Mark I Models 1:144

Suomalainen Fiat G.50/g.50 BIS

The Fiat G.50 Freccia (“Arrow”) was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft that was developed and manufactured by the aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy's first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that had an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage. On 26 February 1937, the G.50 conducted its maiden flight. During early 1938, the Freccias served in the Regia Aeronautica (the Italian Air Force) and with its expeditionary arm, the Aviazione Legionaria, in Spain, where they compared well in speed and manoeuvrability with their adversaries in the theatre.

The fighter was extensively used on various fronts by Italy, including in Northern Europe, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Italian mainland. The G.50 commonly came up against the British Hawker Hurricane, which was fast enough to frequently outrun the Italian opponent, and could also outrange it. In addition, early in the Second World War it became apparent that the G.50 possessed inadequate armament, comprising a pair of Breda-SAFAT 12.7-mm machine guns.^[7] Later models of the fighter incorporated improvements, including an increase in fuel capacity that gave rise to a substantial increase in range

The G.50 saw its longest and most successful service in the two Finnish wars against the Soviet Union, the Winter War of 1939–1940 and the Continuation War of 1941–1944. At the end of 1939, before the outbreak of hostilities, Finland ordered 35 Fiat G.50s. The first 10 aircraft were to be delivered before February 1940. A group of Finnish pilots attended a 10-hour training course at Guidonia airport and later at Fiat Aviazione in Turin. On a training flight, during a dive from 3,500 m (11,500 ft), Lieutenant Tapani Harmaja reached an estimated speed of 780 km/h (480 mph), which was considered excessive for the structural integrity of the aircraft. The windscreen was damaged