S. A. M. L. S.2 Build
S.A.M.L. (Societa Aeronautica Mecanica Lombarda) was the main Italian builder of German Aviatik B.1. Until early 1917 they were employed extensively by Italian Reconnaissance Squadrons, before being used as trainers. The Aviatik started to be replaced by an Italian aircraft, the S.A.M.L. S.1, designed by Swiss engineer Robert Wild, who had been responsible in Germany for the Aviatik B.1 and B.II.
The S.1 was an enlarged 3-bay version of the Aviatik with a 260-hp Fiat A-12 engine. It was used for artillery spotting and occasional bombing. It was a strong, reliable and easy to fly aircraft. Later in 1917, a shorter span version, the S.AM.L. A.2 reached the front. It was a strong aircraft with good handling qualities and they were well liked by their crews.
There was a Revelli machine gun for the rear cockpit and a second gun mounted on the top wing firing over the propeller arc. An interesting fact about the top gun, whereas it was fired by the pilot, reloading and clearing any stoppages was done by the observer.
Both the S.1 and S.2 saw much front line service with 657 S.1s and S.2s being completed between 1916 and 1918. The planes operated in Italy, Albania and Macedonia. Some aircraft survived the war and later saw action in Italy's campaigns in North Africa.
Joystick Models has come and gone but they left behind a nice collection of kits. The S.A.M.L. S.2 is # 17 of their kits. One sheet of plastic, decals and Aeroclub Models white metal parts. (Almost all of the vacuform companies of the mid 80's to early 90's used Aeroclub metal.)
The decal sheet was replaced by Americal and my special thanks to Bob Pearson for the fuselage markings.
One reason I picked the S.2 is the release of Windsock Datafile # 113. So many of the nice kits of the 80's were made before any decent reference material was available. So many of my kits were made from one photo taken from 8000 feet on a cloudy day.
All vacuform kits start with the cutting of the parts off the sheet. I score along the edge at 45 degrees along the edges and then snap the part off the sheet. It sounds scary but very seldom is any damage done to the parts. It takes about 10 minutes to get all of the parts off the sheet. All of the parts and me now head for the kitchen for a flat surface and a source of water. Out comes my trusty piece of 150-grit wet/dry sandpaper, which has to be at least 15 years old. There are at least 40 vacuforms in my collection and most of them were sanded out on this sheet of sandpaper. After I use it, I let dry and store it flat so it is ready for the next kit.
With masking tape, I make Ts and place them on the part to be sanded, especially the wings. Since I cut out the parts at a 45-degree angle, there is less sanding that has to be done. It also means that if I get a little heavy handed, I could easily ruin a part. Bring the fuselage halves down slowly, checking your progress often. Sand it until both halves match.
I use the masking tape Ts on the wings to go back and forth to apply equal pressure along the surface. The leading edge of the wing gets less sanding and the trailing edge is sanded down to almost nothing. All other major parts are sanded and cleaned up and I'm done. This entire process takes no more than 1 to 1 � hours. At this point the kits will build like an injection mold kit.
The first thing on the fuselage is the cockpit and engine openings. I tape the halves together and very carefully cut out the openings, making sure they match. I use the engine to cut out its opening and construction is underway.
Using page 25 of the Datafile, the framework is added in and glued with Weld-On 3 liquid glue. Still on page 25, I detail the interior using very precise and exotic materials. The fuel tanks are from the barrel of a BIC ballpoint pen filled with putty; the observers seat is cut from a piece of gum eraser, the seat came from the scrape box and was cut down and a Handley Page 0400 gave up its seating wheel. Page 28 has a very detailed instrument panel layout, complete with map and compass. The engine is glued in and the halves are glued together. The bottom is very concave so it took four layers of putty to get the bottom flat. At this point the fuselage is ready for paint. Testor's Beret Green and Floquil Depot Buff cut with 25% white is my version of Unbleached Linen. A sponge dabbed in the green gave me the mottled effect I was looking for. The model was glossed coated and the decals were added. I then formed two windscreens and hand painted the frames. With this the fuselage is compete.
After both wings are sanded, I use a scribing tool to cut a single line on the bottom on the wings. After it is painted, it appears to be the underside of a wing rib. The top wing has a slot in the middle and my first inclination was to cut the wing in half and rejoin it. But the plastic is thick enough so that I cut the slot out very carefully and the results were good. My CDL is painted top and bottom and the top is mottled green. The red and green is painted on the outer 1/3rd of the bottom of the wings and the decals are applied. This completes the wings. I will drill the holes for the struts later.
The tail surfaces are painted and assembled. The under braces are attached and the tail is complete. The lower wing is attached and the undercarriage is the next step. I took the time to sand out the struts but I normally just make new ones. I rigged the undercarriage and then added the wheels. The tailskid is cut out, shaped and attached.
The cabane area is cramped and very busy. Flipping the wing over, the crosspiece for the cabanes is raised just a little. The small tank is now added, as there will be no way to get this part in later. I plan on attaching the upper wing outer struts first and then build the cabanes one at a time.
At this time the most difficult part of a vacuform is reached; the cutting of the lower wing in half and attaching it the same on both sides of the fuselage. I love one piece lower wings with a cutout for the wing. Not so here. So, after marking and measuring and chanting and some ranting, I have the lower wing attached to both sides and they look the same.
After the wings, the under carriage is attached and rigged. The tail skid is attached at this time.
Normally I attach the struts to the lower wing, turn the model over and attach the top wing. Because I wasn't sure of the hole location on the lower wing, I reversed the procedure. It was harder this way but there were no major problems. After I had the wing attached, I cut the cabane struts and the top wing is now secure and strong.
The radiator was attached and its plumbing is a piece of metal bent to shape.
Rigging is next and that took about an hour. This is a very easy kit to rig and was completed in one session.
After rigging, the prop and rear gun are attached. They go on last so they do not hang up in the rigging procedure. With that, the model is complete.
I built the kit over a two-month period, which is very slow for me. It probably took about 20 hours, as it was a little more difficult than some of my other vacs. This is number 143 in the collection and a welcomed addition. My goal is 150 kits completed by the 2007 National Convention.
Last Revised 6/2/2005