Fiat G.55 "Centauro" to fly again soon....

[GregP]

Thanks for the info and kind words.

I am using an application called Canvas. It started out as a Macintosh application by Deneba Software and was ported to the PC at some time. Later, Deneba was acquired by ACDSee who now market and maintain it. It isn't too expensive and had a lot of good features that even some of the more expensive ones lack.

It has some very powerful tools and can import and export to a large variety of formats.

One of the line thicknesses you can select is "hairline" which just barely shows up. So I usually put flush rivets in hairlines. You can see them but they don't intrude into the drawing, unless if is shrunk to a small size. I the drawing is enalrged for 11 x 14 or 11 x 17 use, then the hairlines are there but unobtrusive.

Another useful feature is layers. You can create a separate layer for the rivets and display them or not by changing their line thickness to "no line."

I sort of flop back and forth on depiction of propellers in 3-view drawings. Many people perfer them to depict a stationary prop, with a 3-blade then having one side shortened to reflect the propeller position. I do that on occasion but usually prefer to show the propeller arc so the viewer gets an idea of the size of the prop arc.

 

[GregP]

Hey Elmas,

Here is a G.55 side view I did. I decided to show the prop in real view with dashed prop arc outline. From my point of view, the rivets don't intrude and add detail. I used gray ink and harilines for the rivets and rudder / aileron rib stitiching. I suppose I SHOULD have shown the rib stitch tape with the jagged lines created by pinking shears, but I chose the easy way ... slap me. If I had done that, I;d have to add the fabric edge tape, too. Possible, in a relatively short time.

Haven't added any background as yet and probably won't unless I actually use the drawing for something. Haven't yet started on the top / front views and probably won't unless the subject comes up again and is interesting enough to warrant the time and effort. That would mean that maybe I get something from the effort.

This one just for fun. I love the lines of the G.55, MC.202 / 205, and the Re.2005. But after you do a certain number of them the fun wears thin.

 

[Ioshic]

For the C.202:

Clicking HERE, you can scroll down on the official "Nomenclature Catalog" of the Aer Macchi C.202, edition 1942 (I,II and III series).
Maybe it could help, especially for the wings.
As stated, most rivets were of "flush" type. The surface was really smooth.

It was maybe excellent for a prototype and a racer, but in manufacturing a "war-machine" it was probably too costly and time-consuming considering
its beneficial effects. (IMO)

Some very visible rivets are seen on the MG covers, and some other small areas.
These pictures shows some interesting shots

An interesting shot of the 205

 

[GregP]

Thanks! These will be good references!

From the videos on your website, I decided my louvers on the G.55 were backwards in the drawing. Here is the revised drawing. Small details but noticeable if YOU draw them.

VERY interesting that the cockpit is "open" along the back edge on the MC.202! I bet that causes a LOT of cockpit airflow and noise! We work very hard to seal the cockpits to lower noise and airflow in the cockpit. We try to limit the airflow to the cockpit vents ... which let in some air, but not a 350 mph slipstream! Maybe the vents in the G.55 are SMALL and do the same thing?

Again, thank you - Greg

 

[contaxrts]

Hey Elmas,

Here is a G.55 side view I did. I decided to show the prop in real view with dashed prop arc outline. From my point of view, the rivets don't intrude and add detail. I used gray ink and harilines for the rivets and rudder / aileron rib stitiching. I suppose I SHOULD have shown the rib stitch tape with the jagged lines created by pinking shears, but I chose the easy way ... slap me. If I had done that, I;d have to add the fabric edge tape, too. Possible, in a relatively short time.

View attachment 255131

Haven't added any background as yet and probably won't unless I actually use the drawing for something. Haven't yet started on the top / front views and probably won't unless the subject comes up again and is interesting enough to warrant the time and effort. That would mean that maybe I get something from the effort.

This one just for fun. I love the lines of the G.55, MC.202 / 205, and the Re.2005. But after you do a certain number of them the fun wears thin.

Hi Greg

I allowed myself to compare your side view to the Fiat one in my possesson and this is the result

 

[GregP]

Took awhile, but thanks for the comparison! I believe yours ...

Mine were done from internet photos and approximate positions of lines and features, so I'm quite likely to be the one that is wrong. Never saw a real one before ...

So, I defer to the real outline. I do this for my own fun. The drawings posted above are for free use, not for sale. Most of mine are WAY more detailed than the photo or drawing I use for reference, done with multiple sources for details. My thoughts are that, for a 3-view, the reference HAS to be a photo, not someone's drawing. Otherwise, what is the reference and how do you KNOW you are right?

I suppose I could sell what I have done, but that is not my goal. The market would be small in any case. Who is really a fan of an 80-year old war?

Only old guys ... like me.

Thanks again!

 

[nuuumannn]

This is fantastic, guys. Greg, really like your efforts with the computer. The Fiat CR-42 is with The Fighter Collection at Duxford in Cambridgeshire and will hopefully soon be flying. TFC also have a Gloster Gladiator and it'll be interesting to see the two in the air in such close quarters for comparison. Now, if someone could get a Fiat CR-32 back into the air...

 

[contaxrts]

I'm not disputing, I only share what I do... like you my friends...
theese are graphics for a 1:5.85 scale Fiat G.55 Centauro RC model

 

[GregP]

Thanks for that, Contaxrts! I appreciate it. The only depictions I had were low-resolution bitmaps ...

 

[contaxrts]

Thanks for that, Contaxrts! I appreciate it. The only depictions I had were low-resolution bitmaps ...

I know there is not much about G.55 on Web... I'm decades collecting everyting I find and not yet found satisfactory fuselage sections...

 

[contaxrts]

I'm thinking about the fin/rudder outline... unlike what has been shown on the books that say there are two types of fin/rudder arrangement, I've found at least three types and a hint of a fourth type... two types are those universally recognized and of which there are various photographic evidence... The third type is the one that is present in the factory drawing I have attached previously presenting the fin outline of the first tipe and the rudder of second tipe... the only evidence i've found of that type is the picture attached in this post... other pictures I have are too poor quality or too angled to prove or disprove... the hint of a fourth type is that the factory drawings I've of what I say third type specifically mention that it is the fourth type...

 

[GregP]

Great info contaxrts. I appreciate it and am flying home today. Sometime later this week I'll get back on this thread and start one on the Re.2005.