Author Topic: Reggiane Re.2004 - LF Models Re.2005 & Caproni Vizzola F.6Z Model Kit Bash  (Read 3067 times)

Offline Inactive

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The Caproni Vizzola F.6Z, FIAT G.55Z & Reggiane Re.2004 were designed to accommodate the 24-cylinder Isotta-Fraschini Zeta “X” inline air cooled engine to rely less on German designed 12-cylinder inline liquid-cooled ones powering Italy’s early-mid WWII Caproni Vizzola, Macchi, Reggiane & mid-war “Serie-5” FIAT, Macchi, Reggiane interceptor fighters.

Zeta development began in 1939 when Isotta Fraschini's design office decided to produce a high-powered engine competitive with contemporaneous 1000-plus hp Daimler Benz 600-series, Junkers Jumo 211-series, Rolls Royce Merlin liquid cooled V-12s. Coupling two 540 horsepower 12-cylinder Isotta Fraschini Gamma RC.15 inverted “V” engines gave rise to the 1,150 hp Zeta RC.35 intended to power the sole Caproni Vizzola F.6Z prototype flying for the first time in August 1943 on the eve of the Italian Armistice though supposedly by the slightly more powerful RC.45 variant – the only Zeta-powered aircraft known to have flown.

The Reggiane Re.2004 purportedly designed by Roberto Longhi was intended to be powered either by the 18-cylinder “M” or “W” Reggiane Re 103 (a.k.a. King 103, R.103) capable of 1,700 hp at take-off  or the 1,250 hp Zeta R.C.24/60, the latter to be ready for installation by 1943. Amongst the most controversial wartime Italian aircraft development projects, according to Sergio Govi’s I REGGIANE dall’A alla Z - Descrizione tecnica degli aerei Reggiane Gruppo Caproni  (Giorgio Apostolo Editore Milano 1985) the Re.2004 likely was never built, no authentic fabrication drawings of it surviving WWII in spite of supposed evidence of its development ala photos of a cowled Zeta engine mock-up mounted on the port wing of an Savoia-Marchetti S.79, profile drawings of the aircraft though drawn post WWII.

Construction

Most remarkably given the decades-old notoriety of this controversial WWII Italian “secret project” no model or parts conversion kits currently are on the market in any scale of Reggiane Re.2004, fortunately LF Models currently markets the Caproni Vizzola F.6Z (Kit 7281) & Reggiane Re.2005 (Kits 7208 & 7241) resins in 1/72 scale which could be “kit bashed” to produce a more-than-suitable Re.2004 model.

To accomplish the bash the complete nose of Kit 7281 was sawed-off, glued together, sanded & fitted to glue on the completed nosed sawed-off, glued together, sanded & fitted fuselage of Kit 7241 (Kit 7208 also works), the join being near perfectly aligned much to my eternal delight no other modifications being necessary other than spot sanding over & around the join.

The rest of construction & painting work was as for building the standard LF Models Re.2005 kit, i.e. Verde Anticorrosione fuselage interior, wheel wells & landing gear doors, cockpit painting with various Humbrol & Testors enamels.  Given the Re.2004 likely was never built I’d chose to paint the entire model Testors Flat Aluminum, topside ailerons, tailplane & rudder moving surfaces Humbrol 91 Matt Black Green + 36% Testors Flat White replicating Verde Oliva Scuro 2, undersides Testors Model Master 1726 Light Sea Gray + 36% Testors Flat White enamels replicating Giorgio Azzurro Chiaro 1 ala the Reggiane Re.2001 prototype sans markings, the propeller blades painted a dark Testors Flat Black + White enamel mix. Given the brightness of the Flat Aluminum paint I’d chose not to overspray a clear lacquer seal out of concern of the model appearing too toy like.





































Reggiane Re.2004 & Caproni Vizzola F.6Z





Specifications

Crew: One
Length: 8.35 m (27 ft, 5 in)
Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft, 1 in)
Height: 3.15 m (10 ft, 4 in)
Wing area: 20.4 m2 (220 sq ft)
Max takeoff weight: 3,282 kg (7,236 lb)
Powerplant:  Isotta-Fraschini Zeta R.C.24/60 X-24 liquid-cooled piston engine, 930 kW (1,250 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 620 km/h (385 mph; 335 kn)
Range: 1,000 km (621 mi; 540 nmi)

Armament

3 × MG 151/20 cannons
2 × 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns
1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs

References

- Wikimedia Commons Reggiane aircraft
- Prato, Piero, The Caproni-Reggiane fighters, 1938-1945: i caccia Caproni-Reggiane (Intyrama 1968)
« Last Edit: October 29, 2018, 08:04:03 AM by Retired In Kalifornia »

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Offline Brian da Basher

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Not only is that a killer mod, but finishing it up in a prototype scheme was pure genius!

Brian da Basher

Offline elmayerle

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That looks so right!!  I have the same kits with the same intention.  Very tempted to do a similar conversion for the MC.202/205V airframe.

Offline apophenia

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Ooo, lovely  :-*  It'd be great to see the Re 103-engined version rendered in polystyrene too (hint, hint)  ;)
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Offline Inactive

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Ooo, lovely  :-*  It'd be great to see the Re 103-engined version rendered in polystyrene too (hint, hint)  ;)
I would to except would have to scratch-build cowling et. al. parts. The Re.103 was "W" or "M" engine, haven't seen photos or even art renderings how it would had looked on an Re.2005 airframe.

Offline apophenia

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I would to except would have to scratch-build cowling et. al. parts. The Re.103 was "W" or "M" engine, haven't seen photos or even art renderings how it would had looked on an Re.2005 airframe.

Quite true. I would imagine the cowling looking not too different from that of the Re.2005 from the side. The Re.103 RC.50 I was just a smidge longer than the DB 605A/Tifone and a bit less tall ... neither of which would be very noticeable in 1/72nd scale, I'd guess. The big difference would be in the comparative widths of lower parts of the two engines.

Engine   DB 605A     Re 103 RC50 I
Length   2.158 m       2.33 m
Width    0.760 m        0.97 m
Height   1.037 m       0.91 m

So, maybe Re.2005 cowling parts joined with a spacer (complete with another six exhaust stubs) inserted along the lower joint?
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Inactive

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I would to except would have to scratch-build cowling et. al. parts. The Re.103 was "W" or "M" engine, haven't seen photos or even art renderings how it would had looked on an Re.2005 airframe.

Quite true. I would imagine the cowling looking not too different from that of the Re.2005 from the side. The Re.103 RC.50 I was just a smidge longer than the DB 605A/Tifone and a bit less tall ... neither of which would be very noticeable in 1/72nd scale, I'd guess. The big difference would be in the comparative widths of lower parts of the two engines.

Engine   DB 605A     Re 103 RC50 I
Length   2.158 m       2.33 m
Width    0.760 m        0.97 m
Height   1.037 m       0.91 m

So, maybe Re.2005 cowling parts joined with a spacer (complete with another six exhaust stubs) inserted along the lower joint?

Maybe, but the outer cylinders bulge out farther than the DB 605 so would think the cowling would bulge out enough to be noticeable. I'd think fabricating three bulges from thick sprues might work though would have to guestimate by how much they'd stick out particularly the bottom one. The LF resin Re.2005 kits work best insofar as cutting out the exhaust ejectors where the side bulges would be go and reusing them, bottom set I'd have to fabricate well as guess how they'd be arranged. Will be couple years till can get around building an Re.103 variant hopefully somebody else will do so before me.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2018, 12:05:04 PM by Retired In Kalifornia »

Nice!


Chris
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with a uniform to wear,
a fast aeroplane to fly,
and something to shoot at?"

Offline apophenia

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Maybe, but the outer cylinders bulge out farther than the DB 605 so would think the cowling would bulge out enough to be noticeable. I'd think fabricating three bulges from thick sprues might work though would have to guestimate by how much they'd stick out particularly the bottom one. The LF resin Re.2005 kits work best insofar as cutting out the exhaust ejectors where the side bulges would be go and reusing them, bottom set I'd have to fabricate well as guess how they'd be arranged. Will be couple years till can get around building an Re.103 variant hopefully somebody else will do so before me.


Yes, the width at the outer cylinder heads is the tricky bit - 35.82 inches for the Re 103 whereas the DB 605A is less than 30. Still, in 1/72nd scale that works out to an extra 2.10 mm - or only 0.082 of an inch.

I've started on a digital version of the Re 2004 with Re 103 RC.50 I. But I'm going to fudge and just widen the lower part of the forward fuselage to match the Re 103's width. I don't think that a ventral bulge is needed - the Re 103's central cylinder head doesn't really protrude much below the outer pairs.

The fun part is figuring out how the ventral exhaust ejector stubs work. The ventral exhaust would be offset to starboard ... which helps a little. But I've still had to cant the whole aft end of the assembly downward, though.

I've more or less finished my Re 2004 images but I'm unsure of fuselage length. I used an Re 2005 fuselage but am wondering if I should have done an Re 2006-style stretch. In dry weight, the Re 103 falls right between the Re 2005's Tifone and the the Re 2006's DB 603A.  Decisions, decisions ...

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.msg146585#msg146585

« Last Edit: November 15, 2018, 07:33:35 AM by apophenia »
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."