The Centennial celebration of Naval Aviation has brought about some really colorful modern aircraft, emulating their predecessors from the yellow wing days, and, in particular, the distinctive unit markings of World War Two aircraft. They have made for some truly one-of-a-kind aircraft, and Bob Sanchez has managed to capture them for us enthusiasts. This particular sheet takes us back to the early days of aircraft experimentation and weaponry tests. When you first look at the colorful instruction sheet, you see a red, grey and white F/A-18C of VX-31 at China Lake. This aircraft hauls around a lot of weapons and weapon sensors under its wings, doing a lot of experiments. The second is an F/A-18A of VFA-204 out of NAS JRB New Orleans as it was painted during an air show tour at Ft. Worth in February, 2011. This one is Navy blue with orange ID bands. What a neat-looking airplane. When you unfold the sheet and look to see what’s inside, there’s the teaser.

All new from Osprey comes number 89 in their Combat Aircraft Series, authored jointly by Peter E. Davies and well known “Hun” expert Dave Menard. As in the past, this book comes in soft cover with 96 pages, including a plethora of color photos, black and white shots and several pages that include 27 profiles in full color of a collection of F-100s. In all, very nicely presented.



The text begins with “Hun” development, goes on to describe the aircraft as a warhorse, and continues with mission identification. It also covers not only the Wild Weasel Huns but also the Misty FACs as well. I found this to be a most interesting read and a welcome addition to my aviation library. Many thanks to Sara Batkie for the review sample. For more information, contact her by phone at 718-433-4402 or email sara.batkie@ospreypublishing.com.

Format

This publication is offered in an 8” by 9 ½” size soft cover, with full color images on almost all pages, with a few black-and-white images interspersed. All of the images are of fine, clear quality. There are 84 pages in all, each filled with informational narrative or images of the Crusader. The text has been translated from French which has resulted In a few interesting misspellings.

This newly offered Special Product just goes to prove the age old adage “you can never have too much information”.

This 30 page monograph clearly shows the reader everything they ever wanted to know about these weapons and I must admit, it was a most interesting read. It comes in an 8.5x11 format with a stiff cover and contains a plethora of detail information in the form of black and white line drawings and text on several of these weapons.

It is well done and worth having if you have an interest in the subject. You might wish to take advantage of the member price and join IPMS/Canada when you order. Also, please check out the other Special Products on their website. Many thanks to Randy Lutz for the review sample.

This is the third of four volumes of perhaps the most exhaustive and comprehensive study of British amour color and markings of the 20^thCentury ever published. It’s been researched and compiled by Dick Taylor, a serving British officer who knows his subject up close and personal, who is also a modeler of the highest standing on the other side of the pond (the Atlantic). This volume is heavily illustrated with drawings of insignia, color side views and photos throughout. The three major sections are: