1:48 Caproni Ca.3

Caproni Ca.3 - 1:48, Lukgraph, a fully 3D printed kit

This is not injection-molded plastic. The Polish manufacturer Lukgraph supplies this kit as a fully 3D printed kit in resin, completed by photo-etched parts, metal wire for the bracing and decals. The package also includes crew figures and a comprehensive color instruction sheet. The parts carry exceptionally fine detail, but they are built quite differently from a plastic model: they are not glued with polystyrene cement, but with cyanoacrylate glue or epoxy. It is a premium kit that is not intended for beginners. In 1:48 it is also a large model, with a wingspan approaching 45 cm.

The real subject

The Caproni Ca.3 was an Italian three-engined bomber of the First World War, a massive biplane with a crew nacelle in the middle, twin booms and three engines. It ranks among the first true strategic bombers: the Italians used it to strike across the Alps and the Adriatic at targets behind the enemy lines, and the machine became a symbol of early bomber aviation. Foreigners flew it too, among them the later mayor of New York, Fiorello LaGuardia. For Czech and Slovak modelers the type has a special meaning: it was in the crash of a Caproni in 1919 that Milan Rastislav Stefanik died, and that machine is among the schemes offered.

Building and painting tips

First wash the parts in lukewarm water with detergent, to rid them of the residues of printing resin; otherwise the paint will not hold. Cut the print supports off with a sharp knife or a saw, never break them. Sand only wet and with your airways protected: resin dust is harmful to health. Cyanoacrylate glue is used, and on larger joints epoxy is the safer choice. A primer is essential. Reckon with the fact that the rigging is the key and most time-consuming part of building a First World War biplane; it pays to plan it in advance, to drill the holes before gluing and to work from the inner bracing outwards. The kit has bracing wires prepared in its structure, which give a large model the stiffness it needs.

Who the model is for

• Experienced modelers who have already built from resin or 3D prints
• Enthusiasts of First World War aviation and of early bombers
• Builders who dare to take on the extensive rigging of a biplane
• Collectors looking for a type that is practically absent from the usual plastic range
• Those interested in the Czechoslovak historical connection (Stefanik)

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted, as a kit in resin (3D print). Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.