This is the first Detail & Scale book I have ever read, and after this wonderful experience, it will not be my last. In fact, I may have to start a reference collection. Even more impressive is that I don’t identify as primarily an aircraft modeler, but the photographs, captions and background information are so well done and presented, that I may have to start looking for models of aircraft highlighted in these fabulous books.

From the Detail & Scale website,

The Vought A-7 Corsair II was one of the backbones of the United States Navy’s strike capability for almost twenty-five years. During this time, the A-7 served with a considerable number of U. S. Navy light attack squadrons stationed on both coasts, and the aircraft entered the active inventory during one of the most colorful periods in the history of American military aviation. This book, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1: U. S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons, focuses on the thirteen active-duty and three Navy Reserve A-7 squadrons assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.

The book is a fascinating and remarkable insight into US Navy Atlantic Fleet A-7 Corsair II squadrons and Test & Evaluation facilities, complete with extensive photographs of the aircraft and its operating squadrons, composing the following chapters and appendices:

• Introduction
• A-7 Corsair II Paint Schemes
• Atlantic Fleet A-7 Corsair II Attack Squadrons
• VA-12 “Ubangis”/”Clinchers”
• VA-15 “Valions” / VA-67 “Vulcans”
• VA-37 “Bulls”
• VA-46 “Clansmen”
• VA-66 “Waldos”
• VA-72 “Blue Hawks”
• VA-81 “Sunliners”
• VA-82 “Marauders”
• VA-83 “Rampagers”
• VA-86 “Sidewinders”
• VA-87 “Golden Warriors”
• VA-105 “Gunslingers”
• VA-174 “Hell Razors”
• VA-203 “Blue Dolphins”
• VA-204” River Rattlers”
• VA-205 “Green Falcons”
• Atlantic Coast Test & Evaluation Facilities
• More from Detail & Scale

To say I learned a lot would be an understatement. Even more surprising is that neither author was a naval aviator. I had the pleasure of meeting Rock Roszak and Bert Kinzey at an IPMS/USA National Convention over breakfast and their friendly demeanor and historical knowledge showed through then, and in their writing style. I am now looking forward to meeting co-author Mike Heideman. As mentioned before, neither author was a naval aviator, but they took the time to thank all the photographers and special contributors to produce a one-stop book on the Navy’s A-7 Corsair II Atlantic Fleet Squadrons and Test & Evaluation Facilities.

By the third page, it became evident that this book would fill a large gap in knowledge on not only the A-7 Corsair II, but on naval aviation spanning the 26 years the A-7 was operational. For instance, Atlantic Fleet aircraft tail codes began with the letter A. The A-7 also bridged the span of the Navy’s aircraft being painted Light Gull Gray over Insignia White in 1955 (making the transition from Glossy Sea Blue, and the short-lived experimental carrier-based aircraft left in unpainted finish that led to corrosion problems) to the Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) directive in 1985 of Dark Ghost Gray over Light Ghost Gray, that is still used today.

A table on page 11, titled “Atlantic Fleet A-& Corsair II Squadrons Major Overseas Deployments” will allow a modeler to pair a model to a carrier to a year. With all the squadrons listed, it is worth the price of the book alone if a modeler is looking for that particular aircraft with a particular tail code in a particular paint scheme.

Besides the wealth of information on all the A-7 Atlantic Fleet squadrons, the photographs look recent, despite some of them being taken over five decades ago. Simply put, this book is a fantastic reference for the colorful era of naval aviation as well as extreme weathering, particularly in the TPS schemes. The A-7 Corsair II is a perfect airframe to complement this transition, and while I have heard Rock Roszak say it while promoting this book, and as a youngster walking the Nellis AFB flight line in the 1980s, the A-7 was referred to as the SLUF (Short Little Ugly Fellow for polite company, or you could substitute Fellow for the obvious explicative; either way, it is a term of endearment), it is not referenced in this book. It is a nod to this incredibly versatile aircraft that served both the US Navy and US Air Force, among other nations’ air forces. I am looking forward to the follow-on A-7 Corsair II Part II on the Pacific Fleet Squadrons, and hopefully a book dedicated to the USAF A-7 SLUFs as well.

Profuse thanks to Detail & Scale and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.