Hasegawa 1/48 MC.205 Veltro "Italian Air Force"

HASEGAWA 1:72 MACCHI MC.205 VELTRO "ITALIAN AIR FORCE"
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Geoff Goldfen (rec.models.scale)

Kit Details: Hasegawa 1/48 #9184 (JT 124) Macchi C.205 Veltro "Italian Air Force"

Aircraft History: The Macchi MC.205 Veltro is arguably the pinnacle of Italian fighter technology with its powerful and sleek designs something to behold by most WW2 aviation enthusiasts. The Veltro was developed from the similar looking MC.202 Folgore which itself was developed from the MC.200 Saetta which had an Italian radial engine. The Folgore introduced an inline engine which the Italians could not produce, thus being installed with a German Daimler-Benz 601 engine and the Veltro having 20-mm cannons, increased fuel capacity and the more powerful DB.605 engine (although the cannons were fitted to some late model Folgores). Many late model MC.202 Folgores were in fact converted to MC.205 Veltros.

Only around 270 Veltro's were built, most of which were after the 1943 Armastice. The Veltro saw very limited service with the Reggia Aeronautica mainly thanks to the slow production rate of the Italian war industry and many of those that did were in Luftwaffe colours anyway. Most were actually used by the co-belligerent air force formed to fight against the Luftwaffe and the Veltro was also used as Italy's frontline fighter after the war ended.

Hasegawa produce several kits of the MC.205
The Luftwaffe boxing (above) and Royal Egypt Air Force (below)

Kit Parts: These all come in a cellophane bag and total about 75 parts in all plus 4 clear. As you would expect, they are superbly moulded and panel lines are engraved. Surface detail is excellent and there is no flash or any real mould imperfections to speak of. There are three main sprues containing most of the parts plus four smaller sprue types with detailing bits and pieces. The parts are moulded in a light grey colour.

Instructions: Hardly worth writing anything here other than to say they are typically Hasegawa - clear assembly steps, brief history, multi-view profiles of the two versions the kit caters for, sprue diagram and paint information from the Gunze Sangyo range.

Colour Options: There are two examples which can be produced from the kit both of late war schemes. The first is the option which appears on the boxart in the squiggly line camouflage pattern and which uses up most of the decals on the sheet. The other version is a matt aluminium overall plane with insignia and serials but no fuselage code.

Decals: The first thing I noticed on the decal sheet was that they are printed by Cartograf which is a company I normally associate with Italeri decals. They do not look as thick as other Hasegawa decals and have excellent colour depth. There are 8 roundels provided in three separate sizes and a small array of stencilling as well. I can't envisage any real problems in these conforming to the model surface when applied.

Cockpit/Wheel Bay Detail: The cockpit is well detailed with everything from instrument panel console detail to sidewall detail included. A decal is included for instrument panel faces as well. The wheel wells also contain both structural and hydraulic lines.

Optional components: Canopy can be displayed in the open position.

On the Sprue Impressions: What can I say, but basically Hasegawa at their peak with superb crisp mouldings that have excellent detail, with engraved panel lines and a well defined surface. The fit of the major components is excellent and one would probably not want to shake this box too hard if you get my drift!

There are several different MC.205 versions produced by Hasegawa incorporating earlier and later variants as well as different air force owners. So, the breakdown of the components on the sprue is dictated by this as is often the case with Hasegawa who like to get the most out of their base moulds. Not that this is a criticism as such but it does mean that in kits where you would expect to find fully moulded components, they are going to be split here. This one is an Italian late series mark armed with 20-mm cannon and carrying later style Italian roundels.

This is immediately identifiable from the fuselage breakdown where the lower nose section is missing and the hood is also a separate piece. There are four propeller blades in the kit also. I've never been a fan of having to affix separate blades onto a hub but given it is Hasegawa technology it shouldn't be too painful. The wings are upper halves and one-piece underwing section with the wheel bays cut out. The cockpit tub has plenty of detail moulded into it and the instrument panel is not a half-cut semi-circle affair but a more realistic adaptation to scale. The clear parts are nicely moulded and will allow one to display an open cockpit.

Accuracy: While there is bound to be some minor error somewhere, I am finding it difficult to find any flaw with relation to this kit while it is on the sprue. A quick measurement of the wing and fuselage cross section reveals only a minor defect to about a millimetre. The shapes and curves look right in it's preview stage.

Conclusion: If you are looking to get a Veltro in quarter scale at the moment I fear there is no better than this kit on the market. There are several Hasegawa kits of this aircraft which are all superbly engineered and should make any Italian aviation enthusiast extremely pleased. Very very highly recommended - the only downside of course is its cost.

Hasegawa publicity MC.205 Veltro model pic

Related Reviews:-

Italeri 1/72 MC.202 Folgore

Related INBOX Reviews:-

Italeri 1/72 MC.202 Folgore

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