"After the Great War Italian aviation was held in high regard, and Italian pilots frequently broke records and achieved firsts. However these encouraging early successes were not maintained, and by the time Italy declared war in 1940 their air force, the Regia Aeronautica, was suffering from the same problems that faced the rest of the armed forces – design and production of equipment simply could not keep up with the other European powers. Italian fighters were particularly weak, with large numbers being virtually obsolescent, and even newer models were usually less well armed and protected than the opposition. Scattered over a wide area (including Russia and even briefly Belgium), there were also major problems with supply of fuel and spare parts, yet the highly skilled crew fought on against these odds, eventually withdrawing from North Africa and concentrating on defending Italy from the Allied invasion. In 1943, when Italy surrendered to the Allies, the Regia Aeronautica planes and personnel found themselves as divided as their country, some fighting for the King in the South alongside the Allies, and the rest fighting with the Germans for Mussolini's RSI.
This is the first set to depict the Italian Royal Air Force, and like the old Airfix sets it includes both pilots and ground crew, though fewer poses overall. The first three figures pictured are of the pilots, beginning with one that has no base. From the general appearance it looks like this man is in the act of boarding an aircraft, which is why he has no base as he is not on the ground. He wears typical flight suit, including the characteristic large pockets above each knee, and has a parachute strapped to his back. On his upper body he wears a flotation device named the salsicciotti (sausage) made of cork and canvas, a widely used but unpopular item as it was uncomfortable and limited movement inside bombers. All his clothing and kit is correct, as is that of the other two pilots. The second man is running, also with parachute attached, as if racing to get to his plane, and the third man is already seated in the cockpit and tightening his helmet. Neither of these man appear to wear the salsicciotti but are otherwise the same as the first, so are fine.
The remaining figures are all ground crew, and wear a wide variety of clothing. Some have the usual overalls with overlapping front flap and large pockets on the thighs, others are more casually dressed in shirt and shorts or just shorts. From photos it is clear the clothing of such men varied enormously, but everything here is correct and reasonable, though quite clearly all are in a hot climate such as North or East Africa, and not Russia during the fight for Stalingrad! Most wear the usual fatigue cap, which is properly done, but one man has a wide-brimmed straw hat, which was also quite common and much appreciated in the relentless African sun…"
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Amicalement
Armand
