SMER 1/50 Reggiane Re.2000 Falco, Italian Air Force 100 GB

The Re.2000 was intentionally designed to compete for orders under “Programma Erre”, a comprehensive effort launched in 1938 targeting towards the enactment of several improvements throughout the Regia Aeronautica.

Despite having very little time, Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SpA, under the influence of aeronautical engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni, came with a design strongly influenced by the Seversky P-35 but nevertheless fresh, with its aerodynamic characteristics greatly benefiting from a series of wind tunnel tests held at Caproni's facility in Taliedo, Milan.

The resulting Re.2000 was a modern, highly streamlined design, featuring a sophisticated elliptical wing. Construction, save the control surfaces, was all-metal and of stressed skin, landing gear was retractable with pneumatic brakes, the tail wheel was both retractable and steerable and the canopy was designed to provide good all-round visibility.

Flight tests commencing in mid-1939 quickly demonstrated the type's favorable flying attitude with good speed and high maneuverability, only needing minor modifications to refine the design. The prototype proved its worth even further upon being delivered to the Experimental Establishment of the Regia Aeronautica by August 1939, outperforming even modern fighters such as the MC 200 and even the Bf 109E.

However, together with the great performance, some shortcomings started to arise. A technical report produced by the Air Ministry, judged the placing of the integral fuel tanks within the wings to be highly vulnerable and prone to leaks, as well as posing manufacturing challenges. The negative conclusions of the report were catastrophic for the project, as they directly led to the immediate cancellation of their 12 pre-production frames, along with the instruction given to Reggiane to prepare the necessary tooling for a wider production run aiming to 188 aircraft.

Still, the Italian government authorized Reggiane to promote the type for sales on the global market, effectively offering the programme a reprieve. Rejuvenated, the company decided to privately proceed with the production of the original batch of 188 fighters that had been canceled, so that immediate delivery could be offered to foreign customers.

Marketed towards various interested countries, many of which had been incentivised towards such purchases as a consequence of the war breaking out, the type attracted some potential customers. In the end, Hungary ordered 70 aircraft and Sweden opted to procure a batch of 60 machines, with the plane accordingly used much more prominently by those air forces than by the Regia Aeronautica at home. In fact, 80 per cent of the total Re.2000 production went to these two countries. Other countries had also exhibited interest in the aircraft, but ultimately did not place orders.

Though the Swedish appreciated the plane's performance, especially under harsh conditions, they were put aside by its mechanical reliability, normally spending a great deal of time in maintenance.

The Falco had a more engrossing life in the Hungarian Air Force, which became a significant purchaser of Italian aircraft in general, following Germany's reluctance to supply them with their own planes. Becoming the main operator of the Re.2000, Hungary not only bought 70 examples, but also acquired the license-production rights to produce a total of around 200 aircraft (170-203, according to various sources), known as MÁVAG Héja (Hawk) II. The machines were built between 1940 and 1942 and featured a different engine and Hungarian machine guns.

With its flight characteristics markedly different from the Fiat CR.32, from which Hungarian pilots frequently converted, the Falco was much more prone to handling difficulties, especially stalls and spins, let alone reliability issues, so accidents were common. After a steel plate was added behind the cockpit for pilot protection, the resulting shift in the aircraft's center of gravity only made things worse, leading to more frequent accidents.

Nevertheless, the determined Hungarian pilots, backed up by the equally determined Hungarian engineers who were essentially dealing with an endless maintenance challenge, kept on flying combat missions and scored a number of kills against the Soviets.

Reggiane further developed the Re.2000 to the “GA” (Grande Autonomia) version. Featuring additional 340-liter fuel tanks, which was primarily achieved by sealing off the cells of the outer wing structure, the type's purpose was to function as a modern long range reconnaissance aircraft for the Regia Marina. Though heavier, slower and expectedly more unreliable compared to the original Re.2000, this version was interestingly favored by the Air Ministry. Intended to have been used to reach Eastern Africa, it was not ready to enter operational service until after the Armistice of Cassibile (Italy's surrender to the Allied Powers) came into effect.

The final derivative was the Re.2000bis, featuring a more powerful engine and was only manufactured in small numbers. While some consideration was made at Reggiane towards the adoption of a more conventional three-spar wing with normal fuel tanks instead, only a prototype conforming to this configuration was authorized and this would subsequently become the basis for the Re.2002 ground attack aircraft and the formidable Re.2005 Sagittario.

This is the ancient Artiplast mold reboxed by SMER, a by all means basic kit with challenging fit. It was built through our friend's @airbum magnificent "Italian Air Force 100th", a Group Build to commemorate the 100 years after Regia Aeronautica's establishment as an independent force:
https://imodeler.com/groups/italian-air-force-100th/

Should you wish to read the full build review, you might do so by visiting my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/ity/fighter/pen2000.htm

Happy Modelling!