Macchi C.202 Folgore

by Ian Robertson

Macchi C.202

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron.com

This is Hasegawa's 1/48 Macchi C.202 Folgore built out of the box apart from etched brass seatbelts and spare Italian decals from Sky Models and Superscale. The markings represent an aircraft in the 73 Squadriglia, 4th Stormo during 1942.

A few minor enhancements were made to the model during construction. These include:

• Syringe tubing was used for the machine guns added to the wings.

• Wing tip lights were made by fitting pieces of clear sprue into sections cut from the wing tips. These lights were later painted with Tamiya clear red and clear green paint.

• The flaps on the horizontal stabilizers were repositioned.

• Antenna wires were made from stretched sprue, as was the wire attached to the open canopy.

The cockpit was painted RAF interior green. Using a cotton swab, small amounts of SnJ aluminum polishing powder were touched lightly to specific areas of the cockpit (e.g., seat, floor) to simulate worn paint. When done sparingly this technique produces a very subtle and convincing worn-paint effect.

SnJ Aluminum metallizer was used as a base coat for the exterior surfaces of the model. Prior to spraying the base coat, a band of white paint was applied aft of the cockpit and then masked for the fuselage band.

The undersides of the wings were painted Italian light blue gray using PollyScale acrylic. The upper surfaces were painted Italian Hazel Tan with a touch of dark brown added to darken the mixture. Finally, patches of Dark Italian Green were airbrushed free hand.

Once the camouflage scheme was complete, medium and fine grain sandpaper was used to make surface abrasions and expose the SnJ aluminum beneath, particularly on the wing roots and leading edges of the wings.

Exhaust stains were simulated by spraying highly thinned black paint.

The figures appearing in some of the photographs are 1/48 Italian pilots made by Jaguar.

The photos were taken with a SONY digital camera in sagebrush-scrub desert south of Boise Idaho. In the background are the Owyhee Mountains.

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model, Images and Article Copyright © 2002 by Ian Robertson
Page Created 27 June 2002
Last updated 04 June 2007

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Features Page