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KP's 1/48 SIAI SF-260W in Irish colours. Tiny little plane in 1/48 scale. The kit felt really rushed in many aspects - the details, the fit, decals and instructions. Details are quite sparse and the plastic quality is more of a short run kit with partially soft details etc. The fit was simply atrocious - mainly the wing/fuselage fit. Decals were poor print quality and colours were not aligned, I needed to correct them with paint quite a lot. I lost patience with the instructions as they were simply missing bits and the decal placement instructions/coding was so bad that I gave up on them, only put down few of the smaller decals. But as I wasn't happy with the quality of the decals in the first place it didn't feel too bad leaving some out. But I don't want to be all negative, in the end it ended up a nice little plane with some character. I painted it with Vallejo acrylic paints and used Tamiya panel liner to bring out the details. Kit needs a huge amount of nose weight, I didn't put enough so it ended up a tail sitter. Hence the clear plastic rod on the underside... Part of my 2023 Challenge:

SIAI-Marchetti SF-260EA/D/EU "Late bulged Canopy Type" (SH72433) 1:72 Special Hobby The SF.260 was designed by Stelio Frati as a three seat aerobatic aircraft designed for the sport aircraft market. It was designed for full IFR flight and with a capability similar to some military aircraft. It was these qualities which caused it to be favoured by Air Arms as a trainer and even light attack aircraft. Production was originally by Aviamilano with the first flight in July 1964. SIAI Marchetti soon after purchased the rights to the design and production continued by them until being bought by Aermacchi in 1997. Both piston engined and turbo prop aircraft were developed. Aermacchi continued production on taking over the company. The Kit This is a brand new tool for 2020 from Special Hobby. The quality is fist class with crisp moulding and fine engraved panel lines. Given the small size of the real aircraft, in 1/72 the model is quite diminutive. The model arrives on two main sprues and a single part canopy. There are two further small sprues for different aerial configurations and a weapons sprue. Construction starts in the cockpit. The instrument panel is first mounted to the centre console with two different panels in the kit depending on your preferred decal option. The instruments are provided as decals. The console is then fitted to the cabin floor and the flight controls added in. Next the two front seats and rear bench type seat go in. All being provided with decal belts. The rear bulkhead is fitted along with the shelf which goes behind the rear seats. The cockpit can then go into the fuselage along with the front bulkhead. No mention is made of nose weight though I would highly suspect it will be needed. The single part main wing can then be fitted to the fuselage making sure to fit the nose gear well in the front section of it first. At the front the engine face and prop can be added, and on the tips of the wing, the tip tanks. These are followed by the tail planes and the single part canopy. The landing gear and doors can now go on. Depending on your decal choice aerial are fitted where needed. Lastly if doing an armed version the pylons can be added. The kit provides rocket pods for the Irish example but these are not the six shot SNEB pods they flew with. A bit frustrating as Special Hobby have produced these pods in the past. There is also no gun pods with the Irish Air Corps used either. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed by Eduard and looks sharp and in register. There are four decal options available from the decal sheet; SF-260EA 70-35 70 Stormo, Italian Air Force 20015. SF-260D ST-47 No.5 Basic Flying School, Belgian Air Component. SF-260EU - 1248, Venezuelan Air Force, 2010. SF-260EU - No.612 Sqn Uruguayan Air Force, 2010 Conclusion It is good to see a new tool out of this much used trainer/light attack aircraft. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I know I haven't actually touched either of my other two builds yet but I kept looking at this one, moving on and coming back so it was inevitable really. This is a little unusual in that it is an Italian aircraft that is in current service rather than a WW2 era build. The SF-260 as served in two versions with the Tunisian air force since 1975. This one is the later SF-260W. Tunisia is also a little unusual in being an Arab country in North Africa that since independence from France, hasn't been aligned with the Soviet Bloc and doesn't get involved with wars outside it's own territory. This is the kit that inspired me. I've never built a Tunisian anything before so this will be fun: There are four schemes in the box. I'd liketo do three of them. If there's time at the end I'd even like to try the Mauritanian one here as I'ven ver built anything from there before either: There are two small sprues and even with that small number there are optional parts: Decals and instructions. Both handy to have. There are decal seat belts but no paint call outs for the interior which is a little less handy: Right. Enough starting threads. Time to build something Andy

Heroes Models from Italy has just released a 1/144th SIAI SF-260 Marchetti resin kit - ref. HM-K14411 Sources: https://heroesmodels.it/shop/models/1-144-sf-260-international-trainer-resin-kit/ https://www.facebook.com/heroesmodels.it/photos/a.781749755330307/1589730874532187/ https://www.facebook.com/heroesmodels.it/posts/1590675067771101 https://www.facebook.com/heroesmodels.it/photos/a.781749755330307/1591150751056866 V.P.