Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi C.205V Serie III Veltro (Greyhound) by David Walker

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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.

Construction I bought this lovely Hasegawa kit in 2020 on eBay in the rare "A.N.R Version" which is a rare Hasegawa 1996 Boxing. I also took no chances with the 1990's Hasegawa decals and bought the new 1/48 aftermarket Peddinghaus Decals which depicts Adriano Visconti's famous "Red 18" C.205. I gathered the following aftermarket items (1) Eduard Brassin Wheel Bay Undercarriage set for C.202 that fits the C.205 and purchased the full Eduard etch sets for the Macchi C.205 ED48495 and ED49289. I also got the Eduard Paint Masks XF053. I bought the fine Brass Pitot Tube (by Master Models) and last but far from least – the marvellous and very rare Moskit Exhausts. As others have said, to cut costs and to cover the whole Folgore / Veltro lineage using as few different moulds as possible, Hasegawa made a Kit which seems just fine at first glance. However it's not accurate when it comes to the shape and situation of the various access panels and hatches. The weakest points of the kit are the sparse cockpit interior, the totally undersized and unusable exhaust stacks and the undercarriage legs, which are riddled with ejector pin marks. I commenced with the C.205 Cockpit with super detailing using the Eduard Etch sets and then fitted the undercarriage wheel and engine bay BRASSIN drop in set by Eduard – very highly recommended!! (designed for the C.202 Folgore – but fits the C.205 perfectly). The first look at the Upper Wings tells you that all the inspection hatches on the top wing halves seem to be correct. However, when you take a closer look you notice that that Series III Veltro’s had 20mm cannon fitted into the wings. The Four inspection hatches which Hasegawa gives you are Square (correct for the Folgore) but were oval in shape for the Veltro. Eduard produces a set of very useful photo-etch stencils that I used to re-engrave these hatches after I had filled in the old ones. These were re-scribed onto the model - with Plasticard added to make them stand out better (rounded at the edges - not square as in the 202 Folgore - or as HASEGAWA depicts). The Veltro bottom wings is where Hasegawa really cut costs in the mid 1990's. The C.205 Veltro requires 4 Cannon Tear drop fairings which are absent on the Kit Wings and are therefore needed to be created from scratch. So therefore your Hasegawa 1/48 Veltro needs four of these. One final obstacle is that the 2 ejection chutes that Hasegawa moulded into its lower wing are correct for machine gun equipped Folgores and early Serie I Veltros. They're totally wrong for Mauser cannon equipped Veltros. I needed 6 of them and cut out the new outer shapes according to the scale plans provided by Stormo and created the separations into two slots each wing (these were for 20mm Cannon casings, links and gas vent) with a Number 11 scalpel blade and used thin etch to create a third 'slot' at the bottom - (see photo). The radiator housing needed extensive additional detailing with Photo-etch by Eduard and also had at the rear, 2 (shutter actuators) struts and a horizontal stiffener strut (only 1 Vertical strut is provided by Hasegawa incorrectly). I added the out of Production Moskit Exhausts – these were originally made 20 years ago for the Fine Molds D4Y Judy Kit, which is fine for the Model as it was a licence built DB601 Engine (not DB605 but good enough for me). They might look wonderful, but they required modifying the fuselage sides to accept them. I widened the engine exhaust opening, thinned the section at the front to make clearance for the pipes and kept adjusting the fit of the pipes until I had them where I wanted them. I left the lower cowl piece unattached until after I was done painting. That way I could add the exhausts later and not have to mask them while painting the camouflage. The lower cowl fits perfectly, so I was not concerned about attaching it later after it was fully painted and finished. The Hasegawa Veltro Wings were massively improved by the Clear Sprue provided - which was utilised by having 2 sprues bits cut off - which were then glued into the cut off wing edge where there should be a aircraft position wing light (port and starboard were different colours because they had red and blue light bulbs). I drilled a hole then painted into the hole in the round part of plastic to resemble a position light bulb, then fitted the clear cut sprue over it to cover it. The wing lights should have been moulded on the clear parts tree with a cut out on the wing tips. This would have improved this kit since changing it for a more realistic appearance requires cutting the wing tip and a lot of extra effort. I gave it some thought since it is an improvement and decided to do it for this build. Its a lot of work - but really improves the look. You will note - these are then sanded down till they are flush with the original wing - then covered with tape to be revealed in all their glory - later in the build. I added the Eduard etch Canopy Strut and the 2 Quick-Release Handles for the Cockpit Canopy – I also added the Peddinghaus Decals (incl Number 1 on the Landing Wheel Doors - Peddinghaus don't supply that Decal!!) The Model has the landing flaps deployed in the down position ... at bit of work but well worth the hassle and small expense. I used the Hasegawa Paint Instructions as the Peddinghaus Decal Sheet Paint Scheme only shows one side of the Fighter. Note - The Hasegawa Paint Scheme is different to the Kit Box Art! In closing - my thoughts are that the HASEGAWA 1/48 MACCHI C.205 VELTRO is nearly perfect in shape and dimensions and shows off some of the finest surface detail you can get with a 1/48 scale Kit. I was lucky that I spotted that Eduard had produced the 1/48 C.202 Folgore BRASSIN wheel well set - which fits the C.205 with ease - it made a huge difference to the finished Model – I am very pleased with my Hasegawa C.205 Veltro and it now sits on its glass shelf in my Display Case with a bespoke nameplate. Sources 1) Stormo! Website (thanks to Jean Barby and Vince Tassone) 2) Werner Scheibling Veltro Build on Hyperscale 3) Air Enthusiast Number 24, Ultimate Castoldi by William Green and Richard Swanborough

Technical Data Aircraft: Macchi C.205 Serie III 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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