This is a new series for me at least. This is a nice hardback book that covers the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the FM series of Wildcats built by Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors during WWII. The Wildcat continued in production and to fight throughout the war even as newer and better aircraft became available.

The book has 12 chapters each covering the different variants. The layout is the first chapter on the XF4F-2, followed by chapters each on the following: XF4f-3 and F4F-3, the F4F-3 in detail, XF4F-5, XF4F-6/F4F-3A, F4F-3S, XF4F-4, F4F-4, F4F-7, XF4F-8, FM-1, FM-2 and Wildcat in combat.

The book uses many wartime photos mixed in with color photos of museum and restored warbirds to tell the story. The book has wonderful detail shots of each variant, quite a few I have not seen before. The number and breadth of photographs alone make this a worth addition to any modeler or aviation buff’s library! The writing is informative and like Joe Friday of Dragnet fame is full of “Just the facts”! The Wildcat fought from beginning to end in WWII and was the mount of several aces, this book is a worthy teller of the airplane’s story. Enjoy!

The new book is a great addition to your library. With all the photos and additional information it will compliment older books on the Wildcat if you have them in your library or serve just as well as a standalone book if you do not have any of the other books on this aircraft. This is a promising series of books and I look forward to seeing others! It is a very good book and I recommend it to all that are interested in the subject.

Our thanks to David Doyle Books for the review copy and my thanks to IPMS/USA for the review opportunity