Reggiane Fighters 1/72 Scale Models

Hungarian Re.2000 "Heja" - This is a model of a fighter that participated in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. They were part of the Hungarian air force's Independent Fighter Group, under the command of the Hungarian army's Fast Corps. Reggiane built the Re.2000 for Italian use, borrowing much of the plane's design from the American Seversky P-35. But the Italian Air Ministry rejected the plane because of problems with the fuel tanks in its wings. However, they agreed to let the plane be exported, and the Hungarians were desperate to upgrade their air force. By June, 1941, the Hungarians had received 48 Re.2000s from Italy, and the total grew to about 70 planes by the time they received the last one in May 1943. The Hungarians called the plane the "Héja" and they began producing their own licensed version in 1942. They called their version the "Héja II" and built about 200 before production ended in 1944. Despite the Italian Air Ministry's rejection of the Re.2000, the Italian navy obtained a few Re.2000s to provide air cover for their ships, but these planes saw little action.

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Italian Re.2001 "Falco II" - This is a model of a fighter that escorted the German and Italian bombers that attacked Malta in 1942. The 1942 siege of Malta was the first combat for the Re.2001. The Re.2001 was developed from the Re.2000. It was fitted with a more powerful inline engine, a licensed version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A, built in Italy by Alfa Romeo. But the engine was also being used in the MC.202, and production of the MC.202 had first priority, so only about 250 Re.2001s were produced before the Italian government's surrender in September, 1943. Afterwards, production of the Re.2001 ceased because the Germans controlled northern Italy, where the Italian aircraft factories were located, and they had no interest in the plane. The remaining Re.2001s were flown by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.

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Italian Re.2002 "Ariete" - This is a model of a fighter bomber that attacked Allied forces invading Sicily in July, 1943. The Re.2002 was developed from the Re.2000 to be a ground support plane. It had a more powerful engine, but it was still an air-cooled radial as they were less susceptible to damage from ground fire than liquid-cooled inline engines. It was hoped the Re.2002 would become the primary ground support plane of the Regia Aeronautica, replacing the obsolete Fiat C.R. 42AS, Fiat G.50, and Junkers Ju 87 in that role. But only about 150 were delivered before the surrender of the Italian government in September 1943. After the surrender, about 40 Re.2002s that hadn't been seized by the Germans were flown by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force in support of Italian troops stranded in the Balkans that refused to surrender to the Germans. Also, production of the Re.2002 continued in German-occupied northern Italy and the Germans used these planes against Free French resistance forces in southern France, and gave a few to the Croatian air force for use against Yugoslavian partisans.

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Italian Re.2005 "Sagittario" - This is a model of a fighter that flew against Allied bombers attacking Italy in the summer of 1943 before the Italians surrendered in September. The Re.2005 was developed from the Re.2001. It had a more aerodynamic design, heavier armament, and a more powerful inline German Daimler-Benz DB 605A engine, built under license in Italy by Fiat. The Fiat G.55 and Macchi MC.205, however, had priority for the engines so less than 50 Re.2005s were produced before the Italian government surrendered in September, 1943. Italian pilots destroyed their few remaining planes to prevent them from falling into German hands but the Germans were still able to seize 11 partially completed Re.2005s and two prototypes and get them in working order. It is believed these planes were used to defend Berlin and Romania from Allied bombers.

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