To purchase this print, please to order the item from HobbyLink Japan, our distribution partner.
This is one of Koike's best works, packing two great-looking aircraft, a fantastic city scape, and an important slice of history into one great painting. Of the C.202, Koike says "Italian planes generally have smart designs, but among fighters I think this was the finest form of all. I really like [designer Mario] Castoldi's designs."
The painting is from a moment in the air defense of Malta (seen in the background), and the aircraft in the foreground is that of Captain Furio Niclot Doglio, the leader of 151 Squadron. Doglio, with seven kills, was Italy's top ace of the Malta conflict, but he was shot down and killed on July 27, 1942 by Canadian RAF ace Flt. Sgt. George Beurling.
This print is reproduced on heavy art board and sized identically to the original, measuring 400mm x 315mm (15.75 x 12.4 inches). It's offset-printed, and the color reproduction has been approved by Koike himself. The art board measures 625mm x 453mm (24.6 x 17.8 inches), leaving white borders around the image to give you the freedom to have it framed as you please. The prints are packed in a special sleeve inside a sturdy shipping box designed to prevent any bending while on their way to you (for this reason, they cannot be combined with other types of items for shipping, they will be shipped separately, even if ordered with other items).