FIAT G.50 “Freccia” – the Italian fighter

The FIAT G.50 was the first Italian monoplane with a retractable chassis. It was very maneuverable, but the engines mounted in it were too weak to take full advantage of the features of this fighter. 791 aircraft of this type were manufactured, of which 35 were exported to Finland. These fighters began their service in 1939 and took part in the Spanish Civil War. A small amount was used during the “Battle of England”, where all its shortcomings were highlighted. Fighters have been used in fighting in North Africa and the Mediterranean. The most successful period in the history of G.50 was their use in the USSR and the Finnish Winter War. Although planes, ordered in Italy, arrived in Finland quite late to make a significant impact on the course of the war, the pilots, flying these planes, achieved 13 air victories in a short time. One of the units that flew “Freccia” planes in the final phase of the war, shot down 52 enemy planes, losing only 2 of their own. The most famous Finnish-USSR military assess Oiva Tumienas (23 victories) and Olli Puhakka (11 victories) also flew these planes.

A moderately well-designed and well-detailed beautiful model for modelers of any experience, only beginners are better to assemble it under the supervision of a more experienced colleague and this should not be one of the first more complex models you make.