Detail & Scale’s Color & Markings first series was launched in 1984 with Volume 1 focusing on the Convair’s F-106 Delta Dart. Authored by Bert Kinzey and published by Tab Books [ISBN-13 978-0816845255], the first volume was largely in black and white with 16 pages of color. Thirty-six years later, this new publication, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II significantly revises and expands the original coverage of the original volumes, Colors & Markings Volume 15 of The A-7E Corsair II: Pacific Coast Squadrons [1990]. Authored and illustrated by Colonel Richard S. “Rock” Roszak and Mike Heideman, Volume of 10 of the new series of Colors & Markings is all in color and double the size: 64 pages vs. 127 pages. This English edition was released on June 26, 2026, and is available in soft square bound format [8.5” x 11.0”] or in digital format. The ISBN-13 is 979- 8-344014579. The print edition is a Print-On-Demand format with glossy cardstock front and back covers. The interior pages are on standard weight paper with high-quality color laser printed photographs and illustrations with no noticeable smearing or bleeding. The binding did not break or separate when folded for scanning, so color me impressed.

Colonel Richard S. “Rock” Roszak is the son of immigrants who came to America from a war-ravaged Europe. He grew up in Staunton, Virginia and graduated from VPI in 1971 as a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force where he amassed over 2,000 flying hours, mostly in B-52D/F/G and C-135 aircraft, over a 27-year active-duty career. An avid modeler in his younger years, he has been a digital artist for over 13 years and has illustrated several books in partnership with Bert Kinzey. Besides being the vice president of Detail & Scale, Rock also creates all the artwork in the digital volumes and handles the electronic publishing end of the business. Rock currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with his wife, Patty, two daughters, and six grandchildren.

Mike Heideman grew up in Wentzville, Missouri, and was highly influenced by his father who was a USAAF aircraft mechanic that later worked for McDonnell Aircraft. Mike earned his private pilot license early in his senior year of high school flying a Pipe J-3 Cub. Mike spent four years in the Army Security Agency followed by graduation from the University of Missouri-Rolla. Through a variety of aviation flying jobs, Mike accumulated over 18,600 hours of flight time in numerous aircraft. Always an aviation enthusiast, Mike’s interest spans from the Wright Brothers to present day aircraft. Mike retired from flying in 2016 but still is extremely focused on his aviation studies according to his wife Sandy. They have two children and four grandchildren.

This title is Volume 10 in the newest series of Color & Markings and follows Volume 9, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1: U. S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons. I am guessing that an additional volume will soon follow with markings for USAF A-7 Corsair II aircraft. The front cover shows off a color photograph of a VA-25 CAG Corsair II at NAS Lemoore in October 1970. This USS Ranger [CVA61] A-7E, BuNo 157483, was lost on December 3, 1970, in the Gulf of Tonkin due to fuel exhaustion during a ferry flight. Commander of Air Group Two, Jesse E. McKnight, safely ejected and was rescued. The rear cover has three color photographs. The top photograph is another CAG aircraft, VA-27 A-7E, BuNo 157536, as seen in July 1977. Flown by Commander Bud Owens of CVW-14 with the “Royal Maces” off of the USS Enterprise [CVAN-65]. She was sent to AMARC on August 15, 1986. The center photograph is VA-56 A-7E, BuNo 157492 from September 1, 1984. LCDR Martin Tussey is landing her at Naval Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan. The bottom photograph is TA-7C, BuNo 154458, serving with the Vampires, or Air Test & Evaluation Squadron 5, in 1979. She had been converted from a LTV A-7B in 1976 and was later retired to AMARC on March 21, 1990. She is now stored at El Dorado Aircraft Supplies. I counted 347 color photographs. And zero black and white photographs. Rock Roszak provides one aircraft color side profile and 37 color squadron badge or special markings illustrations. There are four pages of informational, safety, and warning markings for the LTV A-7E, as can be spotted on Page 124, to aid in applying the multitude of stencils for your kit build.

Volume 10 of the new series of Colors & Markings covers the A-7 Corsair II, Part 2: U. S. Navy Pacific Fleet Squadrons. All seventeen active-duty and three Navy Reserve squadrons assigned to the Pacific Fleet are presented. This allows the reader to choose any of these squadrons for quick and easy reference and displays the changes in camouflage schemes chronologically. Rock Roszak and Mike Heideman kicks off with a five-page Introduction immediately followed by each Squadron’s Paint Schemes and General Markings. The “Fighting Cocks” of Attack Squadron VA-22 leads off as depicted on Page 008. Each Squadron chapter provides a synopsis of its history followed by well captioned color photographs. LTV A-7E, BuNo. 156879, is featured at the top of the page at NAS Alameda, California, on October 9, 1971. Tragically, she was shot down on March 6, 1972, by a SA-2 Guideline [S-75 Dvina) surface-to-air missile near Don Hoi, North Vietnam. The pilot was observed to eject and land safely but was captured and executed.

Two VA-97 “Warhawks” are featured on Page 045. The top photograph shows off color recognition wing stripes of Commander Vincent J. Huth’s CAG bird. Here she is on the deck of the USS Coral Sea [CV43] in 1980 off the coast of Iran participating tin Operation Eagle Claw, the Iranian hostage rescue attempt. A low visibility camouflage scheme is depicted at the bottom of the page. Serving with CVW-14, A-7E, BuNo. 157517, is at NAS Fallon on October 1. 1982, piloted by Commander T-Mac McClelland. She was later sent to AMARC on April 3, 1990. LTV Corsair IIs participated in the American Bicentennial as shown on Page 097 with A-7B, BuNo. 154479. This VA-215 “Barn Owls” bird actually wore two different custom schemes in 1976. The first half of the year saw her serving with the USS Oriskany [CV-34] and the remainder of the year serving with USS Franklin D Roosevelt [CV-42]. Interestingly, when the aircraft was repainted to change from USS Oriskany to USS Franklin D Roosevelt, other changes were made to the special markings for the American Bicentennial. She was sent to AMARC on July 11, 1986, and later was placed on display at English Air Field Air and Space Museum in Amarillo, Texas. The Fort Worth Aviation Museum [South of Meacham International Airport] managed to acquire her in 2008 where she now resides, although she is now in VA-304 “Firebirds” markings.

Following up on Volume 9’s coverage of the Atlantic Test, Evaluation & Training Squadrons that focused on aircraft and system testing, Volume 10 covers the Pacific Test, Evaluation & Training Squadrons focused on weapons testing. The top of {age 114 highlights an A-7A, BuNo. 152651, in late 1973 at the Naval Missile Center. She later was transferred to AMARC on October 7, 1977. She was later transferred to Consolidated Aeronautics on March 14, 1983. as a spares source for the Portuguese Air Force Corsair II A-7P and TA-7P aircraft. Just below the top photograph are the seven squadron badges of the Pacific Test, Evaluation & Training Squadrons. The sections include:

• Contributors and Sources
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Pacific Fleet A-7 Corsair II Attack Squadrons
  • Pacific Fleet A-7 Corsair II Squadrons Major Overseas Deployments [Table]
  • VA-22 “Fighting Redcocks” [Page 008]
  • VA-25 “Fist of the Fleet”
  • VA-27 “Royal Maces”
  • VA-56 “Champions”
  • VA-93 “Blue Blazers” / “Ravens”
  • VA-94 “Mighty Shrikes”
  • VA-97 “Warhawks” [Page 045]
  • VA-113 “Stingers”
  • VA-122 “Flying Eagles”
  • VA / VFA-125 “Rough Raiders”
  • VA-146 “Blue Diamonds”
  • VA-147 “Argonauts”
  • VA-153 “Blue Tail Flies”
  • VA-155 “Silver Fox”
  • VA-192 “Golden Dragons”
  • VA-195 “Dambusters”
  • VA-215 “Barn Owls”
    • VA-215 Bicentennial Aircraft, A-7B, BuNo. 154479 [Page 097]
  • VA-303 “Golden Hawks”
  • VA-304 “Firebirds”
  • VA-305 “Hackers” / “Lobos”

• VAQ-34 “Flashbacks”

• Pacific Coast Test, Evaluation & Training Corsair IIs [Page 114]
  • Naval Missile Center (NMC) / (PMTC) / (NAWC{WD}) Naval Ai Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California
  • Naval Weapons Center (NWC) / (NAWC{WD}) Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California
  • VX-5 “Vampires” Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California
  • Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility (NWEF) Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Naval Strike Warfare Center (NSWC) Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada
• Corsair II Markings Appendix: Informational, Safety, & Warning Markings [Page 124]
• About the Authors

This is a worthy follow-up to the original Colors & Markings edition that was issued in 1984. I was able to go through this book in three evenings. Pages that caught my interest are included above and I thought the addition of the four pages of stenciling in the Appendix was a great addition. Experimental wrap around camouflage schemes that the A-7 flew in near the end of her career, as well as coverage of the American Bicentennial custom paint schemes are all included. The addition of 63 pages of more photographs with detailed captions really makes this new edition worth it. That does not mean you need to sell off your first edition, as most, if not all, of the color photographs in this latest edition are brand new. I am certainly looking forward to the possible third edition on the LTV Corsair II covering USAF Corsair II aircraft. If you are a history buff or are planning on building a LTV A-7 Corsair II, this is an essential book.

My thanks to Detail & Scale Aviation Publications and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!