Rare
birds: Reggiane Re-2000 ”Falco” 1 : 72 – Supermodel 10-002
The
plane:
The
Reggiane Re-2000 was designed by a design bureau led by Engineer Longhi. Longhi
worked at Uppercu Burnelli Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of Uppercu
Cadillac Corporation. That is where he got acquainted with the Seversky P-35,
upon which he modelled his new design.
The
prototype first took to the air in May 1939. Although the aircraft was an
advanced design, it was rejected by the Italian authorities. The main objection
was that the wing fuel tanks were unprotected.
Technical
data:
Wignspan:
11 m
Length:
7,99 m
Height:
3,20 m
Max.
speed: 530 km/h
Armament:
2 db 12,7 mm guns in the cowling, later 2 more in the wings
Power
plant: Piaggio P-XI RC 40, 1000 HP
Major
versions:
I
(=Intercettore)
Cat
(=Catapultabile, on board ships)
GA
(=Grande Autonomie) long range
BIS:
equipped with the Piaggio P. IX Bis motor
Click on
images below to see larger images
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This
particular aircraft was the personal mount of Istvan Horthy, Deputy Governor of
Hungary, the son or Regent Miklos Horthy. It was in V.4+21 that Horthy crashed
and died at 05:07 a. m. on the 20th of August 1942. His death launched some
gossip and a series of wild rumours, including conspiration theories suggesting
that Horthy’s plane was sabotaged by the German secret service. The reason was
supposed to be the worry of the Germans that the popular Deputy Governor, who
had studied in the U. S. and who had good connections with American and English
politicians, was going to get Hungary, ”the reluctant ally,” out of the war.
The 20th of August is the national holiday of Hungary, and it is unlikely that
the Abwehr chose such a conspicuous date for the murder. It was also suggested
that Horthy was inexperienced with the Reggiane, as he had only flown a total of
75 hours in the type. His general skills as an aviator were not questioned, as
he had flown from Budapest to Bombay and back in an Arado sports plane before
the war. He also appeared to have some experience with the Italian
fighter, as earlier in August he shot down a Yak and on another occasion he
returned to his airfield with eight bullet holes in his Reggiane. It is a
more likely explanation that one of the frequent malfunctions of the Piaggio
engine occurred, and the altitude of about 300 m was not sufficient for the
pilot to carry out some maneuver and correct the sudden loss of engine
performance. Horthy’s widow, Countess Edelsheim-Gyulai now lives in
Australia with her second husband.
The model. Supermodel’s
kit is not a new one. The panel lines are raised, and we get nothing in terms of
cabin interior. Apart from that, the kit builds into a nice model, with not too
many problems during the construction. A small amount of filler was needed at
the wing roots. As the canopy was nice and clear (despite the long years it
floated in the box), I produced a symbolic instrument panel. Three decal
versions are supplied with the kit: one Swedish, one Italian (Navy) and one
Hungarian, with the old wedge-type markings. I used the old H.A.D. decal sheet (www.had.hu).
Horthy’s decals have recently been released by Toff as well (www.toff.hu).
The Czech Special Hobby now produces a Reggiane kit in 1:72, with more detail
and recessed panel lines. The kit contains Horthy’s markings among others.
Tom
Click on
images below to see larger images
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