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Roland Sachsenhofer
168 articles

Little known, but impressive: Reggiane R.2005 Sagittario

September 12, 2020 · in Aviation · · 14 · 2K

As efficient and highly advanced as the Italian aviation industry of the 1930s appeared to be, it was not possible to produce powerful in-line engines. When the war broke out, at the latest, the industry had to admit that it had lost ground in this field and could not keep up with its own developments in international comparison.

A solution was hoped to be found in the licensed construction of German DB 601 and DB 605 engines. The former was used as the R.A.1000 R.C. 41-1 Monsone in successful fighter aircraft such as the M.C.202 or the Reggiane Re.2001, while for the DB 605 vulgo Fiat R.A.1050 R.C.58 Tifone, a new generation of high-performance fighters was to be constructed, the so-called Series 5.

Two designs made it to the final round of the selection process for the new Series 5 fighter. Although the Fiat G.55 Centauro was chosen as the winner in May 1942 after a comparative flight, the competitor Reggiane 2005 made such a lasting impression with its superior flight performance that it was also put into production in a small series.

A total of 48 were to be delivered until the collapse of fascist Italy, which were used by a single unit, the 362a Squadriglia of the 22nd Gruppo, in the Naples-Rome area.

Sagittarios also flew on the side of the fascist successor state of the so-called "Italian Social Republic". The German Luftwaffe, impressed by the model, finally put the remaining aircraft into service. According to sources, they were still being used in the final battles over Berlin.

My model shows one of the aircraft offered in the kit. Re.2005 MM 092351 was used in the summer of 1943 by the 362a Squadriglia, 22nd Gruppo from Capua to defend against heavy US bombers flying attacks in the Naples area. By the way, the tail of this aircraft is still the only surviving original part of a Re.2005 Sagittario, all other specimens were lost in the course of history.

In 2020 this kit from appeared as one of the rare occasions to build a model of this impressive though not too well known aircraft in this scale. It should be noted that only one year earlier a similar kit had been released by Sword.

Special Hobby's offer includes a solid and well-designed multimedia kit, which gives the term "short run" a further positive charge. The result of 19 steps is an uncomplicated and impressive representation of this shapely aeroplane.

In my case a few resin parts have been used. This concerns both the prominent intake nozzle of the turbocharger and the exhaust system. In the latter case, the replacement of the kit parts is a clearly visible improvement of the appearance, which I would also recommend based on my current experience.

The tyres of the chassis were also exchanged for resin, but all Mg and cannon muzzles, the Pitot tubes and the position lights at the wingtips are homemade. Since they are not included in the kit, the seat belts and a scratched part instrument panel were added to the cockpit.

It is really nice that Special Hobby offers a contemporary and easy to realize kit of this interesting and yet quite rare built fighter. So I would like to say: thank you, keep up the good work!

Reader reactions:
13  Awesome

12 additional images. Click to enlarge.


14 responses

  1. Impressive build of this Sagittario, Roland.
    Really like the details on the interior.
    Never build an Italian myself, but yours makes me feel like to start one as well.

  2. I love seeing something different. You've done this up really well. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Well done. A beautiful looking machine

  4. Great job. All the Reggianes still look like stretched P-35s. šŸ™‚

  5. Nice work! I got one to the painting stage last month, then stepped on the canopy which somehow found its way underfoot at my workbench. I found a vac replacement online and it arrived last week. I hope to finish it late this month. Iā€™m impressed by the kit. I really like the gear bays.

  6. Thank you all for your kind words! I am quite taken with these Italian designs and would like to have a few more of these classics follow.

  7. This is another one of your wonderful builds, Roland @rosachsenhofer!
    I particularly like the use of resin at the exact places it is needed, otherwise those areas would look toyish or "out of scale".
    As always, we were treated with a great presentation.
    Thanks for sharing!

  8. This is a beautiful plane ! Almost every one of the Italian aircraft were graceful in appearance. You did a fine job with building yours. Two thumbs up my friend ! I pressed the liked button too.

    What colors did you use for your model ? It looks fantastic !

  9. This is a very nice build. I like all the Italian aircraft - especially the in-line fighters as they have such a sleek look.

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