Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi MC.202
Model, Text and Photos by: Mike Grant
Introduction:
The
inspiration for my Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi MC.202 Folgore came from a friend's
build of the same kit. It wasn't the aircraft itself that caught my imagination
as much as the camouflage scheme- that uniquely Italian (uniquely Macchi,
actually) 'smoke-ring' pattern. Peter actually airbrushed his and did a great
job of it, but having watched him struggle with various airbrush/paint/thinner
combinations to achieve it I began to wonder- could the same thing be achieved
by those with lesser airbrush skills (myself included) or by modellers who
didn't own an airbrush? I knew Sweet had included smoke-ring decals with their
1/144 Macchi kit, and Fine Molds had included camo decals in their 1/72 Bf109F
and Ki-61 kits, but I'd never seen such decals in 1/48 scale. After much
experimentation and studying the shapes of those smoke-rings I developed a set
of decals for the scheme. Roll Models carries Mike's excellent decals -
Italian 'smoke ring' camouflage MGD48043.
Check
the links below. -Rick
Interior:
Having done so I knew I had to prove the feasibility of covering an entire model with them, so I bought the Hasegawa kit and began to build. Right from the start this was to be purely a vehicle for the camo decals, so out-of-box would be fine. The kit itself is superb. The cockpit is very well detailed although as always more could be added, but it looked suitably cramped and busy, needing only careful painting and highlighting. My first deviation from the OOB intention came with the addition of an Eduard pre-painted seat harness. I also thinned the edges of the kit seat and added a couple of small details to the sidewalls. Hasegawa supplied a clear gunsight (Part M1) and compass (B17) but I'd advise leaving them off the instrument panel until the model's almost complete, as they can be easy to break off and lose.
Assembly:
Having
completed the cockpit tub the fuselage halves were ready to go together, except
they wouldn't. I guess I must have misaligned the sidewalls so it took some
manipulation before I got the fuselage together, and then only after clamping
and lots of Pro-Weld.
The wings are straightforward enough, but I was fortunate to be able to benefit from my friend's earlier build as he warned me that the main spar
(C17) must be glued absolutely perpendicular to the wing or it would cause problems later. I'm glad he warned me, as the part naturally wants to lean forward slightly. In the real Macchis a lot of the engine plumbing/wiring was visible in the forward part of the wheel wells but nothing is supplied in Hasegawa's kit. A resin update set is available (or was) from Jaguar which includes this, but I didn't have one and anyway, this was supposed to be a quick, easy build... However I read in a reference book that the exposed plumbing was originally protected by a removable cover, which in service often got left off. I fashioned the cover from plastic card and moved on.
Everything else was straightforward, although the undercarriage is fiddly. However once it's all put together it's quite sturdy and aligns correctly. I drilled some holes in the oleos and added brake lines.
Painting:
Because of the way the upper colours wrap around the underside I left the main underside intake (B7) off until it had been painted. I sprayed and masked off the white fuselage band then the aircraft uppersides were painted with Polly-scale Italian Hazel Tan, and the undersides with the same brand Italian Light Blue Gray. The top colour wraps around the leading edges and the rear fuselage so there's some careful masking required. Also the canopy is open at the rear, so I stuffed wet tissue inside the cockpit to prevent overspray from creeping inside- the canopy itself was masked with my favourite Parafilm.
Decal Application & Final Details:
After
several coats of Future I highlighted the panel lines and then it was the moment
of truth- the application of the smoke-ring decals. I had several photos to
refer to and gradually worked my way across the model, visually judging the
spacing of each ring and trying to match sizes (roughly) to the photos. MicroSol/MicroSet
were used where the decals had to conform to tight curves. I screwed up a few of
the rings through my own carelessness but there are plenty of spares on the
sheet, and in fact after completing the model I added even more to the decal
sheet artwork.
Although Hasegawa supplies a decal option for a smoke-ringed scheme I discarded them in favour of another scheme, that of 356a Squadriglia, 21š Gruppo Atonomo CT. I made all the markings, including national insignia, on my ALPS printer.
A coat of Polly-scale flat later, the final details were ready to add.
Exhausts (I used the kit parts although Ultracast make a superb replacement set), propellor, aerial wires etc. were carefully attached. The completed model had taken me a week from start to finish, as opposed to the usual 5 or 6 weeks it normally would take me to build a comparable sized model, which speaks volumes about the quality of this kit.
Conclusion & Reference:
I'd like to thank Peter Gilding not only for the impetus to build the kit, but also for supplying me with a jar of his own mix of Italian interior green, and for the loan of several reference books which I can highly recommend:-).
ALI E COLORI 4: Macchi C.202
ALI E COLORI 5: Macchi C.202-205
AVIOLIBRI Pt. 1a and Pt. 2a: Macchi Mc 202 Folgore REGIA AERONAUTICA CACCIA & ASSALTO Parte I & II: Fighter and Ground Attack units
Models and Accessories:
| Item: | Description: | Price: (click to order) |
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Alfa Romeo AR 1000 RC-41-1 V-12 for Macchi MC-202 Engines & Things 1/48 Resin Italian Engines |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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MC.202 Folgore landing flaps (HAS) Eduard 1/48 Photo-Etch Aircraft Details |
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MC.202 Folgore (HAS) Eduard 1/48 Colored Photo-Etch Aircraft Details |
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MC 202 Folgore (HAS) Eduard 1/48 Vinyl (Kabuki tape!) Canopy/Wheel Masks |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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MC.202 Folgore (HAS) Eduard Zoom 1/48 Simple Colored Photo-Etch Sets |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC Extra-Tech 1/48 Photo-Etch Details |
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Macchi MC.202 (2 Vers HAS) E-Z Masks 1/48 Scale Pre-Cut Vinyl Masks |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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Macchi Mc.202 Hasegawa 1/48 Aircraft |
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Italian 'smoke ring' camouflage Mike Grant 1/48 Custom Decals |
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Macchi MC-202 Sky Model 1/48 Decals |
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C.202/205 Control Surfaces (HAS) Sky Model 1/48 Resin Details |
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C.202/205 Cockpit/Exh/Whls (HAS) Sky Model 1/48 Resin Details |
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Mc-202 (2) Squadron 1/48 Vac-Form Canopies |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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Macchi C.202 Folgore Exhausts (HAS) Ultra-Cast 1/48 Scale Aircraft Accessories |
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Reference Material:
'| Item: | Description: | Price: (click to order) |
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Macchi Mc.202 'Special' Part 1 Aviolibri Specials Softcover Monographs |
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Macchi Mc.202 'Special' Part 2 Aviolibri Specials Softcover Monographs |
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| I'm sorry, but since the review has been published that product appears to have gone out of production. | ||
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Macchi C.202 Squadron Signal In-Action |
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