Mushroom Model Publications

Gloster Gladiator. Vol 1. Development and Operational History

by  Alex Crawford

Reviewed By  Brian R. Baker, IPMS #43146

MSRP: 24.99 GBP ISBN: 978-83-89450-59-3 Website: www.mmpbooks.biz North American Distributors: MMD (Squadron) The Gloster Gladiator was one of those airplanes that, while outdated when it went into service, managed to hold the line until more modern aircraft became available. Having the distinction of being the last fighter biplanes in British service, they held their own against their Italian opposition in the Western Desert, primarily because of their rugged design and highly trained pilots, who used tactics that helped them to survive against more modern monoplanes. Of course, when the Hurricanes and Spitfires became available, the Gladiators were relegated to second line duties, where they were very useful until the end of World War II. In addition to Royal Air Force and Navy service, the Gladiator was used by the air forces of Belgium, China, Egypt, Erie, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden, although some of these countries used examples captured from their previous owners. Nevertheless, the Gladiator served faithfully all over the world, and it is surprising that so few survive today. I had read several of the author's previous Mushroom publications, including those on the Hart, Fury, Bulldog, and Gauntlet, so I knew what to expect. I expected a well-written, complete, detailed history of the type, along with excellent detail drawings, color illustrations, and photographs, and that's what I got. It kind of reminded me of a "big print" edition, since the previous books had drawings in "real scale", 1/72, whereas this book is much larger, containing drawings in 1/48 scale, and although the type is not noticeably larger, there is a lot more information presented than in previous publications. The author did some very thorough research for this book, including tables showing the entire service history and final disposition of each airplane, squadron service records, and claimed kills over enemy aircraft. There is a wealth of information here on the Gladiator, and anyone interested in the type should certainly obtain this book. The book provides a very detailed and complete narrative history of the type's development and service use. Although a few of the photos were familiar, most were not. Many were of the personal type, people in front of airplanes, wreck photos, etc., but all would be useful in modeling. In fact, after thoroughly reading this book, I feel that this is probably the definitive work on the Gladiator. There will be a volume two, which I would assume would contain more photos and color drawings of the Gladiator in Royal Air Force and Royal Navy service, as the emphasis in this volume seemed to be on foreign Gladiator operations, especially in the color drawing section. The flyer stated that volume two will include a full technical description, detail photos, and information on surviving examples, making this two volume set indispensable to the serious modeler. This is an excellent publication, and anyone interested in modeling the Gladiator in any scale should obtain this book, and probably volume two, as a reference. Get one while you can. Then get out those old Matchbox, Frog, and Heller Gladiator kits and get cracking. Thanks to IPMS/USA and Mushroom's Editor in Chief, Dr. Roger M. Wallsgrove for the review copy and the many hours of excellent reading.