Azur's 1/72 IMAM Ro 37 By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

It was only a matter of time before we'd see this version of the Ro 37 from Azur. With their earlier release of the Ro 37bis, all the basics were there for the original inline-engined example. For a complete review of the Ro 37bis kit, check the November 2000 issue of Internet Modeler. The common parts are shown below, with this release missing the radial engine fuselage halves.

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The Kit

So what's different in this kit from the original? A piece of resin, two new fuselage halves, some propeller pieces, and different decals. Everything else is the same. The new fuselage is well done and accurately captures the inline engine of the original Ro 37. The single piece of resin is for the radiator mounted externally on the fuselage side. It's unfortunate that Azur restricted the resin content to just this one piece, as a nice resin interior would really be welcome for this model.

The decals included provide a pair of choices, both Italian. The first is from the 114a Squadriglia, 70° Gruppo O. A., flying out of Montenegro in 1942. This plane is overall dark green on the upper surfaces, with gray undersurfaces. The drawing in the instructions is very unclear as to where the demarcation is, as Azur chose two shades of gray that are very close together to depict the green and gray. Luckily this scheme is the same as that on the boxtop, so you can see from that where the colors start and stop.

The second scheme is much more colorful, it being from the 115a Squadriglia, 67° Gruppo O. A., Bologna 1938. This plane is finished in a four-color upper camouflage consisting of sand, light green, brown and dark green, with gray undersurfaces. The rudder is striped green, white and red, adding even more color to this already striking scheme. The decals are well printed and in excellent register.

Conclusion

Army co-operation aircraft of any air force are not popular subjects with mainstream kit manufacturers, and those of smaller air forces like Italy's are even harder to find. This makes Azur's two Ro 37 kits very welcome. Here's hoping that they continue the series and release a nice Ro 43....