Aviation Workshop |
On Target Special #2 Britain Alone June 1940 to December 1941 by Paul Lucas |
Reviewed By Jim Bates, #36213 |
Besides their On Target Profiles, the
Aviation Workshop also has a series of On Target Specials that are issued
when the subject needs more in-depth detail that the Profiles allow. The
second book in the Special series covers the camouflage and markings of
British aircraft from June 1940 till December 1941. Unlike the Profile
series, this book has text as well as the profiles. Mr. Lucas’s work will
be familiar to those readers of Scale Aircraft Modeling, and the Guideline
Publications RAF colour books. This book continues alone those lines. In
Britain Alone the topics covered are day fighters, night fighters, Coastal
Command aircraft, the first Grumman Martlets, Middle East schemes,
Gladiators and Hurricanes of Malta, and RAF Hurricanes in North Russia.
Each chapter has text describing the colours and schemes as well as the
Profiles we come to expect. When necessary the history of a given scheme
is covered. (Including some fascinating information on the advent of the
day fighter scheme for Spitfires.) Aircraft covered include Hurricanes,
Spitfires, Defiants, Beaufighters, Hudsons, as well as lesser-known types
such as Turbinlite Havocs, a shark mouthed Handley Page Harrow, and the
Saro Lerwick. The profiles are very well done. I really miss the
historical photographs that were in the books published by Guideline and I
hope that the Aviation Workshop will consider using reference photographs
in future books. Profiles are nice, but I always like to compare the
profiles to photographs to see if I come to the same conclusions as the
artist. Secondly, I wish that a modern standard such as F.S. were used to
describe the colours. Differing Sky and Egg Duck Blue colours have always
confused me, and while it is helpful to know which colour a certain
aircraft carried, it is still somewhat confusing not to know what the
colour looks like. Recommended to RAF enthusiasts. Thanks to the Aviation Workshop and John Noack for the review sample. |
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