PeterB Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 (edited) I really should not be doing this as I already have 3 kits on the go and another 2 lined up for the Spitfire/Seafire GB, and the Buccaneer STGB is looming on the horizon but what the heck. This is the first of maybe 2 builds for this GB. As a teenager in the 1960's it took a while before I became aquainted with Italian aircraft from WWII. In fact I think it is true to say I had no knowledge at all until I started buying the fighter volumes 1-4 from William Green's series "Warplanes" published by Macdonalds starting in 1963 with Vol 3 Japan and Russia. Coincidentally I saw and bought the Frog MC 202 Folgore the same year, closely followed by Revell's Fiat CR 42 in 1965. The MC 200 from Revell and the Fiat G 50 from Airfix arrived I think in 1967, and I still have both somewhere in my roof space. This particular Saetta is a fairly recent boxing from around 2012 bought a few years back and I will build it over the next few weeks. It is as I recall a nice little kit and with a bit of work on the paint scheme it should look a bit better than my original. The cockpit is non - existent as usual with kits of this age, but as with the G 50 there is only a tiny opening so it will not be visible. I will box in the wheel wells and might do a modest amount on the cockpit but otherwise it will be OOB, and a fairly quick build. I do have some resin wheels and also a nice sheet of decs from an Italian company so I will spend a bit of time on the exterior finish. Like the Japanese, the Italians in the 1930's were used to light open cockpit biplanes such as the Fiat CR32 and were reluctant to move to closed cockpit monoplanes with reduced manoeuvrability. Add to that the problems the Italian Aero Engine industry had producing high powered engines (usually radials) and at the start of the war the Italian Airforce was still basically equipped with CR42 biplanes together with a few of the earlier CR 32, though the MC 200 and G 50 were steadily taking their place. With speeds in the region of 300 mph and light armament of only 2 Mg in the cowling, they were already obsolescent and only their manoeuvrability kept them just about viable. Later, both types would benefit from imported/licence built German inline engines which made them far more of a threat. Italian aircraft and pilots have received a bad press or been ignored but in truth they were generally as brave and skillfull as any allied pilots, let down by a underdeveloped aircraft industry and poor political management. Not sure exactly when I will start this but I should be able to slot it in whilst waiting for glue/paint/decals to dry on some of my other builds. More as and when. Pete Edited April 27, 2020 by PeterB 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nice one Pete I remember the Airfix one but never did a Revell offering.I'm not sure if the original box art had the aircraft upside down! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 One of the few Revell fighters I didn't actually build as a kid, or since for that matter, so watching with great interest. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 No need to box in the wheel wells in the area below the fuselage: they were open in the Mc.200, leaving the structure visible. I'll post a couple of links tomorrow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 When i first started painting my models i used search for italian fighters just so i could do the camo, it was very very messy,but i liked it ,nice choice pete, and welcome along Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) Thanks Georgio that could save a bit of work. Do you have anything similar for the Fiat G50 undercarriage/wells? Steve - quite right, the original boxing did have it inverted as did the next few re-issues. I was a bit out date wise as it seems it was a new mould in 1967 not 1965 according to Scalemates so it just squeezes in under the "up to age 18" rule! I have corrected the date now. Hewy - yes the Italian paint schemes are fun. I think when I did the old one I painted it green first and then put on the light brown patches - not the normal method but the old Humbrol enamels had good covering power. The kit box art shows both Giallo and Marrone over the Verde - I have not decided exactly which scheme I will be doing yet but it will probably be similar. The "patches" are rather more solid than the German style mottle which makes it a bit easier. This is a pic I took when in the process of building my MC 202 Folgore for the Frog GB. My old MC 200 is in the foreground and the 202 with the "Smoke Ring" camo behind it. Revell have clearly improved the decs since I made the original. The pic is rather dark by the way. Cheers Pete Edited April 27, 2020 by PeterB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Pete, here's some useful drawings and pictures for the G.50. As you can see in this one the wheel wells are fully enclosed http://www.cmpr.it/MN - manuale Fiat G. 50/manuale G.5o.htm Now the Macchi... the same website has some pages from the Mc.200 manual here; http://www.cmpr.it/MN - Manuale Macchi MC 200/man.macchi mc.200.htm Unfortunately no picture celarly shows the view inside the wheel wells, although you can guess the structure inside from other pictures. You can clearly see the rear spar in this picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dioramik/43073052941/in/photostream/ And in these builds you can see how a couple of Italian modeller depicted the area. http://www.kitshow.net/int/EC_10_MC-200.php https://www.modellismopiu.it/modules/newbb_plus/print.php?forum=136&topic_id=135427 The Revell kit (that I built from that old box with the aicraft in inverted flight) is well suited to represent the wheel well as it's nicely empty inside. Personally I would scratchbuild the rear spar and bulkhead (the latter up to the fuselage top. Then add those 2-3 main structural elements that are very visible and on top of them you may just put a plasticard horizontal plate to hide the area above a certain level... or add some random piping to make the area look busy (there were a lot of engine related pipes in there above the wheel level). In one of the pictures from the manual linked above, you can see all the features from the top. The wheel well is below the machine guns muzzles 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 A nice choice Pete and something a bit different too. The only Revell kit I did from this series was the CR-42 so i'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 Thanks Craig, I dismantled the CR 42 a year ago to refurb it and it is still sitting in pieces in a box with the light yellow/sand base on. Might get it done alongside these two though not as an entry of course - makes sense whilst the Colourcoats is out. Cheers Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 26 minutes ago, PeterB said: Thanks Craig, I dismantled the CR 42 a year ago to refurb it and it is still sitting in pieces in a box with the light yellow/sand base on. Might get it done alongside these two though not as an entry of course - makes sense whilst the Colourcoats is out. Cheers Pete You can always build it alongside your Macchi Pete, it would be good to see them both built together, and as you say you already have the right paint colours out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitz23 Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Awesome choice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 (edited) Well, I suppose I will make a start on my Macchi in the next couple of days, but here is the remains of my Revell Fiat CR 42 that Craig suggest I build in parallel. It is not as bad as it looks - one of the characteristic "Warren Truss" wing braces so beloved of the designer Ing Celestino Rosatelli (hence "CR" 42) snapped when the upper wing broke off but I have both the parts. I also have the windscreen and will be replacing the crude kit fuselage mg. The thing that delayed me finishing my refurb (other than deciding to enter my first BM GB last June and I have not ruddy well stopped since - this is my 7th or 8th GB) was that 2 of the 3 prop blades were missing. They are short and very narrow, and it turns anti-clockwise so finding a replacement has proved darned nigh impossible, but I have found a couple of likely candidates, one of which I suspect is off the old Airfix FM-2 Wildcat. They will need considerable surgery and a lot of luck, but it should be possible. Failing that it will probably end up with a prop which rotates the wrong way! The Revell kit seems to have been modelled on one of those used to escort BR 20 bombers in a couple of raids on the UK from Belgium near the end of the Battle of Britain judging by the markings - maybe the one preserved in the RAF Museum at Hendon, but I can't lay my hands on my photo of that taken 40 or so years ago so I cannot be certain, You can see the original paint scheme on the vertical tail (where I was holding it whilst painting) and under the upper wing. Strangely considering the date, they were in the "desert" scheme of a sandy brown with green mottle over a darkish grey with a bluish tinge, and I decided to do a "more accurate" version of the same, but with different markings. You can see how "yellow" the Colourcoats Giallo Mimetico 3 is - GM 4 is a more sandy brown colour whilst GM 1 is a sort of cream and GM 2 is a lemon yellow. I think that from now on it would be more appropriate to post this refurb in my Fiat G50 build thread. So, the madness continues! Age wise it would certainly qualify for this GB but as it is probably over 25% built I will not "officially" enter it or post to the Gallery if it ever gets finished in time. Cheers Pete Edited May 11, 2020 by PeterB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Nice to see that your CR-42 is getting some attention too Pete, I really like these aircraft and did build this model many years ago and enjoyed it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Finally made a start, not that you can see very much! Revell provide a seat mounted on a floor with a rear bulkhead so I have added a stick and IP and will glue the fuselage halves together. Then I need to try and do a bit of work in the wheel wells. From the info Giorgio kindly provided I will need to add a roof and a representation of the main spar at the back of the wells, together with a central bulkhead - more fiddly than difficult I expect. I should then put ribs and or pipes in but given the size of the kit and the state of my hands that might not happen! After that it should go together quickly but in this hobby you never know. The second attempt at mottling the G 50 is underway, the CR 42 is coming along and the Do 217 E is primed, and my Spit 22 and Seafire FR47 are looking as if I might just get them finished before the deadline, but my wife has started buying paint to decorate my study/workroom, so I suspect the Buccaneer GB will be a non starter. Oh well. BoB and Heller GB remain possible. Cheers Pete 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Nice work on the cockpit Pete, there may not be much visible later but we will know that its there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 The Fiat G50 wheel wells were boxed in "normally" but the info Giorgio sent shows that the Mc 200 was a bit different. Here's my take on it - so far! The main wing spar ran down the back of the wells so I have represented this with a couple of plastic strips glued to the lower wing. The bay the actual wheels go into is in the fuselage, and I have put in a bulkhead in line with the "spars", and then roofed it off to provide a fairly large space. The walk round pic shows a few ribs, pipes and a large yellow "bottle" so I might just add something to make it look a bit more "busy". The inside on the walk round pic is the same colour as the wing undersurface, which is quite a light bluish grey, possibly Grigio Azzuro rather than the Grigio Mimetico I am probably going to use - I will have to think about that. However,one of the kit builds he has linked looks to have used the interior green so I might go with that instead. The same walk round shows the prop blades in black with yellow tips, but the kit build shows "silver" fronted blades with a black rear side, which is what I was thinking of doing. Probably depends on the date I am modelling I suspect, as I am pretty sure the blades were dural initially, and pics I have tend not to show yellow tips until the Mc 202 entered service in around 1942. Also, unlike the Airfix painting instructions, there is a metallic exhaust collector ring at the front of the "lemon" painted cowling. Looking at the pic you will note a small hole in the fuselage in front of and slightly below the mounting for the tailplane. There is another one below and in front of the cockpit, and the other side is the same. I have no idea what these are for and there is nothing in the kit to glue in them. Anyway, it is coming along, and the rest of the construction should be fairly straightforward (famous last words)! Cheers Pete 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Thats neat and tricky work on such a small subject in 1/72 Pete, very nice mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Not much to see but I have done a bit of work on the wheel well. There are actually some ribs in there, and the yellow gas bottle? which I am guessing is to blow down the undercarriage. The seams need a bit of work but I should be able to prime tomorrow, weather permitting. The "lumps" halfway out in the well are for the bracing struts. The tin the nose is resting on is Colourcoats Verde Mimetico 2, which will be the base colour on the upper surfaces as this machine would be based on the Italian mainland, unlike the CR 42 and G 50. 3 of my reference sources say it should have the darker Grigio Mimetico undersides, but I am tempted to use the lighter Grigio Azzuro Chiaro as in the other source - guess it depends on the date modelled. Revell say 1941 and so GM would be right with the green scheme - GAC would technically be used with a desert scheme in 1942 as with my Folgore. May use a bit of "Modellers License" here! Unilke the G 50 it does not look as if the upper surface colour wraps round the leading edge of the wings. Cheers Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 (edited) Primed and the first coat of Verde Mimetico 2 on. According to Ali e Colori there were several variations on the mottle - large blotches of Giallo Mimetico 4 on their own, smaller blotches with Bruno Mimetico alongside, which Breda were fond of using, and the so called "fried egg" scheme where the Bruno actually was in the centre of each Giallo blotch, which Macchi were prone to using, it says. The machine I will be modelling was from 374a Squadriglia which was part of 153° Gruppo. After the short campaign in Yugoslavia the Gruppo was based at Grottaglie to provide cover for the Taranto naval base, but on April 19th 1941 374a Squad moved to Castel Benito in Libya and the rest of the Gruppo followed in July. Whether or not they were repainted I do not know. Revell claim the markings with the kit are for 374a at Grottaglie in April 41 so fair enough - just before they moved I guess. Incidentally, Ali e Colori also say that orders were issued in Spring 1941 that all Italian planes should heve a yellow engine cowling, so that also seems correct for both this and my G 50. As with some of the Luftwaffe paint jobs, a bright Lemony yellow cowling does somewhat compromise the camo but I guess it was better that having them shooting each other down, or more likely, trigger happy AA gunners blowing them out of the sky! Cheers Pete Edited June 22, 2020 by PeterB 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Nice finish on the first coat of VM2 Pete, it really is a nice colour too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Hi MM, Before I started doing these kits I had thought the green would be Verde Olivia Scuro, which is a slightly more "olive green", whereas VM2 has a slight bluish tinge. It will look better with another one or two coats as I put it on thinly and brush it out well. Ali e Colori definitely says the undersides were GM2 but their take on that is a lighter colour than the old White Ensign version. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 I must confess I am struggling with my various builds at the moment. A couple of weeks ago I seem to have wrenched my right knee - 12 years ago I was diagnosed with osteo arthritis in both knees though the left one was far and away the worst and so I ended up having a knee replacement eventually - I had to wait until I was 65 as I was apparently too young! Now the right one is acting up, and a combination of the pain from that and the horribly hot and humid weather of late has made sleeping difficult, so I have been like a zombie. Add to that the fact that SWMBO has now started decorating my study/workroom, and finding time to do anything has not been easy. Anyway I have made some progress on the Saetta. The cowling is just a push fit at the moment, one of the pitot tubes has broken off and the other one will no doubt join it shortly, but the main painting is done apart from some touching up.. Now I just have to do the mottle! Tomorrow I will experiment on my old Blenheim paint mule as I still have not made my mind up about the "brown". All my sources say Bruno Mimetico and IPMS Sockholm suggest Hu118 or Hu119, but I don't think that is quite "red" enough so I will try a couple of alternatives. The wheels, legs doors and prop are about finished as well, and there are not many decs to put on, so once I am happy with the mottle it should not take that long to finish - I hope. Cheers Pete 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Looking super pete. The colours temporarily look like and remind me of this 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Sorry to hear about your Osteo Arthritis Pete, I know from family members how painful this can be. Your Macchi looks great, I really like this scheme. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Hi Paul, Nice car - is that a McLaren in the background? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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