A detailed discussion of the history, kit contents, and basic construction of the C.202 can be found in the two other reviews of this kit on Modeling Madness. Rather than bore the reader with details again, I will say that everything experienced by the other reviewers was valid! The only significant difference was that I chose to model the other decal option present with the kit, an aircraft of the 96 Squadriglia 9 Gruppo 4 Stormo that has an unusual camouflage scheme.

The paint scheme of this particular aircraft is an interesting pattern of dark brown and sand yellow spots over the standard dark green camouflage usually present on most Macchi aircraft. My first order of business was to spray the white fuselage band, propeller spinner, and forward fuselage with Testors Model Master (TMM) Flat White. After letting that dry a bit, I next sprayed TMM Neutral Gray around the wing roots as indicated in the painting diagram. I let the paint dry overnight and then masked off these areas with Tamiya masking tape in preparation for the bottom coat of TMM RLM 78. After shooting the undersides of the wings and stabilizer with this blue-gray mix, I masked them off to allow for the leading edge to be painted with the topside colors. The first coat to be applied was Aeromaster Enamel RLM 71 for the dark green color over the entire airframe including underside fuselage. Next I free hand sprayed Floquil Enamel RLM 79 in a random spotted pattern over the green. The last spray coat was a detailed covering of the Sand Yellow with TMM Italian Dark Brown allowing the edges of the RLM 79 to show. After the paint scheme cured for a day, I shot a light coat of Future to prepare the surface for decaling.

The decals supplied with the kit are not the best. They are quite thick and prone to silvering. In addition, they wrinkled quite heavily when MicroSol setting solution was applied. I applied a few extra coats of MicroSol to flatten most of the wrinkling. After drying overnight, I wiped the decals off with a moist cloth with Pollys Plastic Prep to remove any residue. After drying, I shot a very light coat of Future thinned with rubbing alcohol (50-50 mix) over the decals to seal them. For weathering, I chose to accentuate the engraved panel lines and surface detail with a light burnt umber oil wash.

I then sealed everything with a light coat of PS Flat Finish to provide a surface for pastel application. I then used a pastel pencil to lightly highlight the panel detail on the wings/tail surfaces. I then randomly applied some ground up burnt umber pastels with a soft brush to simulate dirt staining on the lower surfaces. Lastly, I applied a heavy burnt umber oil wash to the wheels and control surface joins. Finally, a light coat of PS Flat Finish was shot to seal the pastels and provide a worn, weathered desert look.

This is an excellent model of an important WW II aircraft. Overall the quality and accuracy are quite good, but due to the large number of slightly different variants of the C.202 it is difficult to comment extensively of the accuracy of this specific variant. I highly recommend this kit for all levels of builders including beginners.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has over 800 visits a day, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.