Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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QANTAS and the Empire Flying BoatPublished:
Between 1938 and 1948, QANTAS Short Empire flying boats navigated a dramatic and dangerous period for commercial aviation. They flew the Singapore to Sydney section of the pre-war Imperial Airways UK to Australia air route, introducing a new level of luxury travel to the route. However, the outbreak of war cut short this brief glamorous time and brought the boats increasingly onto the front line. Containing over 160 stunning illustrations, many previously unpublished, this book details the history of the Empire flying boats as they went from luxurious carriers to military service in roles that included the resupply and evacuation of Allied military forces. QANTAS, short for the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, is never spelt with a ‘U’ and should always be… more |
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British Aviation: The First Half-CenturyPublished:
The British aviation industry produced a stunning variety of types in the half-century until 1953, from the famous Supermarine Spitfire and Avro Lancaster to the esoteric Planet Satellite and Armstrong Whitworth Apollo (Kudos to those who didn’t have to look up those latter two!). This new book from Key Publishing uses photos from the famous Aeroplane magazine archive to illustrate this wide variety, but does so through colourising those photos selected. Author David Willis is well known for his aviation-related writing and he does a very good job with the concise, explanatory historical text and the informative and extensive photo captions. The photos are, as stated, from the Aeroplane archive which guarantees quality, and they are an excellent selection. Aeroplane… more |
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Villers-Bocage Through The LensPublished:
Villers-Bocage in Normandy has, for years, been the battle that made the reputation of Nazi Germany’s tank ace, the SS hero, Michael Wittmann. In this book the battle is analyzed in depth for the first time through detailed examination of the images taken by war photographers after the town was captured by German forces. The book is a straight reprint of an article in the British magazine After The Battle from 1999. Whether there has been any further reassessment of the battle since that time goes unstated. The text is extremely detailed, giving an almost second-by-second account of the actions. Most of the 100 or so photos were taken by German forces after the battle and are of very mixed quality, ranging from good to terrible, as might be expected! Reproduction is as good as… more |
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Tempest Wheels, Early and LatePublished:
The new Airfix 1/72 Tempest V kit is very nice but, in some areas there’s a slight lack of detail and sharpness. These two new releases from Brengun/Hauler in the Czech Republic can fix one of those areas of weakness. Cast in Brengun’s standard medium grey resin, there are two different items - what they term Early and Late Wheels. What this means is reality is that early Tempests had Typhoon main wheel hubs with 5 spokes. Sometime in the JN-series, this changed to a new 4-spoke design, but the exact cut off is not known. What is known is that the first 50 Tempest Vs (JN729 to JN773 and JN792-796) were built using the centre-sections from a cancelled Typhoon contract, so it would make sense that they, at least, had the 5-spoke wheels. I was able to obtain a copy of the… more |
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RAF Aircraft of the Cold War, 1970-90Published:
Subtitled ‘Air-to-Air Images,’ this book by Key Publishing is a photographic collection of such images of the RAF during the Seventies and Eighties, a period marked by tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in which the RAF was a major player in the defense of Western Europe through its forces in the UK and West Germany. Author Tony Paxton was a frontline RAF fighter pilot and was seemingly never without his camera, as all the 200 or so photos in this book are all by his hand. Most are of excellent quality, given the limitations of film types of the period, and many are produced full page and in full colour. The book is divided into a number of chapters, starting with a brief introduction to the Cold War and continuing with various aspects of the RAF. Generally these… more |
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RAF Aircraft of the Battle of BritainPublished:
The Battle of Britain was, it can be reasonably argued, the battle that saved Western Civilization over 80 years ago during World War II, and so is rightly lauded even at this time. There have been many books written about the battle, so what does this new book from Key Publishing bring to the table? This small volume is, as stated on the cover blurb, a “photographic guide to the surviving planes from the Battle of Britain,” and it does exactly what it says. The author has tried to document as many surviving period airframes as possible, and while the obvious types such as the Spitfire and Hurricane are covered in depth, other less obvious aircraft are also given their due. Within the pages the reader will find the Avro Anson, Bristol Beaufighter and many types of trainers –… more |
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British Fighters of the 1970s and ‘80sPublished:
The latest in Key Publishing’s ‘Historic Military Aircraft Series’, this slim volume looks at the McDonnel Douglas Phantom and English Electric Lightning in RAF service during the ‘70s and ‘80s when they were the mainstays of Britain’s air defence commitment. As explained in the introduction, author Chris Goss inherited the photo collection of noted aviation author and artist David Howley, who many will recall for his colour profile paintings for many modelling and aviation magazines. This book features 180 of Howley’s photos, mainly in colour and mostly of good quality. Most are taken at airshows but there are also some ‘in service’ shots dating from his time as an RAF Warrant Officer. Both types have their own section and photos are generally two to a page, with… more |
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R35 & R40 TanksPublished:
The Renault R35 and R40 were French light infantry tanks developed in the mid-1930s and still in widespread service during the disastrous 1940 Western campaign. Lightly armed and armoured, these vehicles were no match for the PzIII and IV of the German Panzer armies. In this book, author Ranger has compiled a surprising number of original photographs taken by German troops in the aftermath of the 1940 Battle of France. Most are reproduced two to a page, and due to the size of the originals, copy quality is mixed, from very nice to poor. There is a short section of photos of Renaults after they were captured and put back into use by Germany in the Balkans. Each photo is accompanied by a lengthy caption detailing any notable features and, where possible, where and when… more |
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Land Rover Series One and Land Rover Series II/IIAPublished:
The Land Rover was developed in 1947 as a simple four-wheel drive farm vehicle and was created as a way for the British Rover car company to get back into the vehicle manufacturing business following World War II. It was a huge success, not only as an agricultural tool but as a military vehicle and went on to worldwide success as a top level on- and off-road vehicle. The vehicle evolved quickly in its first ten years from 1948-58 as the Series I and until 1971 as the familiar Series II/IIA that was used ion so many safaris, expeditions and in documentary series through the 1960s. It was so popular that this ‘temporary’ solution became a permanent part of the Rover Company’s range. Owners and drivers soon included royalty, farmers, explorers and soldiers, and the Land Rover became a… more |
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Challenger II DesertisedPublished:
The British Main Battle Tank Challenger II entered service in 1994 as a significantly upgraded version of the successful Challenger. The tank saw extensive service in the 2nd Iraq War from 2003 and is still in service with the British Army – a new upgrade programme should see them in service until the mid-2030s. This all-new kit from Tamiya features a desertised version of the Challenger II, depicting vehicles as they appeared in the Iraq War. As such, it features the blocky side skirts with canvas drapery that cut down on airborne sand, enhancing non-visibility, as well as the improved turret and combat identification panels to help prevent blue-on-blue errors. Opening the standard sized box for Tamiya’s 1/48 armour kits revealed 5 parts trees holding around 160 parts… more |