Italeri Macchi C.202 Folgore. FINISHED… well almost!

[Thunnus]

Excellent!  Very curious to see the view into the engine compartment from the wheel wells!

[quang]

1 hour ago, Thunnus said:

Very curious to see the view into the engine compartment from the wheel wells!

A lot can be seen but IMO not the whole lot .

 

[zaxos345]

Awesome work so far Quang!!!! 

 

John

[quang]

One last look before CLOSING THE FUSELAGE.

Last details added to the cockpit: pilot harness (I was amazed to find that the infamous linked chains suspended the seat from the bulkhead like a playground swing), San Gorgio type B gunsight (very fiddly), …

 

I was glad to realize that the complete cabin was perfectly centered and adjusted at first try. 

 

The rather well-detailed tailwheel in situ. I kept the the kit part because it would be too difficult to convert it to the earlier sans-scissor version.

I’m a coward, I know.

 

Firewall/spar fits A-OK

 

The only spot which requires putty

 

I broke (and lost) the RH arch in front of the gun cover. So I decided to close it and repair afterwards.

 

A thin plasticard shim is needed on both side to put the cover at level.

 

The windscreen fits perfectly.

The rib details are not as bad as some internet experts believe.
I’d wait to see how they appear under the camouflage before taking a decision.

And … the sharp-eyed may also have noticed that the Matchbox trenches have been replaced with ‘positive’ panel lines à la Monogram. Not exactly realist but … we’ll see! 
Thank you everybody for looking. Your questions and comments are welcome.

Until next time,

Cheers,

Quang

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by quang

[dennismcc]

That looks very good to me.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Steve Eagle]

Nice work. Thanks for “falling on the sword” for us. Haven’t ordered one yet, but definitely looking forward to getting one

[Dpgsbody55]

Looks good so far.  How did you go about fixing the matchbox trenches?

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[quang]

2 hours ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

How did you go about fixing the matchbox trenches?

I wanted to replicate this type of joint I’m seeing on this museum replica:

 

I used the classic method of filling the kit trenches with stretched sprue. The issue is how to achieve the same thickness on every panel line.
Still not getting there but I’m working at it. 

[alain11]

hi

maybe you could use fishing line 

[mc65]

it looks like that panel is overlapping the belly, joined by a double row of rivets. Interesting.
perhaps I would use the joint line as a reference, and reduce the thickness of the ventral panel near the line, sanding just enough to give it uniformity.

 

obviously the one in the photo is the specimen exhibited at the Smithsonian, not a replica, otherwise I wouldn't trust it too much. unfortunately also the specimen exhibited in the museum of Vigna di Valle is not super reliable, as a reference, having spare parts added to complete it. nevertheless, as soon as I can I will go and photograph it as exhaustively as possible.

 

in the meantime, I just have to study the available publications. in this sense, I continue to be puzzled by the visible gap between the bulkhead behind the armor plate and the fuselage. from these photos there does not seem to be air between these two parts, nor would it be logical there was, imho.

Great work on this kit, I'm following avidly it!

Cheers, Paolo

Edited August 27, 2023 by mc65

[mc65]

Oh, speaking about the seat and its bizarre locking system (not to mention the medieval seat belts) I believe that the two chains at the top had the function of preventing the seat from projecting forward in the event of sudden deceleration (i.e. a belly landing).
 

from this image we can see how the seat is bolted to the lower structure, which allowed it to be adjusted vertically, and how the two chains do not seem to have a permanent support function, rather than limiting the horizontal movements of the seat itself.

my usual two cents, of course!

sincerely, P.

[quang]

42 minutes ago, mc65 said:

Oh, speaking about the seat and its bizarre locking system (not to mention the medieval seat belts) I believe that the two chains at the top had the function of preventing the seat from projecting forward in the event of sudden deceleration (i.e. a belly landing).
 

from this image we can see how the seat is bolted to the lower structure, which allowed it to be adjusted vertically, and how the two chains do not seem to have a permanent support function, rather than limiting the horizontal movements of the seat itself.

my usual two cents, of course!

sincerely, P.

Paolo, your two cents do make sense 

When I started building this kit, I had the feeling that Italeri did more research -and know more about the C.202 - than we think.

The image you just posted demonstrates that they gave us everything needed to make an accurate cockpit providing that we, modellers know how it worked and looked like in real life.

 

Should I have your documents before I started, I’d have proceeded differently.
Also it would have been much easier to fill up the gap behind the bulkhead before closing the fuselage but then again… no regrets. 

 

1 hour ago, alain11 said:

maybe you could use fishing line 

The reason I used stretched sprue is that it’s the same material as the kit plastic. It would give a better bond and leave no mark if I decide to suppress it.

Anyhow thank you for your tip.

Cheers,

Quang

[HB252]

I like your build, and I like the model kit

 

Maybe, late, but I think that the 3D effect is losing when you put the decal in the indtrument panel? 

You see the decal in "real Life" ( no photos) , what do you think about It?

 

 

 

[quang]

53 minutes ago, HB252 said:

Maybe, late, but I think that the 3D effect is losing when you put the decal in the indtrument panel? 

You see the decal in "real Life" ( no photos) , what do you think about It?

 

Oh I’ve never been so keen about the 3D IP decals so fashionable these days. They can look fabulous to some when they’re photographe flat on on a white background but IMO they don’t add anything to the overall look especially once installed in the cockpit.
Likewise I’d rather see Italeri providing us with a ‘classic’ IP with decals for the instrument faces and reducing the asking price of the kit instead.

 

3 hours ago, mc65 said:

 

in the meantime, I just have to study the available publications. in this sense, I continue to be puzzled by the visible gap between the bulkhead behind the armor plate and the fuselage. from these photos there does not seem to be air between these two parts, nor would it be logical there was, imho.

 

That gap puzzled me as well so I closed it. 

[Steve Eagle]

Since photos seem to show the panel lines overlapped, you might try to fill the panel lines. Follow this with laying down tape along the filled panel lines on the lower side. After that is done, spray several coats of primer/paint evenly on the upper side. Once this dries, remove the tape. You can then assess whether this gives you the lapped panel line look you need. Repeat if needed.  Use fine sand paper to very!!! gently refine the edge.  I have done this with a Hellcat model, and it represents the lapped panel line well once final coats are applied. It’s just another way to approach the issue. I’ll plan on this myself.