Specialty Press
Tupolev Tu-95 Bear (WarbirdTech Series, Vol 43)
by  Yefim Gordon and Peter Davison
Reviewed By  Phil Pignataro, IPMS# 17254
[book cover image]
MSRP: $16.95


In this volume of the continuing WarbirdTech series, Yefim Gordon and Peter Davidson explore the history and operational development of the Tu-95, the Bear. Along with the USAF's B-52, the Tu-95 has been an icon of the Cold War and, like its US counterpart, is still in active service. As you might expect from an airplane that has been flying for over fifty years, there have been many variants of the basic airframe, even a nuclear powered version. This two-hundred page book covers all of these versions as well as the bomber's further development into the Tu-114 civilian airliner and later into the Tu-142 ASW aircraft.

The chapter breakdown is as follows:
  1. Introduction
  2. Flight of the Bear
  3. Tu-95 Versions Described
  4. Tu-95 Missile Carriers
  5. The "Mother Ships"
  6. Nuclear Diversions
  7. The Tu-142 Long-Range ASW Bear
  8. Operational History
  9. Times Change
  10. Civil Versions Derived From the Tu-95
  11. Military Derivatives of the Tu-114
  12. Tu-95 in Detail
  13. Appendix: Tu-95 Scale Model Kits
Some of these chapter titles require further clarification. "Mother Ship" refers to those machines used in carrying lifting bodies and other research vehicles, while in "Times Change" the authors discuss the impact of the break-up of the Soviet Union on the deployment of the various Tu-95 units. Also, in the "Tu-95 In Detail" chapter, there are tables showing the specifications of each version and world records held by this aircraft. How the bomber "morphed" into a civilian airliner was a very interesting read. This airliner then turned back into a military aircraft in the form of an AWAC platform, the Tu-126 Moss. Finally, in the Appendix, Richard Marmo talks about the various Bear kits. This is always a risky proposition to discuss since model availability frequently changes. He covers mainly the 1/72 Trumpeter kits, but does not mention the earlier Revell 1/144 kit. This volume was published before Trumpeter released their 1/144 models of the Tu-95 and Tu-142. As with the other volumes in this series, there are over 250 photos, mostly B/W and an eight page section of color photos. Line drawings depict the main variants which is a feature useful to the modeler.

Overall, this is an excellent reference source for this aircraft. As a modeler, I would have liked even more close-up, detail photos than are shown and perhaps a fold-out of scale drawings. That said, I would recommend this title to those interested in getting information on the Bear at a reasonable price. If your favorite hobby shop doesn't have this book, you can order it directly from Specialty Press by calling 1-800-895-4585 or visiting their website at www.specialtypress.com. My thanks go to IPMS/USA and also to Marie Norton of Specialty Press for the review sample.
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