spanning the whole width of it. It is a CR.42 in overall light tan with faded green blotches above a light grey undercarraige. It has a yellow cowling and a red propeller spinner. The blue circle with the facist symbol is below the cockpit, followed by a white triangle with a black cat and the moto "Beware I will scratch You" in black and Italian on it. It has a white fuselage band with the black no 162-11 over it and a white cross with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 162nd Squadriglia, 161st Gruppo with the Italian Air Force in 1941.
There are 48 pages in the book with 62 black and white photos on them, a line drawing in 1/48th and 1/72nd scales. The 1/48th scale one is spread over 2 pages and includes illustrations of the inner fuselage bulkheads.
There is another HUGE cutaway illustration spanning 2 pages.
Included in the black and white photos is a shot of the CR.32, CR.40 and CR.41.
There are 4 data info lists in the book, 7 tech manual illustrations, 4 photos of engines, a photo of the gunsight, a photo of the dashboard, controls and 2 photos of the cockpit interior, a photo of a CR.42 in German markings, one in captured British markings and a post war Italian one with roundels.
There are 4 photos of CR.42's in Hungarian markings, 2 in Belgian markings and 4 in Swedish markings.
On the wide divided back cover inside on the left is a photo of CR.42 model kits that were available at the time the book was published. The right side of the folded cover has a color illustration of the cockpit interior.
The folded over left half of the back cover has 5 more color profiles on it:
1. A CR.42 in German markings. It is in a base of light blue with dark green splotches above a light blue undercarraige. The only markings are the German fuselage cross and the swastika on the rudder. It is shown as it was in 1943-1944.
2. A CR.42 in a splinter pattern of light blue, tan and dark green. It has a ace of spades logo under the cockpit and a black fuselage no. V-204. There is a white chevron on the rudder. This aircraft is with the Hungarian 1st Reggiment in 1940-1941.
3. A CR.42 in a overall base of light tan with dark green splotches over a light grey undercarraige. It has a white squadron insignia before the fuselage roundel and a white no. 21 on the rudder. It is an aircraft with the Belgian 3rd Squadriglia II Gruppo in 1940.
4. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with faded green blotches above a light blue undercarraige. It has a large white no. 63 on the sides of the cowling and a black no. 9 in front of the fuselage roundel. The large white no. 63 is repeated on the rudder. This is a ski-equipped CR.42 with the J11 group of the Swedish Air Force in 1942.
5. A CR.42B in overall light blue. It has the fuselage no. Z-1 roundel 6 and a red propeller spinner. It is in post war Italian Air Force markings.
The right side of this folded cover that forms the back cover of the book has a color photo of a flight of 10 CR.42's above La Bancarella Aeronautica's street address in Torino, Italy, their telephone and FAX numbers.
La Bancarella Aeronautica is based in Milan, Italy. This book has a copyright date of 1995.
The book is softcover of 48 pages in 11 3/4" x 8" page format.
The pages are all divided in half as far as language. Italian is down the left side of them and English down the right side. Unique! The picture captions are also in the 2 languages.
The cover is twice the 8" width to 16" folded in the center.
The cover art is on the left side of this sheet and shows 2 Fiat CR.42's flying above the clouds.
Both are in a base of light tan with faded green blotches over the upper sides and light grey undercarraiges.
The CR.42 in the foreground has a slanted white fuselage band with a black no. 70 behind it. It has a red propeller spinner.
The CR.42 behind it has a diagonal white fuselage band with the black no. 70 behind it and a black no. 2 before it. It also has the red propeller spinner.
The folded right half of the cover is tucked inside the book. It has 5 color profiles on it.
1. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with dark green spots on it and a light grey undercarraige. A blue circle with a fasci on it under the cockpit and a white fuselage no, 363. It has three vertical stripes on the rudder -red, white, red -with the House of Savoy shield on the white stripe. It is with the 363 Sq. 150 Gr., 53 St. of the Italian Air Force in 1939-1940.
2. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with ameobic dark green shapes over it and a light grey undercarraige. It has the blue fascist insignia under the cockpit and a white fuselage band with a black no. 45 on it. It has a white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 45th Gruppo, Italian Air Force.
3. A CR.42 CN in overall black above a light grey undercarraige. It has the blue facist insignia under the cockit, followed by a blue inverted triangle with a black owl and a half moon on it. It has a white fuselage band with a black no. 377-4 on it. It has the white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 377th Sq. Aut. experimental.
4. A CR.42 DB (MM 469) with a Daimler Benz DB 601 inline engine experiment. No unit is said. It is overall light tan with faded green blotches above a light grey undercarraige. It only has a white fuselage band and the white cross on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on it.
5. A CR.42 hydro experimental aircraft on pontoons. It is overall light blue with the blue circle fascist symbol under the cockpit and the red, white and red vertical bands on the rudder with the House of Savoy shield on the white band. It is shown as it was in 1940.
The other side of the front folded sheet has a color 5-view spanning the whole width of it. It is a CR.42 in overall light tan with faded green blotches above a light grey undercarraige. It has a yellow cowling and a red propeller spinner. The blue circle with the facist symbol is below the cockpit, followed by a white triangle with a black cat and the moto "Beware I will scratch You" in black and Italian on it. It has a white fuselage band with the black no 162-11 over it and a white cross with the House of Savoy shield on it. It is with the 162nd Squadriglia, 161st Gruppo with the Italian Air Force in 1941.
There are 48 pages in the book with 62 black and white photos on them, a line drawing in 1/48th and 1/72nd scales. The 1/48th scale one is spread over 2 pages and includes illustrations of the inner fuselage bulkheads.
There is another HUGE cutaway illustration spanning 2 pages.
Included in the black and white photos is a shot of the CR.32, CR.40 and CR.41.
There are 4 data info lists in the book, 7 tech manual illustrations, 4 photos of engines, a photo of the gunsight, a photo of the dashboard, controls and 2 photos of the cockpit interior, a photo of a CR.42 in German markings, one in captured British markings and a post war Italian one with roundels.
There are 4 photos of CR.42's in Hungarian markings, 2 in Belgian markings and 4 in Swedish markings.
On the wide divided back cover inside on the left is a photo of CR.42 model kits that were available at the time the book was published. The right side of the folded cover has a color illustration of the cockpit interior.
The folded over left half of the back cover has 5 more color profiles on it:
1. A CR.42 in German markings. It is in a base of light blue with dark green splotches above a light blue undercarraige. The only markings are the German fuselage cross and the swastika on the rudder. It is shown as it was in 1943-1944.
2. A CR.42 in a splinter pattern of light blue, tan and dark green. It has a ace of spades logo under the cockpit and a black fuselage no. V-204. There is a white chevron on the rudder. This aircraft is with the Hungarian 1st Reggiment in 1940-1941.
3. A CR.42 in a overall base of light tan with dark green splotches over a light grey undercarraige. It has a white squadron insignia before the fuselage roundel and a white no. 21 on the rudder. It is an aircraft with the Belgian 3rd Squadriglia II Gruppo in 1940.
4. A CR.42 in overall base of light tan with faded green blotches above a light blue undercarraige. It has a large white no. 63 on the sides of the cowling and a black no. 9 in front of the fuselage roundel. The large white no. 63 is repeated on the rudder. This is a ski-equipped CR.42 with the J11 group of the Swedish Air Force in 1942.
5. A CR.42B in overall light blue. It has the fuselage no. Z-1 roundel 6 and a red propeller spinner. It is in post war Italian Air Force markings.
The right side of this folded cover that forms the back cover of the book has a color photo of a flight of 10 CR.42's above La Bancarella Aeronautica's street address in Torino, Italy, their telephone and FAX numbers.
I purchased this book back in the 90's at the Rosemont Hobby Shop in Allentown, PA while visiting my mother in a nearby city.