In addition to
being present on virtually every front the Italians fought in Euorpe and North
Africa in WWII, the MC.200 was used operationally on the Russian front until the
end of 1942. Here the Saetta racked-up impressive dog-fighting statistics with
the CSI (Corpo Spedezione Italiana) claiming 88 Russian aircraft destroyed in
air combat for the loss of only 15 Saettas. With superlative flight
characteristics, an excellent climb rate and diving speed, the Saetta is
generally considered a successful design and in the same class as early Hawker
Hurricanes.
I acquired this kit from a friend who purchased it from
Hannants, across the pond in the UK for about 3 pounds (roughly $7CDN). The kit
is boxed and marketed as a 1/48 scale model of this aircraft, however its really
a 1/50 scale model. This is obvious from a comparison of the fuselage
halves to the 1/48 scale drawings in the C.200 "Saetta" - Ali D'italia
Monographs," the model is out by approximately ¼ inch lengthwise, a
significant difference. The kit contains approximately 35 parts and was probably
first
introduced in the 1970s or even earlier - it looks allot like an early Airfix-style
kit. Building the kit required some considerable effort, the kit being rough
indeed and is no Saturday afternoon build. The kit contains very little in the
way of detail.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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I
began construction by removing the original panel lines which were raised and
then etched-in recessed ones using the reverse edge of a #11 Exacto knife. I
replaced the original kit tail-wheel using a spare one from a HobbyCraft Bf109G
- the new tail wheel looked a bit oversized for the model and something smaller
might have been better. The inside wheel wells are completely void of detail and
aren't enclosed, so while peeking from underneath the front of the aircraft one
sees the open-cockpit. The cockpit interior also lacks detail and I needed to
add a control stick. I replaced
the front canopy with an extra one I had from a Hasegawa 1/48 M.C.202 and
modified it somewhat by cutting-back the angle to the fuselage. The molding
halves were offset by approximately 1/16 inch so the landing gear needed heavy
sanding to get the intended rounded effect. The pilot is useless. The engine
cowling came in two halves and holes were present in some areas, which needed to
be patched using putty. The engine cowling had no notches to guide the placement
of the engine so I added them. Flash was present on virtually every part and
sprue and I spent allot of time sanding.
The aircraft depicted is a M.C.200 Seria III serving with 22o
Gruppo operating on the Russia Front near Odessa in Nov. 1942. The model was
painted using Polly Scale (Acrylic) Middle Stone for Giallo Mimetico 4 (FS
30266) splotches, Humbrol enamel Foliage Green for Verde Mimetico 2 (FS 34097)
and Polly Scale British Sea Gray for Grigio Mimetico (FS 36293). I used Polly
Scale RLM 2 for the yellow theatre markings and painted the white triangular
shaped insignias located on the leading edge of the wings-peculiar to Italian
Aircraft that operated in this theatre. The cockpit interior was painted (FS
34227) anti-corrosion green. I used charcoal/brown pastels to highlight some of
the panel lines as well as the gun housing on the engine cowling and the
weathering effects beneath the aircraft. A black wash was applied to the
ailerons and engine cowling areas. The decals reacted well to setting
solution and I had no problems applying them to the model.
Overall it took approximately 30 hours to build the
kit. After all was said and done the finished model looked rather good, and was
good enough to win at our local show, first place. The proportions of the model
make for a very convincing model indeed and represent well the lines of this
classic fighter. If your willing to put-in the extra effort, replacing a few
parts here and there, the kit makes an interesting model of Macchi's early WWII
fighter plane.
Vince
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