1:32 Macchi MC.200 PE-Teile

The Macchi MC 200, designed by the renowned engineer Mario Castoldi, represented a significant advancement in the production of Italian fighter aircraft. Compared to the biplanes Fiat CR.32 and Fiat CR.42, which formed the backbone of the Italian fighter units at the beginning of World War II, the Macchi MC 200 – along with the contemporaneous Fiat G.50 – was characterized by a monoplane configuration and an all-metal structure. The 14-cylinder double-row radial engine Fiat A.74 RC.38 could produce 840 horsepower, enabling the Macchi MC 200 to achieve a top speed of 500 km/h. However, compared to the corresponding Allied fighters, the Macchi MC 200 was relatively underpowered and, above all, inadequately armed. Its armament consisted of only two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted above the distinctive, bulging engine cowling. In the later versions, two additional 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns were installed in the wings. The Macchi MC 200 was deployed by the Regia Aeronautica on the major fronts of World War II: in Africa, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and in Russia.