Model of the month April 2026 - Caproni Reggiane (2)

Model of the month April 2026

Intermediate step:

The Caproni Reggiane RE 2001

From the original to the model

A distinct part of the collections at the Hannover-Laatzen Aviation Museum comprises more than 1,000 scale models, primarily in the international standard scales of 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32.

Such true to original miniatures allow visitors to the museum’s history of technology to gain an ‘overview’, not only of the individual exhibit (sometimes even as the sole opportunity for a real three-dimensional view when no original remains), but also of the development of aircraft construction through the sequencing and comparison made possible here. Their craftsmanship alone is a delight to behold.

The RE 2001

Until at least 1945, Italian aviation was among the world’s leading nations. The Aviation Museum displays faithful-to-the-original miniatures of some outstanding designs in various scales in its model exhibition. Here, as our ‘Model of the Month’, we present the Caproni Reggiane RE 2001, a fighter and fighter-bomber of the Regia Aeronautica, which – powered by a licensed version of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 A inline engine – also flew in a small number of examples with the German Luftwaffe towards the end of the Second World War.

The Model

The kit’s layout – a typical 1970s kit, right down to the box art

In the 1970s, Supermodel, an Italian company that has long since disappeared from the market, released again an extensive series of kits featuring Italian aircraft from the period between 1930 and 1945. The 1/72 scale kits, including our RE 2001, met good international standards of detail and fit at the time. With 41 parts plus a decal sheet, the kit offered two versions – fighter and fighter-bomber – of the Italian Air Force from 1942.

The Original

The import and subsequent licensed production of powerful German inline engines from the DB 600 series, as well as the Mauser 2-cm cannon from 1940 onwards, propelled the aerodynamically and structurally sound Italian fighter aircraft into the international elite.

The model viewed from the side. The small single-seat fighter bears the insignia of the 369th Squadron of the Regia Aeronautica

Similarly, in the Caproni-Reggiane RE 2000 ‘Falco’ – an agile yet lightly powered and armed low-wing monoplane – a Daimler-Benz DB 601 A 12-cylinder in-line engine replaced the Piaggio P.XI-RC-40 radial engine; the fuselage nose, cockpit canopy and airframe were redesigned accordingly. This resulted in a high-performance fighter in 1941/2, although only 252 were built due to the limited availability of the engine, whilst a further improved version was developed as the RE 2005 ‘Sagittario’.

And that ‘marriage’ involving the installation of the Fiat RA.1050-RC-58 ‘Tifone’ (DB 605 licence) as well as three Mauser 20mm MK (plus two 12.7mm machine guns), a stretched fuselage and a newly designed undercarriage, resulted in 1943 in a genuine high-performance fighter, whose only drawback lay in its rather complex and therefore expensive production. Italy’s separate peace later that same year ultimately brought the promising career of the RE 2005 to an end after only 37 had been built, whilst our RE 2001, as a ‘design intermediate step’, was deployed from 1942 onwards in fighter and fighter-bomber roles over North Africa and Sicily, and as an interceptor over the industrial areas of northern Italy. During the final battles there, the Wehrmacht flew a number of requisitioned examples of the type.

The compact design of the aircraft is also evident in the underside view. The landing gear is retracted into the wing by pivoting 90°.

After 1945, the new Italian Air Force used the remaining aircraft for training, liaison and meteorological duties.

RE 2001 Specifications

Length 8.50 m, wingspan 11.00 m, empty weight 2,460 kg, take-off weight 3,240 kg, 1x Daimler-Benz DB 601 A (or Alfa Romeo RA. 1000-RC-41) with 1,050 hp, maximum speed 545 km/h, range 1,100 km, armament: 2x 12.7 mm machine guns, 2x 7.7 mm machine guns, crew: 1, number built: 252, entered service 1942.

The dark green of the upper surfaces was standard for the Italian Air Force. Depending on the circumstances, this was supplemented with sand yellow and brown to create camouflage schemes..

Curious to find out more?

Have we managed to pique your interest in our collections, which include over 40 original and faithful replicas of gliders, light aircraft, commercial aircraft and military aircraft, as well as twice as many engines and hundreds of pieces of equipment, not to mention our model collection? Then we look forward to welcoming you to Ulmer Straße at the Hanover Exhibition Centre!

The 1,050 hp of the V-12 engine was converted into thrust via a three-bladed variable-pitch propeller. The museum displays several originals from the DB-600 series in its engine exhibition.

You can contact the author of the Model of the Month series here: Autor-MdM

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