Hub Plott
Reviews By Author
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Legends of Warfare F8F BearcatPublished:
David Doyle is well known to historians and modelers alike, with over 200 books to his credit. His Legends of Warfare series covers many of the important machines used in warfare. This latest volume is for the Grumman F8F Bearcat. The F8F was the last and ultimate of the Grumman propeller driven fighters. Too late for combat in WWII and with the dawn and superiority in speed of the jet, the Bearcat order was cut down considerably. The only combat was while serving with the French in Indochina. Like its contemporaries, the Sea Fury, and the La-9/11, the F8F was fast and maneuverable. And like the sea Fury it survived because of that speed and maneuverability making it a favorite on the air show circuit and air racing. The book is broken down into an introduction and two chapters… more |
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Russian BombersPublished:
Just as when one thinks of American bombers the iconic B-52 comes to mind, when thinking of Russian bombers, the same can be said for the Tu-95 Bear. The Allies had done much to prove the success of and need for long range strategic bombers in their defeat of the Nazis and Japan. The Russians (then Soviets) like many countries, had not developed much in the way of long-range bombers prior to and during WWII. The success of the British and American long-range bombers during the war would change that for the Russians. With a few American B-29s making emergency landings in Russia during operations against Japan, the Soviets were given an engineering opportunity to not only study the B-29 but per Stalin’s direction to completely reverse engineer it to become the Tupelov Tu-4.… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling Magazine Vol. 45 #6 August 2023Published:
"Scale Aircraft Modelling", or SAM as it is affectionately known, is well known to aircraft modelers around the world. I had not seen a copy since our local Barnes and Noble closed. The magazine has really done well under Gary Hatcher’s leadership. This issue is packed full of useful information and interesting articles. Aside from the usual sections of new kits, accessories and books coming out, the reader is presented with then articles. One article that stood out to me is about Jon Tabinour’s AMX in a commemorative WWII Italian scheme. This aircraft has a truly intricate paint scheme and his technique for replicating it, while exhaustively time consuming, has yielded outstanding results! To replicate the intricate and dense squiggle pattern, he used Winsor Newton ‘Promarker… more |
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P-47 Razorbacks of 8th AF ColoursPublished:
This book presents 104 color profiles of 8th Air Force P-47 B, C and D razorbacks. Profiles contain aircraft of the 4th, 56th, 78th, 352nd. 353rd, 355th, 359th, 361st, 495th fighter groups and 5th Rescue squadron are all within these pages. All are beautifully reproduced in color with many great schemes to be modeled. This is a great companion for building the new Dora Wings P-47B/C kit that has been just released. Each profile caption contains a brief description of the colors and markings used on the aircraft as well as a brief history of actions and each airframe’s ultimate fate. This is a fantastic color profile book that is worthy of the reference collection of any P-47, 8th AF or WWII aviation fan or modeler. Highly recommended to all! Our thanks to… more |
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The Fairey Barracuda: A Detailed Guide to the FAA’s First Torpedo Bomber, Airframe Album #19:Published:
The Fairey Barracuda will never win any aircraft beauty contests, but it proved to be a capable and long serving aircraft. Serving the British, it’s commonwealth, and a couple of foreign countries as well. The aircraft served until the early 1950s with some still existing into the early 1960s. Today, no intact example exists, but the Fleet Air Arm Museum is working to restore/build one out of a couple of recovered wrecks. The book is divided into 5 sections. First is the introduction containing a short history not only of operational use, but also the development of the air frame. The second, but labeled first section, is full of technical drawings as well as under-construction photos. The second section contains many drawings depicting the prototype as well as production and… more |
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Boeing B-29 SuperfortressPublished:
This is number 29 in the FlightCraft series and covers the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. This is the first of this series of books I have had the pleasure to see and review. The book is broken down into 8 sections with the first 45 pages of the book dealing with the real aircraft. These pages cover the design and development, the aircraft in detail. The aircraft in service, variants including the USSR and Chinese Tu-4s and camo and marking. The next 8 pages are 24 color profiles from WWII, Korea, post war, as well as the warbird FiFi and B-50s. The remaining 42 pages are dedicated to modeling the B-29. The various kits, aftermarket details and decals are covered. Build journals are there on the Monogram/Revell 1/48 kit built as “Enola Gay”. The Academy 1/72 kit as “Bockscar”.… more |
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Pacific Profiles Vol. 9: Allied Fighters: P-38 Series South and Southwest Pacific 1942-1944Published:
This book covers South and Southwest pacific P-38s, broken down by squadron and has 23 chapters. In addition to basic P-38 Markings and unusual Lightnings, the following squadrons are covered: 8th PRS, 17th FS,39th FS, 6th NFS,8th PRS, 12th FS, 17thPRS, 25th PRS, 9th FS,26thPRS, 35thFS, 36th FS, 44th FS, 80th FS, 339th FS, 418th NFS, 419th NFS, 421st NFS, 431st FS, 432nd FS, 433rd FS and the Fifth Fighter Command HQ. There is an overview of the issues getting the P-38 into combat use. Each squadron chapter covers markings, losses, kills, personnel, and many other subjects. With kills, these are noted then a comparison with known Japanese losses and squadron claims is made. The real star of this book is of course the many color profiles illustrating various aircraft of… more |
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Grumman F6F HellcatPublished:
This is number 27 in MMP’s Spotlight On series and covers the Grumman F6F Hellcat. There is a brief introduction/history of the F6F. Then the book goes right into its purpose, the many beautiful color profiles of Grumman Iron Works stalwart! Starting with early dash 3 markings in blue gray over light gray with the round US insignia minus the red center. Then moving on to the tri-color scheme and late war glossy sea blue and concluding with the Fleet Air Arm Hellcat Mk. I in Extra dark sea Grey, Dark Slate Grey, and Sky. Each has been thoroughly researched and meticulously replicated by the artist. If you’re a fan of the Hellcat or color profiles, then this book and series were made for you! Highly recommended to modelers for the many interesting schemes and to anyone… more |
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Legends of Warfare P-61 Black WidowPublished:
David Doyle is well known to historians and modelers alike, with over 200 books to his credit. His Legends of Warfare series covers many of the important machines used in warfare. This latest volume is for the Northrup P-61 Black Widow. The P-61 was the first US purpose designed night fighter. Comparison in size to a medium bomber and with its twin-boom design the P-61 was a very distinctive design and popular with aviation enthusiasts and modelers alike. Monogram Models often said it was their very best selling 1/48 scale model. Hopefully soon the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum will have their P-61 back in the air. The book is broken down into seven chapters. Chapter one covers the XP and YP-61, Chapter two covers the P-61A, Chapter three the “B” model. Chapter four the “C” model.… more |
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Classics #01 Spitfire Supermarine Mk. IX & Mk.XV1Published:
This is the first book in a new detail series. The books are cover to cover gorgeous color photos of thirty of the thirty-nine flyable Mk IXs and XVIs around the globe. The book includes pictures of the various aircraft in flight, detail shots of the cockpits, fuselage, weapons and undergoing maintenance. These photographs are of the highest quality, showing intricate details. Many of these detail shots area accompanied by explanatory captions. This book is a feast for the eyes. The modeler who wants to improve his kit as well as the super-detailer will benefit form this book. With the seeming demise of the Aero-Detail series, this is an excellent alternative and one that I feel has a bright future and I look forward to the upcoming books in this series. These will be focusing… more |