The period between 1920 and 1939 saw a rapid evolution in flight technology, not least in the field of fighter aircraft. The RAF ended WWI with a mix of fighters but by 1920 had standardized on the two-gun rotary-engine Sopwith Snipe, one of the most advanced fighters of the War. In the Twenties, aircraft development hardly evolved – mainly due to Government parsimony, the period ending with the Hawker Woodcock and Gloster Gamecock, which were still two-gun, fabric-covered biplanes with top speeds barely in advance of the Snipe. In the Thirties, the purse strings opened as the realization that another war could be on the horizon, and the development of the Hawker Fury – still a biplane, but with many advanced features – opened the door for even more advanced types, and to the monoplane Hurricane and Spitfire that began to equip the RAF in the late Thirties.

The Flight Craft series of books is aimed at the modeler, but this volume eschews their standard format in favor of a more historical overview of the subject, there being no strictly modeling content at all. This is not a bad thing, just something to be aware of! I’d say the book is actually better for that, as it enables a more detailed look at the aircraft with a slant towards the modeler.

Authors Martin Derry and Neil Robinson are well known in modeling circles, but are also competent aviation historians in their own right. In this book, they provide a detailed and informative pictorial history of the RAF fighter aircraft that served between the wars. Each type is covered in detail, with many period photos. These are accompanied by proper photo captions that are informative and detailed – these are excellent examples of what photo captions should be like and what is often woefully lacking in other modelers' books.

The book is divided into a number of chapters divided by decades. While there are useful appendices covering a variety of very useful topics and containing a lot of valuable reference material, including a long discourse on RAF fighter colors and markings for the period – this is almost worth the price of admission by itself! There is even a short chapter on the monoplane ‘also rans’ – the monoplane fighters that were designed and had prototypes built but not selected for production.

In addition to the photos, there are a total of 50 full-color profiles of 14 different types, including some three-views and some top and bottom views of select aircraft, covering the full range of types from the Snipe to the Spitfire. These are executed by the renowned aviation artist, Mark Gauntlett, and so are of excellent quality and of impeccable provenance. These are also accompanied by informative and detailed captions, ideal for the modeler. There are also top views illustrating upper wing squadron markings from the ‘silver wings’ period, or camouflage patterns of later types.

This is a truly excellent product; well written and excellently illustrated, it needs to find its way on to the shelves of any RAF ‘silver wings’ modeler. Highly recommended.