5626 M.A.S. 563/568 with crew - Italeri 1/35 Scale

5626 M.A.S. 563/568 with crew - Italeri 1/35 Scale

 Scale: 1:35

Box Dim. 560 x 280 x 110 mm

With 6 figures.

MAS (short for Italian words Motoscafo armato silurante) is the name of a class of Italian torpedo boats, or rather armed boats, from the time of the two world wars. The units built in the years 1915-1918 were approximately 16 m long, with a total width of approximately 2.6 m. Propulsion was usually provided by two Isotta-Fraschini combustion engines of 225 HP each. Weapon configurations varied greatly, but often included two 356 mm torpedoes, a 47 mm or 75 mm cannon, and machine guns.

MAS type units were widely used in the Italian Marina Regia in 1915-1918. Most often they were created as a result of rebuilding confiscated civilian launches and adapting them to the requirements of the maritime battlefield. Most units of this type were used in the Adriatic Sea against the Austro-Hungarian fleet. On the other hand, the MAS type motorboats undoubtedly achieved their greatest success in December 1917, when they managed to break into the Trieste base and sink the battleship SMS Wien, and in June 1918, when they sank the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István. Motor boats type MAS (more precisely: type MAS 500) were also used on a large scale in 1940-1945, but then they were ships capable of speeding up to 45 knots and armed with 450 mm torpedoes and anti-aircraft machine guns. During WWII, MAS ships operated not only in the Mediterranean, but also in the Red and Black Seas, where they fought with the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.