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FIAT G-91 in 1/72 scale: modelling report
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Another G-91 model is made with the 1/72 MENG kit #DS-004 for a G-91R. There are about 80 crisp parts in 3 sprues and 1 transparant sprue.
As a nice goodie you will find a rubber Italian "Frecce Tricolori" aerobatic team badge in this box. Nice for your model display.
There are separate side panels for either 4 Colt-Browning machine guns #A34+A35 or 2 DEFA canons #A7+A8. The canopy can be set open and the air brakes are separate parts. Inside the fuselage, no intake funnel is provided, just a blanking plate #A30 which I did not install. The seat #A6 is very basic and needs some extra detail such as the curtain handle on the headrest and harness. Weaponry is LAU-51 rocket pods, LAU-32 rocket pods and M64 dumb bombs with pylons. You also get 2 large wing tanks.
There are just a few recessed panel lines in this kit. I drilled open the 3 VINTEN camera windows in the nose, these will be filled with Microscale Kristal Clear.
The ailerons should run all the way to the wing tip end, so engrave these a bit further. The moving control surface gaps are rather undeep, better re-scribe these deeper.
The inboard flaps are better set drooped down for a "parked G-91". This is bit more difficult as the kit wing halves are massive pieces. The undercarriage looks OK with correct shapes. The wing should have only about 3 degree dihedral so align when setting these; this will give a fuselage-wing gap that needs filling.
Kit decals are for three G-91 schemes:
-A- Italian G-91 R/1 PAN of the aerobatic team "Frecce Tricolori", appropriate for the later modification that had the pointy nose replaced by the R/1A "recce nose".
-B- Luftwaffe G-91 R/3 in camouflage scheme, coded 31+43 of Le.KG 41 in 1979;
-C- G-91 R/1 as tested by the US ARMY with a camouflage scheme and orange panels in early 1961 (but eventually not selected due to the Key West agreement). This scheme is I believe not orange as indicated but brighter dayglow.
The other suggested colours seem a bit odd for the schemes so check these. The decals are a bit translucent unfortunately which shows on a dark surface.
This MENG kit is much more expensive than the Revell kit and has some issues. The Revell kit offers more for its price.
The MENG kit was made but not in a kit scheme. I saw a nice 75,000 hours scheme for a Portuguese bare metal G-91R/3 as flown in 1993 and displayed at RAF Fairford. This aircraft coded "5445" was an ex-Luftwaffe jet "30+32" c/n F1-0091.
My modelling friend Bas made a walk around of this particular jet as seen in the Sintra museum in Portugal. See IPMS walk around link here.....
I could not find the old and now rare Santa Cruz decalset, so the decals were home designed looking at photos and custom printed by me. Some Portuguese roundel decals came from the spares box and some stencilling from the G-91 kit.
The model was assembled as per instruction for the T/3 but it is better to install the side gun panels earlier on. I will replace the pitots by metal needles later on.
The general kit fit is good with just some putty and sanding needed. I only had some trouble to fit the nose gear bay but may be that was my fault.
The paint scheme I wanted for the Portuguese G-91 is a bare metal one. The ALCLAD system was used so the model first got a gloss black base coat.
I used my special trick to avoid masking metal painted surfaces for different paints: several panels (which are still black) and looking at photo' s were covered with bits of masking tape. Than a first coat of ALCLAD ALC126 "high shine aluminium" was airbrushed, some tapes removed, than another coat. Remove finally all tape and a final coat; this gives a metal effect with different panels.
Use a face mask and plenty of ventilation while airbrushing ALCLAD!
Decalling was done, the surfaces are already glossy. I found out during decalling that I had forgotten to design some markings; these were painted with a fine brush on clear decal film looking to photos and than applied.
I also added the many 75,000 hours ops "names" on the left side below the cockpit.
The main landing gear was set. The main legs #A3+A4 are simple but OK with a correct angled "sit" and correct height. There is just a little area to fix them, I used superglue and added some strip at the corners for added strength. Note that the kit has no central keel beam moulded in the main gear bay which is correct. The nose bay side doors and configuration is a bit different as for the Revell kit but are seen on G-91's. The nose gear leg is OK but I twisted a bit the support rod to the left. On the gear legs and inside the bays I added a few tiny hydraulic lines in the from thin wire. All was painted medium grey with some silver details. The air brakes were set open.
The cockpit as per kit was detailed a bit as described for the Revell kit on page 1.
But I found a noticeable gap between the thin seat head rest and the rear cockpit bulkhead. This is caused by the fact that the seat #A6 has a much too thin head rest also as compared to the good Revell seat and the Martin Baker W4 drawing. A piece of 3 mm thick card was glued onto the seat head rest rear that made it look much better. Main seat colour is medium grey with olive green packs. Add the upper face curtain wire and some harness detail to the kit seat as well from painted tape.
The MENG wind shield is fine and a gun sight is provided. The canopy got a rear view mirror from scrap and was set open.
This aircraft had a large black blade aerial on the fuselage spine, this was made from card. I was not sure about the stripe colour on the vertical tail for this Portuguese jet, I picked gloss black.
Camera windows were filled and some wash added in the recesses. A gloss varnish coat was airbrushed and that completed this model.
Measured up, the MENG kit wing span is within 1 mm and its length 2 mm too long but still fine.
PORTUGAL
[ area: 92,212 sq.km | Population 10,3 million | capital: Lisbon | GDP 23,000 USD nominal per capita ]
The G-91 was acquired by Portugal because of the active nationalists in kolonial Portuguese Africa to replace the active F-86 Sabres. Some 40 G-91R/4 jets arrived in Portuguese Guinea in 1966 flying from Bissau. From 1968 G-91 jets were also deployed to Portuguese Mozambique flying from Beira against FRELIMO nationalist forces. A UN weapons embargo was raised in 1973. In 1974 there was a revolution in Portugal itself and the new route was that the colonies would become independent. A G.91 squadron was deployed in Angola in 1974 until 1975. In 1976 some 13 G-91R/3 and 7 G-91T/3 were received from the West-German Luftwaffe. Portugal used the type until 1993.
For more information about the Portugal air force look at my page here....
G-91R/3 as flown in 1993, "5445" was an ex-Luftwaffe jet "30+32" c/n F1-0091. Preserved at the Museo do Ar, Sintra, Portugal. See IPMS walk around link....
... at Montijo...
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Created this page April 29, 2026