Special Hobby 1/48 Re.2005 'Sagittario'

The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario (English: Archer, Sagittarius) was an Italian monoplane fighter and fighter-bomber produced for the Regia Aeronautica during the later years of World War II. Along with the Macchi C.202/C.205 and Fiat G.55, the Reggiane Re.2005 was one of the three Serie 5 Italian fighters. The lines of the fuselage were aerodynamically efficient, and the design was intended to exploit the famous Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The only drawback was a certain structural weakness in the rear section of the fuselage. Only 48 examples had been delivered before the Armistice, and these fighters took part in the defence of Naples, Rome and Sicily, with the survivors battling above the crumbling ruins of Berlin, in German insignia. British ace and military observer, Group Captain Duncan Smith, DSO DFC, said that "The Re.2005 was altogether a superb, potent aeroplane".

This new release is tooled to Special Hobby's usual high standards and thankfully, does not rely on photo etch or resin to provide smaller parts. The cockpit pieces are nicely done and there are some separate bits for the sidewalls as well as the cockpit floor. The seat is molded in two parts, which will leave a seam that will be difficult to remove. A nice decal is provided for the instrument panel. With the interior finished, one turns to the tail gear assembly, which includes the gear well. The leg must be installed at this time due to the way it is attached so one needs to build some sort of protection over it so it isn't broken during subsequent handling. To install the cockpit, a frame section needs to be removed from both fuselage halves so it will fit.

Once the fuselage halves are glued together, then the tailplanes and an upper cowling piece can be attached along with the supercharger intake. Next comes the one piece canopy, various small bulges for the upper fuselage, exhaust and the prop assembly. Note that it appears the actual exhaust pieces can be installed after painting. Same goes for the prop assembly. Prop blades are separate on this one.

Turning to the wings the landing gear wells need to be built up and the gear legs, struts, and guns installed before attaching these to the lower wing. Again, the gear legs must be attached during the build up of the gear wells. Construction then turns to the lower radiator bath, wheels, and gear doors, which completes the model.

Instructions are a color booklet that provides Gunze and generic color information. There are four markings options, all of which are dark green over light grey. Two are with 362a Squadriglia in June of 1944 with the R.A. One is with the ANR in October of 1943 and the fourth is a German aircraft with JG 77 in October 1943.

Nice to see this one released. The 2005 was one of those 'too little, too late' aircraft that had performance equivalent or better than Allied types, but was unable to make much of a difference in the outcome of the war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggiane_Re.2005_Sagittario

November 2021

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