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Macchi 202 Folgore F225 ++Finished++


John

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I was thinking back to see if I could recall which FROG kit was the first one I built. It was this, but in a bag:

 

Machi1

 

I've mentioned before that FROG kits weren't that easy to get in my home town, in that none of the regular kit supplying outlets stocked them. Some of the department stores might have some around Christmas but in general they turned up in corner shops or sub-post offices in ones and twos, a bit like Matchbox kits would a few years later. I assume this has something to do with the way they were wholesaled, compared to Airfix and Revel.

 

I remember getting this in the Cow Wynd post office in Falkirk, probably after pestering my dad. He was an engineering pattern maker to trade and a former, if very short-term, member of the RAFVR so persuading him to buy a model kt wasn't usually that much of a chore. This was also the first Italian aircraft I had and I was mightily impressed with the sleek lines.

 

BTW Dad was only briefly in the RAFVR because when he volunteered in 1944 aircrew training, which was what he wanted to do, was over-subscribed so he was transferred into the army reserve and then into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He completed OCTU at Alton Towers, of all places.

 

John

 

 

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Hi John,

 

Looking at the Cocardes site, they say this was in a box initially, then a bag, and then back to a box. The first one I got has just "generic" Italian markings  - Fasces and the tail cross so is probably the first boxed version, but the bagged one I got a while ago has "proper" unit markings with badges and numbers which I guess makes it the second version. It looks good, even if there are a few faults. Perhaps when I get round to building it I can manage a more authentic looking colour scheme, but in those days I had no info on Italian planes and Frog were not much help "matt mid green with mottled brown blotches" for the uppers and "Light Stone" unders!

Edited by PeterB
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It's been a lot of years since I've seen one of these kits but a few things came back to mind when I examined this one:

 

Machi2

 

Firstly, my original Macchi was moulded in light grey rather than this dark blue grey that FROG seemed to fall in love with towards the end of their time, and the somewhat awkward wing construction.

However, it's still a neat little kit with petite raised panel lines and, as can be seen around the chin intake, a bit of flash. This one also seems to be minus the canopy, or I may have misplaced it. Not a huge problem though, since Falcon do a suitable replacement.

I've cleared out the stand slot and located a spare contemporary FROG stand. 

 

John

 

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There's no way I painted my first Macchi, the priority in those days was to build it and slap the transfers on before showing it off to your friends. If I had painted it, I would have had to use my dad's stock of Humbrol gloss paints - no matt at all, as far as I can remember. Their primary purpose was bikes, toys and household touch-ups. 9-year-old son's models came a distant last. I would also have been banished to the garden shed so I didn't do any impromptu redecoration in the kitchen.

Anyway, in the interest of pure nostalgia I've painted the interior with an ancient tin of Humbrol 1 Eau-De-Nil, which is probably a reasonable match for the anti-corrosion green:

 

Machi3

 

Love the smell of vintage Humbrol gloss - nothing like it for transporting me back in time.

 

The pilot has had a coat of Humbrol 63 as a base.

 

John

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, John said:

Love the smell of vintage Humbrol gloss - nothing like it for transporting me back in time.

 

Hi John,

 

I couldn't agree with you more!!!

Shame my wife feels differently... so it's off to my shed if I want to get intoxicated by sniffing funny paints and glues!

The Folgore is a beautiful plane, like only the Italians knew how to design...

 

Have fun.

JR

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Another kit I loved building when younger - must have been one of my favourites as I remember making the effort to paint it.

 

It's a great looking aeroplane - will you go for some splotching/mottling?

 

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Nice update John and thanks for digging this one out and building it for us here. I must say, I quite like that shade of Humbrol paint which perhaps looks all the more brighter against the dark blue plastic. We’ll be watching on with interest. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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  • 2 weeks later...

A bit of progress.

 

The airframe goes together nicely, with just a shim if Micro Strip in the underwing joins to fill the small gaps:

 

Machi4

 

The kit isn't really designed to be built wheels-up so I've added a piece of Micro Strip into each well and sanded down the doors to get a smooth fit.

 

John

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Airframe completed and a coat of Humbrol USN5 to deal with the dark plastic:

 

Machi5

 

As it turns out the kit doesn't have a canopy - no matter:

 

Machi6

 

Glue

 

Maybe I should be using one of these in this GB 🙂

 

John

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Hi John

 

I see that like me you build armour as well - I am slowly working through a batch of early WWII British tanks I got from Millicast a couple of years ago - A9, A10, Crusader etc. Next batch will be in desert markings. I will be replacing my "1/72" scale Airfix Crusaders as they are more like 1/65th and don't go well with my supposedly accurate 1/76 range (Fujimi etc). As you probably know they kept chopping and changing between "OO/HO" and "1/72" which was a pain. These are my "BEF" versions

 

tanksbef 006

 

Light Mk V1B, Matildas I & II, A9, A10 and A13 with an Austin Tilly, Lloyd Carrier and a pair of QF 2 pounders.

Edited by PeterB
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  • 3 weeks later...

That's a nice collection. I'm only an occasional vehicle modeller and I tend towards wheeled rather than tracked, but I do have a thing about the BEF - my mum's cousin was one of the 51st HD troops captured at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in June 1940.

 

Back to the Macchi - time it got a bit more lurve:

 

Machi8

 

The white fuselage band has been masked out and a couple of coats of Humbrol 86 Light Olive applied to the upper surfaces - I just love Light Olive, one of my favourite Humbrol colours.

 

John

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Hi John.

 

Looking good. I was thinking I might build one if time permits and I am glad you have gone for the Green "home based" colour scheme - I was thinking of a desert scheme with the so called "smoke rings" though given my mottling skills (or lack thereof) it might just end up with green blotches. A few years back I splashed out on what was then White Ensign Colourcoats Italian paints so I might get chance to use them at last.

Edited by PeterB
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Hi John,

 

Playing catch-up as usual! Nice build, your Italian is going to look very pretty.

 

And I love your collection of old glue! I managed to ruin a lot of canopies with that stuff, and I was thinking (actually in terms of my grandson who's only 3, still a bit young, but I have hopes for him), if we were 10 years old now, and tried to buy a tube of polystyrene glue in the local DIY shop (where all my kits came from), would they sell it to us?

 

Cheers

Edited by Johnson
more waffle
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Looks like someone has grated the Parmesan over the Spinach Fettuccine! 

Lovely Macchi getting built there John, you're now making me hungry. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally, getting some transfers on:

 

Machi12

 

Machi11

 

The kit sheet worked nicely, although it's very slightly out of register but that doesn't really show against the camouflage finish.

 

My white fuselage band is a bit too wide so I had to cut the codes into 3 separate parts on each side to get the correct spacing. 

 

I used some of my dwindling stock of old Humbrol Decal Cote, which is quite gentle and works nicely with these ancient transfers. 

 

Machi13

 

Trimming one of the squadron canopies to fit.

 

John

 

 

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