Book reviews
FROM INCEPTION TO TODAY
The third part in Casemate’s Middle East@War series is devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Israeli Air Force (which actually occurs in 2023), focusing on training, combat support, special operations, maritime support and air defence platforms.
ARMY SPOTTER
Guideline’s Warpaint Series goes from strength to strength and while many subjects can be considered mainstream, its 131st volume examines the Auster family of liaison and scout aircraft.
FIGHTING OVER RABAUL
Certain aspects of the Pacific air campaign during World War Two seem to garner more attention than others, but operations over New Guinea, and notably the battles for/over Rabaul, seem to escape attention.
NAVAL WORKHORSES
Modellers wanting to focus on British World War Two sloops and frigates would do well to consider the 27th volume in the successful Shipcraft series, which is dedicated to these two ship types.
LATIN AMERICAN TRANSPORTS
While it’s usually World War Two fighter and bomber types that are immediately recognisable, there’s one transport aircraft that gets an honorary inclusion in any such listings: the Douglas DC-3/C-47.
FIVE-BANK TANK
Schiffer’s approach to the Sherman tank has been to dedicate several volumes to the type, each focusing on a different sub-type, which allows for a detailed study of each of the M4 variants.
BOMBER-HUNTING OWL
Now in its second edition, this revised and expanded volume about the Luftwaffe’s Heinkel He 219 provides modellers with all they need to know of this important night-fighter type and combines a well-written narrative with a superb collection of photos.
POST-COLONIAL CONFLICT
This emotively titled Casemate publication is the first volume of an Asia@War series dedicated to conflict in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon) between 1971-87, with subsequent books covering 1987-90 and 1990-94, respectively.
SWINGING FENCER
Modellers with Trumpeter, Dragon, Revell, Armory or any other firm’s Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer kits will appreciate Kagero’s TopDrawings visual guide to the swing-wing attack aircraft.
SLOPEY SLAVA
Modellers with 1/350 or 1/700 kits of Slava-class guided-missile cruisers will find this TopDrawings volume most useful although, frustratingly, none of the drawings are in either scale, with most in 1/400.