Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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Spotlight On NAA P-51 MustangPublished:
This book is the 28th in MMP’s Spotlight On series, and consists of 23 full-color plates showing 23 different famous P-51 Mustang fighters, splendidly depicted by Polish aviation artist, Tomasz Kaca. Each plate shows the aircraft in question in the air above a variety of landscapes and featuring various WWII theatres. Each plate is accompanied by a short caption naming the aircraft and its identity, the pilot and his unit. There are no other words in the book, not even an introduction. While the plates are splendidly rendered, I have two issues with the book. Firstly, the plates are split across the spine of the book and while it is easy enough to ‘break’ the spine so it lays flat, it does rather spoil the effect. Perhaps this type of book is better served by a landscape format… more |
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US Navy Helicopters Acrylic Colors SetPublished:
This is another paint set by the prolific Ammo by MiG concern out of Spain. I’m sure many of you already use these acrylic paints and so are familiar with their ease of use with both brush and airbrush. The featured colors come in the familiar yellow-capped 17ml dropper bottles and include the necessary colors to paint the SH-2 Seasprite, SH-3 Sea King or SH-60 Seahawk, and many other post-war US Navy helicopters. The colors themselves look good for the applications required, and have, apparently, been slightly lightened for scale effect. Each bottle contains a small stainless steel ball bearing to aid mixing, which is a great idea that ought to be copied by other manufacturers. The paints are water-soluble, odorless and non-toxic; they can be thinned using distilled water, but… more |
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AVRO Lancaster and Others Night Bombers Air Acrylic Colours SetPublished:
This is another paint set by the prolific Ammo by MiG concern out of Spain. I’m sure many of you already use these acrylic paints and so are familiar with their ease of use with both brush and airbrush. The featured colours in this set come in the familiar yellow-capped 17ml dropper bottles and includes colours needed for many of your favorite RAF bombers flown during World War II. The colours have, apparently, been slightly lightened for scale effect. The names of the paints don’t match the proper British Standard names, because – as with many modern paint ranges - AMMO is trying to match the colours required with what’s in its range. In this case, I feel the Dark Green is too vivid and too light, so I added some very dark grey to darken it and flatten it down. The Dark Earth… more |
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Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and Tiger IIPublished:
The Northrop F-5 is a compact, highly agile fighter jet developed some 60 years ago. The aircraft’s quality is demonstrated by the fact that six decades later it is still in active service in many air forces in both the original F-5A and updated F-5E forms. This latest book of the ‘Duke Hawkins’ series – number 28 -- features a complete portrait of the F-5E. With 128 pages and over 320 color photos, there is great detail of both in- and outside: every part of the fuselage, wings, landing gear, vertical and horizontal tails. It also contains some high-quality and spectacular action photographs from aircraft in service with the US Navy, US Marines, Swiss AF, Taiwan and Brazil. There is also coverage of the Iranian Sa'eqeh, which is an F-5 modified with twin vertical tails. … more |
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Hawker Typhoon, The RAF's Ground-Breaking Fighter-BomberPublished:
Although designed as a fighter to replace the Hawker Hurricane, the Typhoon found fame as a ground attack aircraft and as a rocket-firing tank buster. In this small, mainly photographic volume, acclaimed British author Tony Buttler concisely outlines the development and career of this charismatic aircraft from its inception at the start of World War II to its service demise in 1946. A short span for sure, but the impact of the Typhoon was, as Buttler explains, outstanding. Many of the photos have been seen before, but the author is also able to draw on the archives of Aeroplane magazine, now owned by Key Publishing, to add some depth with photos that perhaps have not been published since the war. The quality of the images is mostly very good, and reproduction is excellent. Most… more |
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Dambusters and the Lancaster, Warpaint Special #6Published:
Operation Chastise, the Dambusters Raid, hardly needs an introduction to anyone remotely interested in military aviation history. In this 80th anniversary year, there are several new books about the raid. This slim new volume from Guideline explores different aspects of the operation, its build-up, and aftermath in a general and abbreviated manner. Author Des Brennan will be familiar to modeling magazine readers, and he approaches the subject with a number of short chapters outlining topics including:
It’s an… more |
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Eagles of Destiny, Volume 2: Growth and Wars of the Pakistan Air Force 1958-1971Published:
Part of the Asia@War series, Eagles of Destiny Volume 2 is a detailed account of the transformation of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with the help of the first US MDAP, and how its leadership utilized this opportunity to create a modern air force. It provides detailed coverage of the PAF's participation in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, based on official documentation and material from private collections that were previously not available to the public. The story of the Pakistan Air Force during this period is concluded by the coverage of the first build-up with the Chinese support, against the backdrop of US sanctions, highlighting and discussing the challenges and response. Finally, the book provides detailed coverage of PAF operations during the 1971 War with India, including… more |
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Boeing B-1B Lancer in USAF ServicePublished:
The Rockwell (I have a hard time pretending it is a ‘Boeing’ aircraft…!) B-1B has been an integral part of the USAF’s bomber force since the 1980s and is still a highly capable aircraft, though the arrival of the B-21 in the near future will end its sterling service. This latest book in the ‘Duke Hawkins’ series brings a complete portrait of the B-1B, covering the type in great detail, both inside and out in over 400 colour photos. There isn’t a detail that is overlooked in this 180-page book; every part of the fuselage, wings, landing gear, vertical and horizontal tails are mixed with spectacular action photographs from aircraft based at Dyess Air Force Base or Ellsworth Air Force Base. A large chapter in this book is dedicated to the cockpit of the B-1B, showing… more |
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OV-10A USMC Light Attack AircraftPublished:
The OV-10A Bronco was a light attack/recon/COIN aircraft designed in the 1960s for use by three US services, the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and amazingly enough was eventually bought and used by all three. First entering service in 1969 in time to serve in Vietnam, the type exited service in 1995, shortly after seeing service in the Iraq War. Some are still flying with civilian operators and as a warbird. To the delight of modellers everywhere, ICM are still turning out quality product despite being in a war zone. Their OV-10A first appeared in 2022 in US Navy guise; it is now the turn of the Marines. Jarrod Booth has effectively reviewed the kit on this website, but I will add my impressions. The kit comes in ICM’s standard white box with colour artwork on a… more |
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Bristol Blenheim, Top Drawings #130Published:
The Bristol Blenheim was one of the most popular British aircraft at the beginning of World War II. It was a very versatile and modifiable machine, and therefore typical bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter (including night) versions were created. Kagero’s Top Drawings series has covered many of the World’s leading combat aircraft and now it’s the turn of the Blenheim to receive the treatment. The book is card-covered and has 20 pages. Typical of the series, there is a solitary page of introductory text; the rest of the book is taken up with pages of plans and colour profiles. The plans in the book are to 1/72 scale, while 1/48 scale plans are included as separate fold-out sheets. The 1/72 plans include all-aspect views of the Mks.I, IV, and V, including Finnish variants. The… more |