SAM Publications series of Modelers Datafiles cover a lot of ground in a single book. This one is on the Vought A-7 Corsair II, and it gives plenty of information in a single book that most modelers need when researching and building a model.

The A-7 was the replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Even a casual observer can see that what Vought did was take their successful F-8 Crusader and shorten it. They also put a non-afterburning turbofan engine in there, improving range and fuel economy. And with the advances in electronics and weapons in the 1960s, the A-7 was a very accurate bomb-dropper, and it could carry a pretty good load of various weapons.

The book consists of the following sections

1. Design, Development and the A-7A
2. US Navy Corsairs
3. US Air Force Corsairs
4. Corsairs in Foreign Service
5. Walk Arounds and Weaponry
   • A-7H – Greek Pirate
   • A-7H – Hellenic Tiger
   • TA-7P Portuguese Trainer
   • A-7E US Navy
6. Modeling the A-7 Corsair in Popular Scales
   • A-7D US Air National Guard
   • A-7E Super ‘Detailed SLUF’
   • A-7E “Sidewinders”
   • A-7E “Desert Storm”
   • TA-7C Hellenic Air Force
   • A-7D ANG Scrapper
   • SLUF Shades – TA-7P
7. Appendixes
   • Corsair Squadrons
   • Corsair Build Numbers
8. Technical Diagrams
   • Understanding the Subject
9. Kitography

OK, it’s a pretty technical book, on a complicated subject. But I have to give kudos to Andy Evans for writing a readable book. I read the first four chapters, and the book kept my interest all the way through. The photographs are interesting and excellent in content. The walk around gives a lot of details that will make your model the envy of the AMS crowd.

But wait, there’s more:

Chapter 6 has seven gorgeous SLUF builds in 1/72 and 1/48 scales. The kits are Fujimi, Hasegawa, and HobbyBoss. The sections lead you through the detailing, finishing and weathering parts of the build, leaving the “boring bits” of basic assembly out. All of these kits are contest grade, although if the Fujimi 1/72 A-7D was in the Group I served in, it’d be sent to the wash rack ASAP.

The Appendixes provide a treasure trove of information about the A-7. There are listings of every squadron and group who operated A-7s, including the Portuguese Air Force and the Thai Navy.

The section titled “Understanding the Subject has line drawings of each of the single-seat A-7 models, from the A-7A to the A-7P. Each drawing has captions on the parts that are different from the other models, such as the refueling probe on the A-7A and E, and the Pave Penny pod on the A-7D, the chaff and flare dispensers on the A-7C and E, and the ECM fairings found on the A-7D and E. You don’t have to wonder what the differences were between the various versions, these drawings show you.

And if you’re looking for inspiration for an A-7 scheme, there are 30 color profiles in the book. Each of the aircraft profiled also has a photo somewhere in the book.

And to help you with your model project planning, there’s a listing of available kits, decals and aftermarket items.

Overall Evaluation

Highly recommended. This book gives huge amounts of information, is readable, and the photos are beautiful. Many thanks to SAM Publications for providing this book for review, and to IPMS USA for letting me do the review.