Rather than contribute another
Spitfire, Bf-109, or P-51 to ARC, I am submitting Classic Airframes' excellent
Reggiane Re.2001 kit. To my knowledge, this is the only kit in 1/48 scale
of this aircraft that is available today. The kit features recessed panel
lines and excellent detail, on par with Hasegawa. The fit requires a bit
of attention, however, especially the forward fuselage to wing area, which I
never got to look satisfactory. The supercharger intake, wheel wells, and
entire cockpit is in resin, and the canopy is vac-formed. This was my
first time working with resin (after a few failed trial attempts on a C.202
cockpit). I can say that this kit is not for beginners, and I wouldn't
have been able to complete it without and excellent article on another website
by Lynn Ritger. The
landing gear was particularly difficult.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The aircraft
represented is in the Regia Aeronautica's maritime scheme of Verde Oliva Scuro
(dark olive green) over Grigio (light grey). When masking the colors, I
put thick pieces of tape about 1mm in from the edge of the outer tape to make
the demarcation line slightly soft. After painting the Oliva Scuro, I
lightened the paint with a few drops of white and painted the insides of the
panels on the wing and fuselage, to create the effect of an aircraft which
spends most of its time sitting under the hot Sicilian sun. This
particular aircraft is from 152a Squadrilglia based on Sicily during
the Regia Aeronautica's campaign against Malta in 1942. The antenna is
made from stretched sprue with the filament from a car lightbulb as the insulator
by the mast. I made the attachment ponts on the bomb rack with sheet
styrene and sprue. I love the gun-toting bird (a crow) on the crest from
5o Stormo! Overall, I would heartily recommend this kit as an
alternative to one of those 'shake and bake' Tamigawa kits. It will
challenge and build your modeling skills.
Leonardo
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