Macchi 205 "Castoldi"

The Macchi 205 "Castoldi" meaning Greyhound in Italian was a development of the earlier Macchi 200 Saetta and 202 Folgore but fitted with a more powerful German Daimler Benz engine.

The Folgore went into service with the Regia Aeronautica in July 1941 and immediately proved to be an effective and deadly dogfighter. The Australian ace Clive Caldwell, who fought a wide variety of German, Italian and Japanese fighters during 1941–45, later stated that the C.202 was "one of the best and most undervalued of fighters". Nonetheless, the C.202 had its defects: like its predecessor, the Macchi C.200, it could fall in dangerous autorotation. It was insufficiently armed, with just two machine guns that easily jammed. The radios were unreliable, forcing the pilots to communicate by waggling wings. The oxygen system was inefficient, causing 50 to 60 per cent of the pilots to break missions off, sometimes even causing fatal accidents.

FEATURES:

• - Balsa and lite-ply construction
• -- MECHANICAL Retracts w/ wire struts available
• - Fully covered in weathered detail
• - Fiberglass cowling
• - Hand painted pilot
• - Control surfaces pre-hinged and installed