Italeri 1/32 Macchi Mc.202 Folgore

[Thunnus]

I haven't glued on any of the engine cowling parts yet.  So I thought I should get a handle on the small oil cooler unit under the chin of the Folgore. It comes with PE screens with a nice fine mesh pattern but it will be difficult to see once the cooler unit comes together.

 

The bigger cooling unit under the belly has more finely detail mesh grates, three overlapping faces per side.  They are very fine and easy to distort so I thought it'd be safest to paint them while they were still attached to the PE fret. I deviated from the kit's color call-outs to give more contrast but it will be for naught as even these mesh grates will all but disappear.

 

 

Now you see it...

 

Now you don't!  Ahhh... I guess the grate pattern is more visible than I thought.

 

The first engine panels I've decided to assemble were glued to each other but NOT to the fuselage, yet.

 

Once the glue was dry and two parts unified as one, I could address the little airscoop that simply falls through the hole it is meant to occupy.

 

I filled in the bottom of the opening with sheet styrene so I can now glue the scoop into place without losing it into the engine compartment. Imagine the scoop falling through that space after the engine panels have been glued into place!

 

Edited March 18, 2025 by Thunnus

[zaxos345]

Amazing work there John!!!! 

[Dpgsbody55]

Great work, John.  Your method of attaching the engine/firewall assembly to the fuselage rather than the wing as per the instructions looks interesting.  It may well have solved the problems I encountered with the exhausts on mine. However, seeing the way you've test fitted the AiP exhausts still looks concerning as the rear exhaust will send all it's contents into the fuselage.  I realise it's not their final fitment, but in your picture they look to be too big which is what I thought of mine once they were in place.  My present thinking is that I will use the kit parts on my C.205 and attach them to the engine before final fitment.  However, that may change as your build progresses.

 

Looking forward to more progress.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Greif8]

Man that looks great John!

 

Ernest

[Thunnus]

On 3/17/2025 at 9:12 PM, zaxos345 said:

Amazing work there John!!!! 

Thanks John! Appreciate it!

 

 

 

On 3/17/2025 at 10:15 PM, Dpgsbody55 said:

Great work, John.  Your method of attaching the engine/firewall assembly to the fuselage rather than the wing as per the instructions looks interesting.  It may well have solved the problems I encountered with the exhausts on mine. However, seeing the way you've test fitted the AiP exhausts still looks concerning as the rear exhaust will send all it's contents into the fuselage.  I realise it's not their final fitment, but in your picture they look to be too big which is what I thought of mine once they were in place.  My present thinking is that I will use the kit parts on my C.205 and attach them to the engine before final fitment.  However, that may change as your build progresses.

 

Looking forward to more progress.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Thank you Michael! In terms of construction order, I just went with what was easiest and what would ensure the proper alignment of the engine to fuselage.  I considered the engine to wing fit secondary so didn't feel the need to make the attachment first.

 

I see what you are saying about the AiP exhausts being too big.  I'm going to check to see if the PE exhaust shrouds fit over the AiP exhausts and make a decision then with the kit exhausts as an alternative.

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Man that looks great John!

 

Ernest

Thank you Ernest!

 

 

Just to satisfy my personal curiosity, I conducted a few more spinner comparisons...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on these informal tests, I am going to use the Quickboost spinner/prop.

 

[MikeMaben]

[Biggles87]

I have the Quickboost set and your research has convinced me to use it.

Thanks.

 

John

[dennismcc]

1 hour ago, Biggles87 said:

I have the Quickboost set and your research has convinced me to use it.

Thanks.

 

John

You and me both.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Thunnus]

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

 

I've painted the AiP 3D-printed exhaust tips but there has been some question as to whether or not they are too big.  So I glued the nose bottom in place to help center the engine within the fuselage.  And I fished out the kit exhausts (which need some putty in the obvious sink marks) for a looksee.

 

And here are the painted AiP exhausts in comparison.

 

The AiP exhaust openings are definitely bigger, with the thinner walls and being cut at a more aggressive angle than the kit pipes.  There is one more factor to consider and that is the brass shroud that gets installed after the pipes go in.  The delicate ends on my copies got bent out of shape so that'll make dry-fitting a challenge.  Let's set that aside for now.

 

As I slowly glue the engine cowling parts into place, I am going to determine if there is an option to keep some of the panels removable.  The two-piece rear engine cowling, which was glued together earlier, now fits very well and is a definite candidate for leaving unglued and removable.  The gun panel does not fit as well so I've elected to glue that one shut. I've also glued in the circular piece that goes in front.  Each piece pulls components closer together and hopefully, everything fits as it is supposed to.  

 

Next to be glued into place are the forward engine cowling parts.  To better manage the seams, I am going to glue the top to port side panel first and let these two parts fuse together without being attached to anything else.

 

Once that joint is firm, I will glue the starboard panel to the top, again leaving it detached from any other part.

 

This last join revealed a pretty good fit overall but there is one corner that is not behaving.  I was very close to applying glue to ALL of the joints to take care of that errant corner but I decided to play with a little more.

 

 

After a little hot water coercion, the 3-part forward engine cowling panel now fits much better, without glue.

 

I still need to verify how the prop spinner fits but for now, I think the engine cowling panels can be removable.

 

The AiP tropical air filter has been glued together but it will also be detachable, with the help of some small magnets.

 

The rear of the Folgore is also developing, with the tail cone glued into place.  I've added a small shim to the front top edge of the AiP rudder to reduce the gap there.

 

And finally a partial peek back into the cockpit to remind us the previous work.  The reflector glass for the San Giorgio gun sight has been knocked askew countless times so I've removed it for now.  It will be re-attached right before the windscreen gets glued into place.

 

[FW190A-5]

One thing leads to another. Akin to building a house of cards. Steady as she goes...

[IainM]

That's looking brilliant!!!!!! Another stellar build in progress from you John!

[Thunnus]

4 hours ago, FW190A-5 said:

One thing leads to another. Akin to building a house of cards. Steady as she goes...

Yes, assembling the engine cowlings was very similar to building a house of cards.  I find it easier to attack it one glue joint at a time.

 

 

3 hours ago, IainM said:

That's looking brilliant!!!!!! Another stellar build in progress from you John!

Thank you Iain!  The build is progressing quite smoothly.  While I question many of Italeri's design decisions with this kit, one thing I cannot fault them for is fit, which has been very very good.

 

I've separated the exhaust shroud from the PE fret and folded them.  I can't get the warped ends straight but that can be taken care of during the gluing stage.  First checking to see if they sit flush WITHOUT the AiP exhausts in place.

 

Sure enough, the AiP exhausts stick out far enough to interfere with the fit of the shrouds so adjustments will need to be made if I'm going to use these together.

 

It's the front exhaust piece that is causing the problems.  Removing it removes the problem... a possible key to a solution?

 

Verifying that I have the same thing happening on the other side.

 

More to come on that issue but for now a review of the cowling parts and air filter components that are now removable.  There are some engine parts that became dislodged during all of this fitting so I'll have to re-attach those bits eventually.

 

Time to check the fit of the Quickboost spinner.  I drilled a hole using my new mini-drill press but I made the mistake of not drilling the hole deep enough and sure enough, the second attempt wasn't quite perfect, resulting in a slightly oblong hole.  

 

 

Not to worry... a better option was to use magnets anyway so I just shifted gears.

 

And here is the Quickboost resin spinner on the fuselage. My research tells me that this is the most accurate of the options I have and I think it looks good too.  The Quickboost spinner comes with its own prop blades which have been temporarily fitted.

 

[scvrobeson]

More awesome progress John! I am wondering if the exhaust stacks are far enough forward? Seems like the first pipe should be much closer to that front fairing, if not tucking under it like it does on other planes? That might solve the issues with the deflector plate.

 

 

Matt 

[Rob Owens]

Yet another Museum Piece in need of a museum. . .

[Greif8]

Continued top quality work John.  It does seem that fit issues tend to "snowball" on some kits much more than others.

 

Ernest