Italy won their first Schneider Trophy in 1919 but were subsequently disqualified. They were uncontested in the 1920 and 1921 races, so they could have won the trophy outright had it not been for the 1919 debacle! Throughout the subsequent race meetings, the Italians proved worthy competitors despite suffering various degrees of unreliability probably due to insufficient development time and perhaps unfair pressure from Mussolini. Their only other victory was in 1926 with the M.39 flown by Mario de Bernardi. In 1934, after failing to a attend a race in time, the mighty MC.72  went on to establish the World Speed Record for floatplanes that still stands to this day, reaching a top speed of 440.68 mph. A number of Italian Schneider floatplanes, including the MC.72, now reside at the Vigna di Valle air museum near Rome.

Fiat C.29. Three C.29s were built for the 1929 race. The first two were lost in test flight accidents with the same pilot surviving both times. The third machine was not entered into the race and is now preserved at the Vigna di Valle museum. This aircraft was only ever available as a 1/48 resin kit from NOIX Models.

Macchi M.33. This aircraft was the last flying boat to compete for the trophy. Powered by a second-hand Curtiss engine, it entered the 1925 race without success, finishing in third place with a top speed of 168mph (compared to Jimmy Doolittles winning speed of 233mph). Brach Models produced a highly detailed 1/32 resin kit, but it is OOP. So too is the NOIX Models high quality 1/48 resin, but SBS Model have released nicely rendered 1/72 & 1/48 resin kits that are arguably even better quality.

Macchi M.39. This is the first of ing. Mario Castoldi Macchi's Schneider Trophy aircraft designs. To enable tighter turns, it featured unequal length wings as well as unequal float buoyancy to counter propellor torque. Five machines were built (2 trainers & 3 racers) all powered by the FIAT AS.2 engine. Mario di Bernardi won the 1926 race held at Hampton Roads USA with a top speed of 246mph. An M.39 is preserved at the air museum in Vigna di Valle. NOIX Models had this kit in their 1/48 'Men and Machine' series but it has been unavailable for some time as is the 1/72 Museum resin kit. The Aerotech 1/32 resin kit is currently available, as are the highly detailed SBS Models 1/72 & 1/48 resin kits.

Macchi M.52. Following on from the success of the M.39 design, the M.52 was a smaller version with a more powerful FIAT AS.3 engine. Three were built and were entered into the 1927 race held in Venice. All failed to finish, but di Bernardi did establish a new record of 297.8 mph later that year. NOIX Models had this kit in their 1/48 'Men and Machine' series but it is discontinued, as is the Vintage Models 1/72 resin kit. Only the rather pricey Aerotech 1/32 resin kit is current.

Macchi M.52R. Maj. de Bernardi flew this one-off machine, a modified M.52, to another record in 1928 reaching a top speed of 318mph (512.776kph). This feat made him the first pilot to exceed 500 kph. It was flown in the 1929 race by Dal Molin, gaining 2nd place with a top speed of 284.203mph. NOIX Models had this kit in their 1/48 'Men and Machine' series but it is discontinued, as is the Vintage Models 1/72 resin kit.

Macchi M.67. Another floatplane based on the proven M.39 design. Modifications were made to the fuselage to enable the more powerful Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000 engine to be installed. Three were built for the 1929 race but one was lost during testing on Lake Garda, killing its pilot capt. Motta. The two remaining M.67 were accompanied by the sole M.52R to compete at Calshot Spit in the UK. Both M.67's failed to finish but the M.52R  gained second place. A single M.67 is preserved at the air museum in Vigna di Valle. NOIX Models had this kit in their 1/48 'Men and Machine' series but it has been discontinued. Although will be an expensive model, Marsh Models plan to release a 1/32 resin kit as part of their Aerotech Schneider Trophy series.

Macchi MC.72. 5 of these mighty machines were built, powered by a pair of supercharged FIAT AS.6 fitted end to end to make a V24-cylinder unit that developed between 2,500 and 3,100 hp. They were built for the 1931 race but were not completed in time. Over the next few years two pilots were to lose their lives in record attempts (Monti and Bellini) but in 1934, Agello achieved a top speed of 440.68 mph (709.2 km/h), a record that still stands. This machine is currently preserved at the air museum in Vigna di Valle. Numerous  MC.72 models have been released over the years. Essdale, Aerotech and Brach Models all released 1/32 resin kits but are all discontinued. Both Vintage Models and NOIX Models released good quality 1/48 resin kits but these too are discontinued. The 1/72 Delta2 and 1/48 SMER kit are not worth a look, but the two SBS Models 1/72 resin kits definitely are. Mikro Mir, under their AMP label, have released a good quality 1/48 injection moulded kit which will be followed by a 1/72 kit.

Piaggio P.7. This extraordinary 1929 Schneider Trophy design was years ahead of its time. Based around the hydrofoil concept to save weight and gain extra speed, it was predicted to reach speeds of up to 700 km/h. It had a watertight fuselage with the wings acting additionally as floats. Powered by an Isotta Fraschini engine, it had two driveshafts with a small motorboat screw at the rear to power the aircraft out of the water before the main airscrew was engaged. Its pilot Dal Molin encountered both clutch and spray issues when testing the machine on Lake Garda and the project was quickly abandoned without it ever getting airborne. Italiankits released a 1/48 resin kit, which was previously  available from NOIX Models and is now available from Farbrimore-Soldier. Marsh Models produced a nicely cast 1/32 resin kit in its Aerotech range but only in very limited numbers. AMP's 1/48 injection moulded kit has finely moulded parts, including extremely thin trailing edges but scales out at 1/50. They have released a 1/72 kit as well. SBS Models have produced an exquisite 1/72 resin kit. One other kit known in this scale was the Vintage Models kit but it is discontinued.

Savoia S.21. Built for the 1921 race, this flying boat biplane design had a shorter upper span wing and was powered by an Ansaldo San Giorgio 4E-14 engine, driving a 4 bladed pusher propellor. It proved to be a difficult aircraft to fly. Only pilot Guido Jannello was able to control it but he fell ill before the race so it was withdrawn. There are no known kits of the S.21. Fine Models produced a range of 1/72 & 1/48 injection moulded kits of the 'Savoia S.21' that starred in Miyazaki’s 'Porco Rosso' anime. Closer in appearance to the Macchi M.33, the quality of these models cannot be faulted and have a terrific level of detail. They released 2 versions in each scale to cover the upgrades made to the aircraft during the movie. HpH Models are rumoured to be releasing a 1/32 kit of this machine.

Savoia S.65. This one-off prototype was another machine built for the 1929 race. Powered by a pair of Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 W-18 engines arranged at each end of a pod-like fuselage. The tiny cockpit was placed in between. Its rather brave pilot Dal Molin was just small enough to fit in it. The stabiliser was supported by twin booms with a single rudder placed in the middle. It did not compete in the race due to mechanical problems. Tragically, dal Molin drowned during a speed attempt in this aircraft on Lake Garda in 1930. Karaya released a resin 1/72 resin kit of this extraordinary looking aircraft but the fuselage requires a lot of modification to get a more accurate shape. Marsh Models have released a very limited run (and very expensive) 1/32 scale resin kit as part of their ongoing Aerotech 'Schneider Trophy' series.



M.33

S.21

M.67

MC.72

M.52

M.39

S.65

C.29

P.7

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