Macchi C.202, 70^sqd 23°gruppo 3°stromo

If you ask me, one of the prettiest and most sleek aircraft of WWII was definitely Macchi C.202 Folgore "Thunderbolt". It's typical stylish Italian design reminds me of all the famous Italian sports cars.
It was designed by Mario Costoldi and received letter C in its model designation, but was often referred to as C.202 or MC.202. It was developed from an earlier C.200 Saetta with an Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine and a redesigned fuselage. It was considered to be one of the best Italian WWI fighters to serve Regia Aeronautica and operated on all fronts Italy was involved in.
It came into service with Regia Aeronautica in July 1941 and immediately proved to be very effective and deadly. But C.202 had its defects - like C.200 it could enter into a deadly spin and lacked of any serious armament. Also it had a poor radio and oxygen system.
The Macchi C.202 saw extensive service in Malta, North Africa, Eastern front and Italy. Germany used some captured specimens and Croatia also received a batch of Folgori but it was "too little too late".

The kit presents a C.202 from the 70^sqd 23°gruppo 3°stromo located in St. Cerveteri near Rome.

The kit is a fine Hasegawa which lacks some details so I used an Eduard PE set. I decided to go with an open hood to show the DB601 engine (from the BF109E Eduard's model which I have in stash). The model was completely riveted and painted with Gunze colors. I used Skymodel decals which are great with one exception - the fasci insignia is too large but in any case better than those awful Hasegawa decals.