Special Hobby 1/32 Fiat G.50-II 'Freccia'.

[stona]

This is the next project.

For those who understandably don't know what this was, it looked like this:



I've had a peek in the box. The plastic seems nicely moulded, not too much flash etc. and there is a sheet of photo-etch, to ensure at least half an hour scrabbling about on the floor looking for a piece that has pinged out of the tweezers. There are also some nice resin pieces, including what looks like parts for a very well made engine.

I'll be doing it out of the box and as one of the kit options because you could write all I know about the aircraft of the Regia Aeronautica on the back of a stamp and still have room for a shopping list.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Now that will be an interesting camouflage scheme.....nice open cockpit to freeze the pilot as well.....bring it on Steve, this will be interesting.

 

[yak face]

Nice! Great choice steve , i love the look of the G50 , bit of a porker isnt it !? The camo will be a challenge but ive every faith in your painting skills ,
Regards Giovanni Agnelli

 

[stona]

Nice! Great choice steve , i love the look of the G50 , bit of a porker isnt it !? The camo will be a challenge but ive every faith in your painting skills ,
Regards Giovanni Agnelli

I've checked a couple of photos and it seems that these camouflage schemes were applied by a couple of lads who had enjoyed a long lunch, so I should be okay

Cheers

Giacomo Gallo

 

[papa 695]

Looks an interesting aircraft Steve.

 

[BarryW]

It’s one of the decent SH kits and comes together well Steve. I am looking forward to seeing your work.

 

[Ian M]

That's something a bit different from you Steve. Whenever I see those heavy mottled Italian birds I always get a nervous twitch and walk away. lol

 

[stona]

It’s one of the decent SH kits and comes together well Steve. I am looking forward to seeing your work.

It does look good in the box, much better than some of their other offerings. The plastic seems very hard, but that is not necessarily a problem in itself. The resin is very well cast, so top marks for that. It's resin, so we'll see how it fits, but it does all look very promising.

 

[stona]

That's something a bit different from you Steve. Whenever I see those heavy mottled Italian birds I always get a nervous twitch and walk away. lol

Honestly, there's not a lot of choice at the moment and as you know I don't keep a stash. I think a lot of people bought models during the lockdowns and rather depleted the UK stocks! I was swayed by having the paints in the cupboard, which is a backwards way of doing things, but there you go

 

[BarryW]

You are certainly right about low stocks. I am steadily building up a stash of 1/48 aircraft, primarily bombers to work once my remaining 1/32 stash is gone.... my 1/32 builds in future will mostly be new releases but I might be tempted to repeat some of my favourites in time!

For the first time ever, I have a bigger 1/48 stash than 1/32 with one more ordered from eBay (Trumpy FW200) and another ‘prezzie’ (HKM Lanc) expected in May...

By the way, MRP have a full range of WW2 Italian colours and are due to release their IJN and IJA colours this spring/early summer.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Ooh, bit late to the party bit Regia Aeronautica is my thang. If you need any reference, I've got it
And watching this might get me to take another look at my one - 'Build me, you know you want to...'

 

[stona]

Ooh, bit late to the party bit Regia Aeronautica is my thang. If you need any reference, I've got it
And watching this might get me to take another look at my one - 'Build me, you know you want to...'

Thank you Chris, very handy to know!

I've got shelves full of stuff about the RAF and Luftwaffe, and even the USAAFs (particularly in Europe), but the Regia Aeronautica? Not so much, only when it featured in opposition to the RAF/FAA in the MTO.

I have made a start on this, but there's not much to show for it. I've been working on the cockpit and the photo-etch representation of the pilot's restraints, which seem to be mainly leather and chain and look like they belong is Miss Whiplash's dungeon.

Hopefully I'll get something big enough for me to successfully photograph in the next few days.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

My main G.50 book has a colour painting of the forward view of the cockpit - I should be able to scan that if you like?
A quick check of the photos I have invariabily have either a pilot or mechanic in the seat.
As to the straps, it's theCHAINS that attach the lower parts to the seat that make me go 'REALLY?"

 

[stona]

My main G.50 book has a colour painting of the forward view of the cockpit - I should be able to scan that if you like?

Anything like that would be very helpful. I have no references at all, other than the instructions and what I can find online (which isn't much!).

Even the instrument panel is a weird two piece affair with a gap in the middle.

I've noticed that most WW2 aircraft have broadly similar arrangements, but the Italians clearly didn't get copied into the memo.

Thanks.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Steve, how do these grab you?

These are reduced size scans from my main G.50 Book. As you can see, it's Polish language, but Google Translate might help with the text.
Most of my collection are from Bancarella Aeronautica which are joint English/Italian text, but I've yet to get a copy of their G.50 book, which is well out-of-print
I can post larger size scans if you like

The closest I can get to the seat tho' is a Macchi 202, not so different from the Macchi 200, contemporary to the G.50
Y'know, when I visited Vigna de Valle, the Italian equivalent of Hendon, I REALLY should have asked if I could lean in and take piccies of the cockpits

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

So, just checked my photos from Vigna de Valle, and there's no G.50 there. Wonder if the Finns still have one...?

Oh yeah, not getting copied into the memo? Italian aircraft designers were laws unto themselves. Don't get me started!

 

[stona]

Wow!
Thanks very much.
Those are very helpful indeed.
I've been wondering about that green colour in the cockpit. There seem to be many opinions about it. I like that representation of it. I am sure I can get something close by adjusting the British interior green colour a bit. It's not a million miles away to start with.

Overall the cockpit looks old fashioned for its time, even a little bit Jules Verne

 

[stona]

I've decided the green is somewhere between the British colour (too grey), the US interior green (very close but a bit dark), and the US version of zinc chromate green (much too dark).

In a further display of my ignorance of Italian aircraft construction I'm supposing that the colour is in fact some form of tinted zinc chromate primer; it certainly looks like it.

I'm waiting for some generic cockpit decals to arrive as the spares are not up to the job, so plenty of time to spray a few tests and find one I like.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Ah yes, Verde Anticorrosione, it's called. Which is basically 'anti-corrosion green', or aluminium primer - I've seen three completely different colours sold in different ranges. Which is about par, but also apparently accurate

One of my sets of books quotes paint matches to Humbrol and FS numbers. I'm always chary when 'Those dreaded FS numbers' are banded about, but the books are by Italians so you'd hope they know what they're talking about... Pauses for consideration...
Here's what they say:

'This light green primer was used to protect any internal metal part not destined to be camouflaged, in particular when not visible from outside. For some aesthetical reasons some internal parts visible from outside could be sometimes painted light grey, as used for the lower surfaces. Being a protective paint, and not intended as an external finish, its colour was not important, actually depending upon actual elements used in its chemical formation (zinc-chromate, strontium-chromate and others). Consequently many different versions existed and the colour matches suggested here are just some of the more frequently observed, ranging from FS34227 for new paint to FS34449 of much faded and very oxidised hues (respectively matched Humbrol 120 (good) to Humbrol 23 (poor))

In other words, do what looks good to you, but my advice would be more greenish than yellowish

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Wait, there's more - even after that 'wall-o-text'
There is a chocolate brown and a medium blue for different internal piping, but, strictly speaking these are later 'Tavola 10' colours, 1941 on