Ray Rimell’s (Raymond Laurence Rimell) latest in the “Building the Wingnut Wings” series was originally intended to be a paired build with the Wingnut Wings Halberstadt Cl. II for a combined Albatros Special. The sheer volume of material saw that these two aircraft would be quickly separated (Building the Wingnut Wings Halberstadt Cl. II will be the next release in this series). The Cl.II was designed as a two-seat escort fighter to meet a 1917 requirement to protect reconnaissance aircraft. As the war progressed, the Cl.II saw an increasing role in ground attack. The first release by Wingnut Wings was in November 2012 (Sold Out on January 19, 2016) with a Cl.II late version (kit 32024). Wingnut Wings released the early service version on September 10, 2019 (kit 32079).

The front cover is Ray Rimell’s completed 1/32 Wingnut Wings Hannover Cl.II along with figures by Doug Craner. Jerry Boucher created the digital composite background and effects to go with the Ray Rimell’s color photograph. I counted 20 clear black and white photographs (mostly previously unpublished) and 151 color pictures on glossy pages. Ronny Bar contributes six all new color profiles (plus a color 3-View) and Mick Davis chimes in with four 1/32 scale drawings of the Hannover Cl.III and Cl.IIIa. Mick Davis also provides a line drawing to show the placement of the rigging tensioners (Batons) that are between the flying and landing wires.

Similar to the seven preceding volumes in this series, you will be treated to a very detailed, step-by-step build of the Wingnut Wings 1/32 Hannover Cl.II. Be aware that this is no plain-Jane out-of-the-box build. Ray Rimell brings his lifetime of modeling expertise to bear for this super-detailed build where each component becomes a model unto itself. A feature that Ray Rimell favors is noting the detailed color photographs of the build with reference codes that are addressed in the text. Converting to a Cl.III or Cl.IIIa variant is even addressed for those of you that want to take the next step. The Chapters include:

• Introduction
• Part 1 – The Hannover Unboxed...
• Part 2 – Building the Hannover Cl.II
• Centerfold Color 3-View of Hannover Cl.II C.9301/17 by Ronny Barr
• Building the Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin.
• Part 3 – ‘Hawa’ Archiv
• Color Side Profiles by Ronny Barr
• Hannover Cl.III (Mercedes D.III) 1/32 Scale Drawings by Mick Davis
• Hannover Cl.IIIa (Argus As.III) 1/32 Scale Drawings by Mick Davis
• Part 4 - Aftermarket Accessories...
• Part 5 - Appendices and References
• Jargon Buster...
• Contacts and Sources
• Author’s Note

Ray Rimell has a very readable style (no doubt polished over his long career) that is supplemented with clear photographs, color illustrations from Ronny Barr, and line drawings from Mick Davis. Although this book is targeted at the 1/32 Wingnut Wings kit, there is extraordinary value in this reference for kits in 1/48 (Koster’s Cl.II/Cl.IIIa & Eduard’s Cl.IIIa) and 1/72 (Airfix’s Cl.IIIa & Ardpol’s Cl.V). I would consider this edition essential as an aide to your build in your favorite scale. I was able to read this tome easily over a few nights. If you own any of the previous releases in the Building the Wingnut Wings series, you know what you are getting. If this is your initial entry into this series, you will be quite pleased. Myself, I can’t wait for the next volume!

My thanks to Ray Rimell, Albatros Productions, Ltd., and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!