WOW574 CANT.Z 1007 Alcione

Description

WOW574. CANT Z. 1007 Alcione

The Italian-made CANT Z.1007 Alcione (Kingfisher), was developed in the late 1930s, the tri-engine bomber was mainly made from wood, with a retractable tailwheel undercarriage, it was known for its excellent flying characteristics and stability. Production was undertaken by IMAM (Meridionali) and Piaggio, and later by CRDA. It has been regarded as the best Italian bomber of World War II.
When Fascist Italy entered the war alongside Nazi Germany on June 10, 1940, Regia Aeronautica had the third strongest force of multi-engine bombers in the world. A total of eighty-seven Alcione bombers were in service at this time.

The aircraft had a crew of five, which consisted of two pilots, a flight engineer, a radio operator and a bombardier/navigator.
The Alcione could carry 800 kg (1,760 pounds) of bombs. Its defensive armament consisted of a 12.7 (.5-inch) Breda-SAFAT machine gun in an open dorsal turret, as well as a 7.7mm machine gun in a ventral position and one 7.7mm machine gun in each beam position.
In addition to serving as a bomber, the Z.1007bis variant was developed to carry a pair of 450mm (17.7 inch) torpedoes under the fuselage. The same variant was also employed in long-range reconnaissance missions.

The bomber saw much of its wartime service in the Mediterranean theater and in North Africa, but some were also sent to the Eastern Front. The first large-scale use of the CANT Z.1007s took place during the Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940, while a few were used in the later stages of the Battle of Britain.
Despite being made of wood, the fuselage held up well to the extreme climates, including the Russian winters. The aircraft was powered by three Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, which produced 745 kW (999 hp) each, and the Alcione had a maximum speed of 285 mph and a range of 1,115 miles.

A total of 660 of the medium bombers were produced between 1938 and 1943, and Italy’s wooden wonder served in the Regia Aeronautica, the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Air Force) of the Italian Social Republic and even the German Luftwaffe in the final years of the war. Additionally, the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia (Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske) and the Free French Air Force operated the Alcione by war’s end.

Our 1/30 scale hand carved Mahogany model represents a CANT.z 1007bis of 210° Squadriglia, 50° gruppo B.T (Bombardamento Terrestre, Ground Bombardment), Viterbo, Italy, November 1941.

This is a limited edition of 4 models worldwide

The figures and other accessories are not included and are shown for scale comparison purposes only.