21st Century Toys 1/32
Mc.205 Veltro

Many of you are familiar with the fantastic aircraft and armor releases from 21st Century Toys. Their early 1/18 scale P-51D Mustang and Bf 109E were simplistic, but still colorful hanging from the ceiling or sitting on the shelf. Since those early releases, in the aircraft category alone, we've seen some amazing subjects in continuously increasing levels of difficulty and detail. Also in 1/18 scale: Ju 87 Stuka, F4U Corsair, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning, Spitfire Mk.I, P-40B Tomahawk, Fw 190D-9. Many of these have been released in several different color schemes.

Well 21st Century Toys has produced a number of their 1/18 scale subjects in 1/32 scale as well. Not everything released in 1/32 has made it out in the larger scale, this includes this latest release - the Macchi Mc.205 Veltro. Designed to address many of the shortcomings of the earlier Mc.202, the Mc.205 would not only operate with the Italian Air Force, some would find their way into the Luftwaffe, and many would equip the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (for a period of time, Italy was divided between the forces under German control and those that were under Allied control. This release shows the markings of the Co-Belligerent (Allied) aircraft.

The wings are firmly attached to the fuselage with a single screw (included). Once the screw is installed, you simply add the cockpit entry step, pitot tube, ventral vent, and radio mast. That's it, you have a completed Veltro.

The working (movable) features of the aircraft are:

• Sliding canopy
• Retractable main gear
• Movable propeller

You can definitely tell that there is a world-class modeler working at 21st Century Toys to achieve this level of detail and fidelity while keeping the final product affordable.

This release is definitely recommended. You can find these at any one of the retailers listed on the 21st Century Toys website.

My sincere thanks to 21st Century Toys for this review sample!