With Sweden effectively cut off from its usual aircraft suppliers at the outbreak of the Second World War, the Air Force turned to Italy as an emergency measure. Sweden purchased 72 CR.42s, delivered between 1940 and 1941 and designated J 11 — making Sweden the type's largest export customer. The aircraft were already obsolescent on arrival, and pilots appreciated the Falco's agile handling while complaining about its low speed, meagre armament, and open cockpit in the Scandinavian climate. It was the last biplane to serve as a Swedish fighter, declared obsolete in 1945.

Classic Airframes' 2004 kit is an ambitious piece of work — the engine comes as individual cylinders in resin, and the cockpit is similarly detailed with resin and photo-etch. Not a kit for the faint-hearted, and the upper wing with all its struts is as awkward as it looks, getting everything to align and meet at the right length is a genuine test of patience. But a satisfying subject to have on the shelf.