Albatros Productions, Ltd.
Windsock Worldwide
Vol. 24, No. 3 May/June 2008
Reviewed By  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

Windsock cover

MSRP: $12.50

Contact information:
10 Long View
Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4, 1BY
UK Phone: 01442 875838. UK Fax: 01442 876018
Phone: (From outside UK) +44-1-442 875838.
Fax: (From outside UK) +44-1-442 876018

www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk

For those interested in aviation during World War I this publication offers excellent articles which address a wide variety of aviation related subjects. For modelers, Windsock provides an excellent resource with line drawings, color charts, and news on new releases.

The publication is a 32page magazine printed on glossy paper in an 8"x 11.5" format. With the understandable exception of the vintage photographs, the publication is printed in color and is written in The Queen’s English. I mention this point because some of the publications I review are in languages other than English.

The table of contents lists some features that are found in each issue, those being Frontline News, Logbook Entries, Readers’ Gallery, Rudder Post, and Supply Lines. In this issue Frontline news spotlights efforts by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia to restore a Pfalz D.XII and SE5a. The Readers’ Gallery presents a series of color photographs of some aircraft models. A pleasant surprise was the inclusion of some images of Bob Sheldon’s beautiful scratch built 1/48th Gotha G.I. Although I do not know Mr. Sheldon, I know of his work and it’s a pleasure to be able to see these pictures. The Rudder Post section serves the same purpose as the "Letters to the Editor" column found in most publications, and the Supply Lines column consists of advertisements for books, kits, and modeling tools.

One of the featured articles in this issue is Part 14 of George Haddow’s Guide to WWI Austro-Hungarian Naval Aeroplanes, in this case, a Mickl Type S31-S60. The article contains some very interesting text regarding the S31 along with a 3-view b&w line drawing of the aircraft by Mr. Haddow. The line drawing is 1/72nd scale. Also included is a 3 view color profile of that same aircraft by Bob Pearson, also in 1/72nd scale. The text and 3-view drawings are supported by 5 b&w photographs of an S31.

Author Harry Woodman’s feature entitled, "A Hit and Miss Affair" describes the early efforts to attack ground targets with bombs. A set of five photographs support Woodman’s text. The images provide some excellent detail of the manner in which some bombs were suspended from aircraft. In the case of a Morane Type L, the bomb was held in a net hung from the side of the aircraft just under the cockpit.

Author Les Rogers’ Part 5 of his coverage of RE8 Squadrons 1914-1918 is included in this issue. The quality of the 16 images which accompany this article seems to be better than those in other articles. That is probably due to these images being taken, most likely, by a Squadron photographer, in better weather conditions, and with some posing of the subject within the image. In any case the modeler looking for detail to be added to his latest project will find use for these images.

Allan Forbes presents a fascinating discussion of colors used in W.W.I. Mr. Forbes presents some accounts recorded by eye witnesses during the war, and with the aid of a color chart, reproduced on page 25, and some basic chemistry, he proceeds to lay out a case describing the color these eye witnesses reported.

Placed throughout the magazine are some 3-view drawings featuring a Dr.I and another featuring an Albatros C.XII 9314/16. These 1/48th scale drawings are very well done and serve as excellent product placement items advertising Albatros Productions future release of a Datafile on the C.XII and Eduard’s release of their new 1/48th scale Dr.I kit. I recently built a Dr.I and would have profited mightily by having the line drawing available to me.

Many thanks to Albatros Productions for supplying this fine product to IPMS for review. This publication is highly recommended for the quality of the line drawings, the photographs, and for the historical content of the text.


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