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Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi C.205V Serie VI Veltro (Greyhound) by Armand S. Miale |
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When a more powerful version of the German Daimler Benz became availlable, the last
Italian fighters of the war were built. These aircraft were on a par with the best
American, British, and German aircraft. The Macchi MC.205 was the first Italian airplane
to be powered by the new engine, and it was also the first 'Series 5' aeroplane to see
substantial service before the 1943 armistice. The prototype took to the air on April 19, 1942. It was derived from the MC.202. The only apparent difference between the MC.205 and its preedecessor was the engine housing. The MC.205 also had two cyclindrical oil coolers on each side, while the earlier airplane had a single belly radiator. Because of the greater power of the Daimler Benz DB 605 (1,475 hp), the MC.205 was a far better plane than the MC.202. The prototype reached a speed of 407 mph (655 km/h), and it could gain 20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 4 minutes and 52 seconds. The MC.205 was the first Italian fighter to carry 20 mm cannons on the wings, indispensable for bomber interception. This was the first Italian airplane to be as heavily armed as those of other air forces, and with the bigger and more powerful engine, the MC.205 was an extremely manoeuvrable aeroplane, especially at medium and low altitudes. Large-scale production was ordered at once, but production was slowed down by scarcity of strategic materials and engines. Between October 1942 and September 1943 about 200 aircraft were built. Macchi continued to build the airplane even after the 1943 armistice and another 112 airplanes were built before the assembly line was put out of commission by Allied bombing raids. All these aircraft were delivered to Mussolini's ANR. The aircraft became operational in 1943 and was used chiefly in the Mediterranean and in Sicily at the time of the Allied invasion. The period of greatest activity, however, was after the 1943 armistice. At this time thirty-four aircraft were used by the Allies, especially on the Yugoslavian front, while in the north there were 29 Macchi MC.205s in addition to the 112 new ones that were already built. All these aircraft remained in active service until the summer of 1944. A few MC.205s were kept in service after the war. They were assigned to the 5th Fighter Group until 1947 and were then reassigned to flying schools, where they remained operational until as late as 1951. |
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This kit was in my stash and while on the Stormo site, I saw decal sheet 48-009... Macchi C. 205 V Italian Aces Part II. I ordered the sheet and was most intrigued by the cover ... 8 – 2. When the decals arrived, I did something I've never done before... I immediately started to work on the 205 so that I could use those decals. On hand, I had a set of True Details bulged wheels and I also had the old but excellent Jaguar Macchi 202 resin detail set. Unfortunately, when I opened the Jaguar kit, there was no instruction sheet included. The kit contained a complete cockpit, new exhausts and that busy, fully detailed wheel well part. I don’t know why, but I seemed to remember that Roy Sutherland had something to do with that kit. I contacted Roy, he said that it was indeed his handywork and he was kind enough to track down and supply me with the much needed instructions. Once all the cockpit and wheel well parts were painted and installed, the rest of the build was pretty straight forward. When everything was assembled, I used Black Mr.Surfacer 1500 as a primer to check for seems etc. It's also perfect for black basing if you're so inclined and I did do a bit of medium gray pre-shading before applying any other paint. I began painting with MRP RLM 76 for the bottom, fuselage sides and tail. I then mixed Tamiya paint for the Nocciola Chiaro 4 and Verde Oliva Scuro 2. With my Iwata HP-B, I was able to get a nice freehand separation of the two colors. I was not familiar with the Herringbone scheme, but it sure looked great to me in combo with the German 74, 75 and 76.
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Aircraft: Macchi C.205 Serie VI Manufacturer: Aeronautica Macchi S.p.A. Type: Fighter Year: 1943 Engine: Damiler Benz DB 605A-1, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled 1,475hp Wingspan: 34 ft 8 1/2 in (10.59m) Length: 29 ft 1 in (8.85 m) Height: 10 ft (3.05 m) Weight: 7,120 lb (3,224 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 403 mph (650 km/h) at 24,300 ft (7,400 m) Ceiling: 37,200 ft (11,350 m) Range: 646 miles (1,040 km) Armament: 2 x 12.7mm (0.5 in) SAFAT machine guns, 2 x 20 mm cannons Crew: 1 |
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