Saturday, September 28

Preview Update: New details of Italeri's new 32nd scale Veltro...

After their release of the Macchi M.C. 202 Folgore, Italeri presented us with the Macchi M.C. 205 Veltro, also in 32nd scale. We have sprues, art, decals, colour choices & a completed kit in our preview...


Preview Update: New details of Italeri's new 32nd scale Veltro...

Macchi M.C. 205 Macchi M.C. 205 Veltro
From Italeri
No #2519
1/32nd scale
Photo-etch & 3-D printed decals included
Eight (8!) marking choices in the box
Available in the first week of October
The sister aircraft of the Macchi M.C. 202 “Folgore”, the new MC.205 Veltro will be Italeri's latest release in 32nd scale, arriving in October. This kit has a raft of features that we will look at in our preview.

The Subject:
The Macchi M.C. 205 Veltro is considered the best Italian fighter of World War II. The evolution of the "Folgore" retained the excellent aeronautical design of its predecessor and was equipped, like other fighters of the "Series 5", with the German Daimler-Benz DB605 engine. The powerful V12 engine, also produced under license by Fiat, allowed the Veltro to reach a maximum speed of 640 km/h. Fast, manoeuvrable, and well-armed, with 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns in the nose and 2 × 20 mm cannons in the wings, it was capable of fighting with the best Allied fighters of the period, such as the American P-51 Mustang. 
Macchi C.205V, Serie I from 352ª Squadron, 51° Stormo, parked at Capoterra, Sardinia, in the summer of 1943.
It entered service with the Regia Aeronautica in the early months of 1943. After the armistice of September 8, it was used, until the end of the conflict, by both the flight units of the Italian Social Republic and those of the Co-Belligerent Air Force.

Ace pilot Adriano Visconti in the Veltro.
A Macchi C.205 Veltro of the 360th Squadron, 51st Stormo in Sicily in the Summer of 1943.
After the conclusion of the war, newly-independent Egypt purchased an order of Macchi C.205’s. Most planes originated as refurbished C.202’s, and both up-engined MC.202’s and proper MC.205’s fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. By this time, they had already been retired from Italian service, being decommissioned in 1947. They persisted a little longer in the Egyptian Air Force, where they saw use until 1950. Three Veltro's survive to the present day, located at the National Museum of Science and Technology and the Museo storico dell’Aeronautica Militare.

The kit from Italeri
The Macchi M.C. 205 "Veltro" in 1/32nd scale (kit no. 2519) will be released in the first week of October. The differences from the Folgore kit are reproduced by adding new parts. The nose reproduces the R.A. 1050RC.58 Tifone (license-built versions of the DB605) engine, from its auxiliary equipment to the engine support frame. The cockpit, machine guns, and even the landing gear and landing gear bays are modelled realistically, and photo-etched parts are included to give a sharp finish. The cockpit meters are 3D decals, and large decals are included for the unique camouflage pattern. The rudders and tail ailerons are movable, and the flaps can be assembled opened or closed. The kit is pretty feature packed, and we have all of the details of what come sin the box before release.

The sprues of the kit. There five grey plastic sprues. Upper and lower wings and posable flying surfaces..
Either side of the fuselage with open engine and removable cowling option
The R.A. 1050RC.58 Tifone (license-built versions of the DB605) engine, wheels and propellers on this sprue...
More parts of the powerplant, gear doors and tail surfaces - again posable, are included on this sprue.
Clear parts for the cockpit.
A detailed cockpit with those 3-D printed decals, with waterslide alternatives are included
National markings deal sheet...
Camouflage rings for those who aren't confident to apply them themselves...
The photo-etched parts included in the box.
The eight (yes 8!) colour profiles included in this kit.
The kit made up by Italeri's modeller Simon Antelmi. A very nice representation of the real thing.

This kit will be available in the first weeks of October.
We will present more news on this kit as it comes to hand. From more on Italeri's kits check out their website...