Fiat G.50 Freccia or: with shorts in autumnal Belgium.

The Fiat G.50 Freccia belongs to the generation of fighter aircraft that was to be the first to implement the innovations in aircraft development of the mid-1930s: the design as a monoplane in all-metal shell construction, a retractable landing gear and an aerodynamically favourable closed pilot's cockpit. The fact that this generational leap could succeed is shown by the example of two successive successful models that Hawker provided for the Royal Air Force: the legendary Hawker Fury I biplane was the recognisable inspiration for the no less legendary Hawker Hurricane. Fiat's attempt to derive a new-generation monoplane fighter from a highly successful biplane fighter with rigid landing gear and an open cockpit, the C.R 42 Falco, was to lead to a somewhat more mixed result. How did this come about?

About the Fiat G.50 ‘Freccia'
In 1935, Regia Aeronautica issued a call for tenders for a new standard fighter aircraft, and the promise of a major order set Italy's aircraft manufacturers in motion. When the competing designs from Reggiane, Macchi, Caproni, IMAM and Fiat competed against each other in the spring of 1936, the Turin-based company was able to assert itself as the established and well-connected top dog. This came as little surprise, as Fiat's chief developer Celetino Rosatelli had been supplying Italy's air force with successful designs such as the C.R. 30, C.R. 32 and C.R-42 for years; the last two in particular had become the epitome of the Italian fighter weapon.

However, this time Fiat did not rely on the proven designer Rosatelli, who was already busy developing the B.R.20 Cicogna bomber at the time, to carry out the project, but believed it had found the right man for the new challenges in the young Guiseppe Gabrilli. This young engineer had indeed created something new and innovative on the basis of the performance required in the tender: as an all-metal aircraft with retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit, the Fiat G.50 actually had all the features of a modern fighter aircraft that would be able to compete with the international competition. Rosatelli's design was declared the winner even before the second-placed Macchi 200, which was also ordered in small series, and after the construction of two prototypes, an initial series of 45 aircraft was ordered.

The first flight and subsequent testing of the new ‘Freccia', or ‘Arrow', took place from February 1937. There was also little time for operational testing: immediately after delivery of the first batch, the first Fiat G.50s were subjected to very real testing: as part of the ‘Gruppo Sperimentale da Caccia' set up for this purpose, the first Fiat G.50s were transported to Spain, where they were to demonstrate their potential as fighters on Franco's side against the Republican aircraft fleet. The ‘Freccia' proved to be superior or even equal to models such as the I-152 and even the I-16 ‘Rata', but one negative experience was to lead to a characteristic modification: at speeds above 350 km/h, the sliding canopy of the new Fiat became wedged in such a way that the pilot was trapped under the glazing. The cockpits were quickly modified so that the sliding part of the cockpit was simply removed and instead only two side glazing panels were raised from the side walls.

Despite the plans to equip the Regia Aeronautica quickly and on a large scale with advanced monoplanes, when Italy entered the war in June 1940, only a meagre 89 Fiat G.50s and 77 Macchi 200s were in service with the front-line units. However, it was not only these production figures that were sobering, but also the initial experience gained in action against the new French and British opponents. When they came up against Morane Saulnier M.S. 406s or Bloch 151s, it became clear that the G.50's main advantage was its incredible manoeuvrability, while the enemy had the edge in other parameters such as speed, firepower and armour protection. The Macchi 200, although originally ranked second, proved to be a fighter aircraft with great potential. Subsequent equipment with licence versions of German DB 601 and 605 in-line engines was to turn Macchi's basic design into one of the best fighter aircraft of the war in the form of the MC.202 Folgore and MC 205 Veltro.

About the aircraft: Fiat G.50 II Freccia MM5372, 20°Gruppo, 56° Stormo C.T. /Corpo Aereo Italiano
It was a somewhat daring move when, for reasons of prestige, the Italian leadership ordered the Germans to deploy a detachment of around 170 aircraft from the Regia Aeronautica on the Channel coast - in the midst of the fierce struggle during the ‘Battle of Britain'. This unit, known as the Corpo Aero Italiano (C.A.I.), comprised a mixed group of bombers, transport and fighter aircraft and was to be protected by 32 Fiat G.50s of the 20° Gruppo/ 56° Stormo CT, in addition to the CR.42 biplanes, which, although tried and tested, had fallen completely behind in this theatre.

The German Luftwaffe had sent the uninvited guests to airfields in the Belgian hinterland under the control of its Luftflotte 2. The location somewhat away from the ‘hottest' zones of the battlefield perhaps helped to ensure that the 20° Gruppo only suffered losses due to accidents during the transfer flights and, if the sources are to be believed, the Fiat G.50s did not have to face a single dogfight with Hurricanes or Spitfires of the RAF. For all the courage and skill of the Italian pilots, these would have been unequal encounters: for one thing, the G.50 had neither self-sealing tanks nor any form of armour protection, and for another, they were completely inadequately armed with two 12.7mm Breda SAFAT machine guns. Moreover, the meagre range of 445 kilometres would not have permitted any further-reaching combat missions over the British Isles.
The model presented here shows the personal aircraft of Major Mario Bonzano, commander of the 20° Gruppo, which was stationed in Maldegem, Belgium, as part of the CAI between August 1940 and spring 1941.

The experience gained during the first months of the war was incorporated into the improved G.50bis version. With an armour plate behind the pilot's seat, it now had at least rudimentary armour protection and self-sealing tanks, while an extended rear cone and a revised undercarriage fairing helped to limit the effects of the associated increase in weight. A total of around 850 G.50 and G.50bis were produced before Italy's withdrawal. This also included a two-seater trainer variant that was produced in considerable numbers: depending on the source, either 109 or even 138 examples Until Italy's withdrawal, the ‘Freccia' was in service in Italy, North Africa and over the Balkans. However, the number of aircraft available was quickly reduced, especially in North Africa: the Fiat A74RC38 radial engine used in all versions proved - like all Fiat engines - to be extremely susceptible to failure when operating in sandy environments. Trials with sand filters and new engine versions came to nothing. A complete conversion to a new in-line engine, as with the Macchi 200, was no longer an option for the G.50, whose potential had obviously been exhausted. By the time of the armistice in September 1943, there were only 47 operational aircraft left.

The G.50 wrote its own chapter in the far north: in 1940, 35 new G.50s of the original version were delivered to Finland, which were used by the Finns against the Red Army until 1944. However, it was also confirmed here that the G.50 was able to assert itself thanks to its manoeuvrability against models such as the I-152, Gloster Gladiator or Avia B-534, but had a more than difficult time against the new generation of monoplane fighters.

Kit and building process
After a series of small-scale projects that were rather demanding in terms of kit quality, I was once again in the mood for something ‘big' and uncomplicated: the Special Hobby kit of the Fiat fighter, which had been lying on the shelf for some time, was just what I needed!
Perhaps this starting point also had something to do with the fact that I remember the subsequent building process as being particularly entertaining, uncomplicated and therefore quite enjoyable.

You do have to come to terms with the need to clean up some of the parts and remove the fish skin, but this effort remains very manageable. I remember the accuracy of fit as being very good throughout. It is therefore not surprising that the parts quickly come together to form the characteristic shapes of a Fiat G.50.

However, a little initiative is required when assembling the really beautiful and detailed 14-cylinder radial engine cast in resin: the pushrods and the ignition cables have to be improvised by the builder: however, wire rods cut to length and copper wire of a suitable thickness lead to a quick and uncomplicated result.
Otherwise, the kit provides everything that is necessary for an attractive result. With this in mind, I also used the harness supplied to depict the pilot's seat as well as the sliding picture for the instrument panel, which I reworked a little with a brush. I also liked the representation of the two MG barrels with resin; the fine detailing of the two clearly visible parts really enhances the overall impression. As is typical for Special Hobby, the decals included are also impressive due to the precision of the printing, the fineness of the carrier film and the resulting uncomplicated and easy handling!

To liven up the ‘Belgian' scenery that I had in mind as the background for the shots of the completed model, I asked the three gentlemen from the ICM figure set ‘Italian Pilots in tropical uniforms' to come into the picture. With their shorts, they are perhaps a little freshly dressed for autumnal Maldegem, but their obviously good mood seems to bring some warmth into the picture.

Conclusion: even if the real-life prototype is not the great success that Fiat would have hoped for, Special Hobby's model of the G.50 Freccia is exactly that for me: a very well-equipped, accurately fitting kit that is uncomplicated in terms of the number of parts and their quality, which can really fulfil the promise of an enjoyable and manageably short building pleasure! I highly recommend it to anyone with some experience in the use of resin and etched parts.

29 additional images. Click to enlarge.