AMP 1/48 Piaggio-Pegna P.c.7 'Schneider Trophy Series' Kit First Look

By David L. Veres

First Look

Some consider the revolutionary Piaggio-Pegna P.c.7 the sleekest, most futuristic aircraft of the 1920s.

An Italian entry in 1929’s Schneider Cup, the innovative water-borne design swapped bulky, drag-inducing floats for hydrofoil gear.

Theory seemed plausible. A ventral empennage prop pushed the racer forward until it rose from water on two hydrofoils. The pilot then engaged the main propeller – shooting P.c.7 skyward.

But the radical concept failed to fly – ever. And the Fascist government instead backed Macchi’s more conventional concepts.

File this one under “I thought I’d never see an injection-molded Piaggio-Pegna P.c.7”. But as part of its “Schneider Trophy Series”, AMP/Micro-Mir astonishingly offers Golden Age Racing fans the chance to add a 1:48-scale example to their collections.

Main components comprise 66 gray and one clear items across five trees. Interior subassemblies – engine and cockpit – alone account for 32 of those. And a tiny photoetch fret, equally miniscule masks, and a diminutive decal sheet supplement the virtually flash-free plastic parts.

Eight-page, Ukrainian-English instructions include a capsule history, paints list, 16-step assembly sequence, and one-page color guide for two minor variations of the same scheme.

AMP/Micro-Mir’s Facebook page reports a pending Macchi M.67 in its 1:48 “Schneider Trophy Series”. I can’t wait for that – or an M.72!

My sincere thanks to Micro-Mir for this review sample!