Macchi C.202 Folgore ‘Franco Lucchini’
Hi, iModeler friends.
Here's my second post - Macchi C.202 flown by Capt. Franco Lucchini.
Built from Hasegawa 1/72 kit.
In 2005, I read Sky Model magazine and found Mr. Arrigo Babini's fantastic MC.202. From then, I've been dreaming of making this Folgore with unique pattern and diffrent color schemes. I'm so satisfied with what I've done by free-hand airbrushing (with 0.18mm nozzle).
I hope you enjoy. Thanks.
Paintwork is fabulous!
Thank you for your kind word!
What a crazy, cool looking plane! It's hard to believe that camo scheme is even real. Great execution too.
It's what happens when you need a spare wing and the only one available was salaged off another wreck.
As Tom said, this is a real camo. I represent a Folgore flown by an Italian WW2 ace, Franco Lucchini, in 1942. I think her right wing and aft engine cover would have been replaced with other Italian planes in different paint and camo patterns. This was what intrigued me, and made me decide to build.
That is just amazing - especially considering the scale. Thanks for posting the WIP pics also, so we could follow your process. Love it!
I somewhat feel sorry because I haven't attached any WIP pic during painting camos. I was so focused on airbrushing at that time, that I couldn't spend time taking pictures.
Always amazed at 1:72 builds that turn out this good. Beyond my skills—exceptional work.
Great honorable comment... Thank you.
This looks like it's 1/48 - a mark of how good your painting skills are. Really nice result!
Unfortunately, I have "All thumbs" in painting... This time, I'm so lucky to have enough time for concentrating myself in airbush work. (My wife and kids went out a whole day for visiting my parents-in-law. haha...)
Very cool paint scheme and you did a spectacular job with it. I'd like to know more about your airbrush technique, especially for the "smoke ring" camo portions. Did you thin the paint way down and go over the lines over and over again, or did you use a more normal thinner ratio and do them in one or two passes?
I hope I could post a how-to pictorial article for painting WW2 italian smoke-rings...
To be brief, here's my experience... (not a skill or technique, but an exprience)
[1] Use 2 airbrushes at the same time. One for base color, the other for camo. The finer airbrush you have, the better result you will get. I used GSI creos' 0.18mm thing (for camo) and Richpen 0.3mm one (for base).
[2] Thinner dilution ratio depends on what size of nozzle your airbrush has. From my experience, it's not so strongly related with complexity of patterns you'd paint. (Of course, freak pattern needs fine airbrush...)
[3] Regarding smoke-ring or any pattern with thin (or narrow) stroke, there's no royal way to airbrush them at once. Main idea to represent such pattern is "Trim camo strokes." No matter how precise or beautiful you airbrushed camos, it's much more important (and effective, easy) to trim camo's outline with "Base colors."
[4] Once you finish trimming stage, re-airbrush camo's outline with its color. In many cases, camo color is darker than base one, so camo color should be final to paint.
Great looking airplane build and painting the VERY unique pattern! When I first saw it, I thought it was something you dreamed up. Now that I know it's real, I'm MUCH more impressed. It does look like a much larger plane.
Well done!
I'm a fan of 1/72 fleet... Very honourable to have your kind words...
Cool!
Simple but impressive word!
All of the above, and on a personal note: well worth time from 2009 to 2019. It’s one of the best RA Macchi to model because due to its unique combo of factory camouflages. Cannibalization of pieces & parts taken from spent airframes was never so interesting as in this one. Your Macchi does full justice, Congratulations!
Pedro, You completely understand why I became interested in this Folgore scheme : her patchwork look.
By the way... May I kindly ask you why you mention a year of 2009? What does the year mean to you? If my Folgore gave you a meaning of a decade, it would be so honorable to me.
What a spetacular build! I, too, would like to know more about how you airbrushed those smoke rings!
Thanks, Thiago. Please refer to my reply posted above.
Simply outstanding detail and paint work, sir...that looks GREAT !
Thank you, Mr. Abrahamson. I'll do my best to keep posting things that make all iMolder friends happy!
Nicely done, especially in that scale. I like it.
like everybody else said that is some tight airbrushing
Un trabajo de pintura realmente bueno.
He said "A really good painting job"