Fine Molds 1/48 Savoia S.21F Seaplane
By Mike Whye
It hasn’t been that unusual over the years for an aircraft, car, tank or ship model to be fashioned after something that has appeared in a movie. Think of the kits spawned by “2001,” “Space 1999,” the “Star Wars” movies, the Munster’s family car, the Nautilus submarine from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” the Batmobiles and many others, not to forget the figures ranging from Frankenstein and the Mummy to Superman and Uncle Fester from “The Addams Family.”
So, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see a 1/48 single-engine, seaplane, the Savoia S.21F, of the 1992 animated movie, “Porco Rosso,” by Japanese film maker Hayao Miyazaki. Yes, there really was an S.21 seaplane, built by SIAI (the forerunner of SIAI-Marchetti) around 1921 but that aircraft, which was basically a biplane with a pusher propeller mounted atop a hull, is nothing like the fictional monoplane in “Porco Rosso” which uses a tractor propeller atop the overhead wing.
If you’re wondering, the movie “Porco Rosso” is about a former WWI Italian ace flying for adventure and money shortly after that war….and who has had a curse laid upon him, turning him into a pig (which continues to wear aviator’s clothing). A friend, Gina, owns a hotel yet a competitor for her affections arrives on the scene at the behest of sea pirates and the adventures begin. Think of Tin-Tin. Ultimately, at the end of the movie, it’s implied but not shown that Porco Rosso returns to being a human upon being kissed, and all live happily ever after. If you want to see the movie: https://watchcartoonsonline.eu/watch-porco-rosso-1992-full-movie-english-dub/.
Okay, now for the S.21F kit which is made by Fine Molds, Kit No. FNMFG-03. Its actual title is Idroplana da caccia sperimentale which means experimental fighter hydroplane in English. The pieces are well-made in gray, tan and red styrene. Although I did not to open the bags containing the sprues (the kit was loaned to me by a friend), it was easy to see that everything lives up to the name of its manufacturer, that is, it’s finely molded and has finely engraved panel lines. The V-12 engine is made of 12 pieces. The fuselage interior has details around the cockpit which has at least 15 pieces to dress up the place. Pieces representing wooden framework add more detail to the interior of the aircraft which includes a gas tank and a forward-firing machine gun. Parts to make a beaching trolley are included as are figures of pilot Porco Rosso, as his porcine self to sit in the cockpit, and of Gina standing in a long evening dress.
Although Italian appears on the box top, instructions are written in Japanese. However, anyone should be able to easily assemble this kit just by looking at the drawings although deciphering the paint colors may be hard. From what I could see of the decals through a plastic bag, they, too, look fine although I wonder if the white areas might slightly reveal the colors below them.
On looking on the Internet, I don’t see any hobby shops in the U.S. carrying the model, although after Googling “Savoia S.21 1/48 by Fine Molds,” I was able to find it through Amazon at Toy Shop Japan Hobby One for $24 with free shipping. Elsewhere, the kit ranged up to $89 at other Japanese stores.