Kit: No. 04370
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Revell AG (Germany), Postfach 2609-2620, D-4980, Bunde, Germany
Price: N/A
Comments: Injection-molded, 58 parts, decals
Pros: Good detail for a small model, good decals, nice cockpit interior, good underwing ordnance
Cons: Fit of some parts needs adjustment, wing/fuselage joints are weak
Fiat's G.91 was designed as a single engine, lightweight strike/reconnaissance aircraft for NATO air forces. It first entered service with the Italian Air Force in 1958, then later with the Luftwaffe and the Portuguese Air Force. The G.91/R1 was armed with four .50-caliber machine guns, and the G.91/R3 and R4 were armed with two 30mm DEFA cannons. A two-seat G.91T was also produced. The final version to see service with only the Italian Air Force was the twin-engine G.91Y. In addition to performing the light attack role, the G.91 was used by the Italian Air Force's Frecce Tri-Colori aerobatic team. Today, only a handful of G.91s are still in NATO inventory with the Portuguese Air Force, performing both strike and interceptor duties.
Revell-Germany's Fiat G.91R/3 is a welcome sight for those of us who had to endure the shortcomings of the old Airfix kit. Revell's G.91 features fine recessed panel lines, a two-part canopy, optional guns for the G.91R1 version, and a "hard nose" used on the G.91 prototypes and the aircraft flown by the Frecce Tri-Colori. Some of the small parts seem heavy for the scale, but they are well detailed.
The 23 step, 12-page instruction sheet follows a logical sequence of assembly. Be careful, though, as each step is crowded with lines showing parts placement and painting instructions. Revell molded the main gear doors in the retracted position, so you'll have to cut them apart if you pose the gear down. You can also pose the speed brakes opened or closed; most photos show them open when the aircraft is parked. The detail inside the gear and speed-brake bays is a nice touch. Strangely, no mention of posing the two-part canopy in the open position is made in the instructions, but you certainly can do so.
Assembly is fairly easy, but I had a few minor fit problems. The gun panels (part Nos. 12 and 13) required sanding and test fitting to make them fit into the openings in the fuselage. I liked the cockpit detail, and the seat is very good, but expect to fill gaps in the seat frame.
I was surprised to find this well-designed model to have separate wings with only small locator tabs to be inserted into the fuselage. I figured this might cause the wings to set out of alignment, so I added the landing gear to the wings first. These helped me get the wings straight as the glue set.
I painted my model's underside with Model Master IJN Gray, then painted the upper surfaces with Model Master RAF Medium Sea Gray and Xtracolor Yellow-Olive. I also applied day-glow orange to the center sections of the drop tanks. Revell includes markings for two West German G.91s. They went on fine and reacted favorably to Solvaset.
The model took me about 15 hours to build whith most time spent on applying the numerous stencil decals. The model measures close to the dimensions listed in Doug Richardson's Modern Warplanes (Crescent). Although it looks similar to an angular F-86D, it is much smaller than a Sabre; the span is only 28 feet, compared with the Sabre's 37 feet!
If you want a simple model to build over a weekend then this is it. It looks great sitting in my collection of NATO aircraft.