Special Hobby 1/48 Reggiane Re.2005 SagittarioReviewed by Brad Cancian
Item: SH48206
Scale: 1/48
Price: 560 Kč / $26.00 USD, direct from Special HobbyReview kit kindly provided by Special Hobby at
https://www.specialhobby.eu/en/our-own-production/reggiane-re-2005-sagittario-ultimate-italian-wwii-fighter-1.htmlItaly’s Ultimate FighterThe Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario (English: Archer) was an Italian fighter / fighter bomber produced for the Regia Aeronautica during the later years of World War II. The aircraft was a development of the Re.2000 radial engine fighter, fitted with a licence-built DB 605, which gave the aircraft a much sleeker profile. Armed with a pair of 12.7mm heavy machine guns and three 20mm cannons, the Re. 2005 packed a formidable punch. The aircraft incorporated a revised undercarriage and other refinements. the aircraft first flew in May 1942 and was introduced into serial production in September of that year. Deliveries followed in April / May 1943. The aircraft eventually flew with each of the Regia Aeronautica (even if only by one squadron, no.362 Squadriglia), Italian republican forces, and 13 examples were even used by the Luftwaffe.
The aircraft displayed formidable performance and was highly rated by its opponents. The following report was made by the RAF:
“The Re.2005 'Sagittario' was a potent aircraft. Having had a dog-fight with one of them, I am convinced we would have been hard pressed to cope in our Spitfires operationally, if the Italians or Germans had had a few Squadrons equipped with these aircraft at the beginning of the Sicily campaign or in operations from Malta. Fast, and with excellent manoeuvrability, the Re.2005 was altogether a superb aeroplane. Neither the Macchi 205 nor the Bf 109G measured up to the capabilities of the Re.2005 series in manoeuvrability or rate of climb. I think it was easily the best aircraft Italy produced. It is a pity that no Re.2001/5s survive this day because they were fine examples of Italian engineering craftsmanship.” – Group Captain Duncan Smith, DSO, DFC
Despite its strong fighting qualities, the Re 2005 was built in small numbers, just 48 in all. The advanced nature of the design was, ironically, too advanced and expensive to be made by the Italian industry at the time. The complexity of the design led to the Fiat G.55, being evaluated as a superior choice for mass production. The only remaining relic is the rear fuselage and tail of MM.092351 - one of the aircraft featured in the colour schemes of Special Hobby's kit.
The KitSpecial Hobby released their Re.2005 in 2020 (coincidentally around the same time as the Sword kit; more on that under ‘conclusions’). The kit comprises of 82 crisply moulded parts on four grey sprues and one clear sprue. The kit has a slight ‘limited run’ feel to it, but only just; this kit was released right on the cusp of Special Hobby further refining some of their moulding techniques for their wonderful 1/72 BF-109E releases which followed in 2021. Accordingly this kit contains both limited run aspects, but these are combined with some beautiful details.
The first sprue consists of the wing parts. These are crisply moulded with fine recessed panel lines, some subtle rivet detail here and there, and some nicely represented fabric flying surfaces, moulded in the neutral position as part of the wing halves. Trailing edges should only need a little thinning.
The second sprue consists of Fuselage halves, stabilisers, radiator and other large parts. Again, similar to the wings, we have a lovely mix of recessed panel lines, some raised details where appropriate, and nice fabric flying surfaces.
The third sprue contains cockpit and some wheel well parts. The cockpit walls and undercarriage doors in particular are very crisply moulded with some excellent detail. There are some small areas of flash here but these should be easy to tackle.
The fourth sprue contains the remainder of the detail parts, including wheels, gear legs, wheel well roofs, undercarriage, intakes, propeller, and other details. Again, detail here is crisp, subtle, well defined, and consistent. The detail on the gear bay roofs, instrument panel, undercarriage legs and wheel hubs are highlights. The only slight downside here is that exhaust pipes are not hollowed out, but this is not entirely surprising given the nature of this release.
Clear parts consist of a single canopy part, and a gun sight. Those who want to show the canopy open will have to either carefully separate the kit canopy, or look for aftermarket parts. Irrespective, the canopy has crisp and clean framing, and should look great after a dip in Future.
InstructionsSpecial Hobby’s Instructions are provided in their modern, high-quality booklet. Presented in 11 glossy pages, the instructions are comprehensive, with a parts layout, clear instruction and paint call outs, and full colour four angle painting profiles. No complaints here whatsoever.
Four colour schemes are presented, all of them featuring the relatively simple Verde Oliva Scuro 2 uppers and Grigio Azzurro Chiaro lowers. These schemes are as varied as can be expected, with two Reggia Aeronautica shemes, one Republican scheme, and a Luftwaffe scheme, which will certainly stand out in a line up of Luftwaffe fighters:
1. Re 2005 Sagittario, MM.0923xx, 362-8, 362a Squadriglia, 22° Gruppo, 42° Stormo lntercettori, Littoria, June 1943.
2. Re 2005 Sagittario, MM.092351, 362-2, 362a Squadriglia, 22° Gruppo, 42° Stormo lntercettori, Capua, Summer 1943.
3. Re 2005 Sagittario, MM.092352, Red 4, Reparto Aereo Collegamenti, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, Mi|an-Bresso, March 1944.
4. Re 2005 Sagittario, MM.O96109, Lonate Pozzolo, October 1943. Converted to German standards at the factory, it was issued to the Luftwaffe on 2 October and seen and photographed by German pilots of ll./JG77 at Lonate base.
DecalsThe decals, like all recent Special Hobby releases, are crisply printed with solid colour and excellent register. The decal film looks nice and thin. Swastikas are in two pieces to allow for wider global distribution. Instrument panel dials are included on the sheet, but no seat belts (probably fair given the complexity of Italian Fighter seat belts).
Accuracy and Buildability:Not having any detailed publications on this aircraft, I can’t comment conclusively about accuracy, however it looks to scale well based on dimensions and general arrangement drawings that I can find. The parts are generally quite detailed, most notably and commendably in the cockpit and wheel wells, and the aircraft certainly should look the part once completed.
Given the conventional parts layout and relatively small parts count, this should be straightforward build. Some care will still be needed to ensure good fit, but no more than any other kit. Added complexity arises however due to the undercarriage installation; this needs to be installed prior to the wings being closed up, due to the parts layout. Accordingly, some clever masking will be required here. There are a couple of other minor annoyances; i.e. canopy moulded closed, complex arrangement for the seat parts, no seatbelts and all control surfaces moulded in the neutral position. The latter is probably less of an annoyance, as the aircraft generally isn’t seen on the ground with the flaps down.
ConclusionsAnother great package from Special Hobby of a relatively little used but important piece of Italian aviation history. Special Hobby are to be commended for tackling such a subject, and presenting a package that is of solid quality (and a strong competitor for the Sword kit which was released around the same time).
On that note, this kit was released around the same time as the Sword kit of the same aircraft. The Sword kit is a little more of a simple build, with some nice features such as rein parts, and a two part canopy, but also with some of the same complexities regarding the undercarriage. The Sword kit is also more expensive and a little more limited run in nature. Accordingly, I think the Special Hobby kit is a strong contender for best Re.2005 in this scale.
Whilst there is no etch of masks provided, the kit should build up very nicely out of the box, and provide some room for improvements for the detail inclined. There will be some minor things to watch out for in construction, but again, nothing that can’t be handled by someone with a little bit of experience.
Highly recommended!
Our very sincere thanks to Special Hobby for the review sample!
