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Model Art Company |
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Tomcat Colors Camouflage & Markings of the US Navy and Marine Corps 1976 - Present, Vol. 3 |
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Reviewed By Doug Hamilton, #21985 |
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MSRP: $34.00 USD Published by Model Art Co, in Japan, this soft cover book contains 123 pages, printed on high quality paper. The subject of this book is aircraft flown by the US Navy and Marine Corps during the period 1976 to the present. It features mostly fixed wing aircraft, but I managed to find four pictures of helicopters. All major types flown during this time are shown in exceptionally clear photos and drawings illustrating the many different colorful squadron makings being applied during this time. Chapter Six has detail shots and flight deck action photos to round things out. A printed color chart is also included in the rear. There are many publications available today that cover this subject very well, and what makes this issue stand out is the sheet of decals that accompanies it. Markings for five aircraft are included on the sheet. Four are Marine Corps birds, and one is for a Navy F-14B from VF-11. The decals are very nicely printed and the colors look right. The final section is devoted to the birds on the decal sheet, and includes a painting guide and placement information. The aircraft represented on the sheet include two Corsairs in 1/48 scale. An F4U-1A from VMF-312, and an F4U-2 attached to VMF(N)-532, with the name Midnight Cocktail on the nose. Also in 1/48 scale is an F6F-5N from VMF(N) 534. All three appear in the regular three color scheme. Photos of these aircraft appear in Volume 1 according to the book. It would have been helpful to include these pictures in this volume, as I don’t have Vol. 1 to look back on. The remaining two aircraft are in 1/72 scale. In addition to the F-14B mentioned earlier, the last aircraft is an F-4B assigned to VMFA-115, which is pictured in Volume 2. The markings for the F-4 are available through a few other suppliers, and can’t be considered a fresh subject. The other four are new, at least to me, and are very welcome. While I understand the reasoning behind including different scales, I would have preferred to have all markings in the same scale. This is a very nice book to have on your bookshelf, and I would highly recommend it to any modeler. I like the presentation of the subject, and only wish I read Japanese! I’m sure there is a wealth of valuable information contained in the text, and would like an English text version to confirm my suspicions. The decals are a really nice addition to a book, and I hope this trend continues. The company has a very nice web site at www.modelart.jp where you can find the entire publication listing, and it can be accessed in English, for us foreign language challenged Americans. My thanks go to Kohei Ida of Model Art Co. Ltd. Japan, and John Noack, IPMS 1st Vice President for supplying this review sample. |
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