ON THE SHELF
BOOKSAirfix Model World
{90}www.airfixmodelworld.comDIY LIZZIE
Occupying a similar place
in Russian aviation lore to
the Spitfire, the Ilyushin Il-2
Shturmovik was a rugged and
heavily armed ground attack
aircraft. Built in huge numbers
(more than 36,000), and earning
nicknames such as ‘flying tank’
and ‘flying infantryman’, the
sight of the Il-2 struck fear intothe Germans. Here the type is
subjected to an encyclopaedic
examination, with all known
variants covered, including
several that were little more
than paper projects. Detailed
explanations of the aircraft's
development are accompanied
by useful line drawings in 1/72
and 1/48 scales. The story then
shifts to operational service,
and thoughtfully includes some
of the modifications undertaken
in the field, notably the initial
attempts to fit a rear gunner,
which included holes being cut
into the canopy and fuselage!
Amazingly, almost a third of the
pages are devoted to a series
of excellent colour profiles, and
feature a myriad of camouflageschemes. Curiously, the Il-2
was never developed fully
as a heavy cannon-armed
tank-buster in the manner of
the Ju 87G Stuka, as trials
proved unsatisfactory. Pilots
preferred the mix of bombs and
23mm cannon over the bigger
guns, which imposed severe
constraints on manoeuvrability
and handling due to their
weight. More than 900 were
produced with 37mm cannon,
but they were used little over
land and were allocated to
the Black Sea Fleet, where
they were employed against
naval targets. As is usual for
Mushroom Model Publications,
the final section provides a
detailed walk-around, withphotographs of surviving aircraft
from museums in Moscow,
Warsaw and Belgrade. Additional
information is provided by
excerpts from technical and pilot
manuals, and this is sufficient
enough to satisfy the most
ardent detailer. SFReleased ahead of the celebration
of Westland’s centenary in aviation
design and construction, Haynes
has provided a cracking summary
of the legendary Lysander.
Surprisingly, the 'Lizzie’s' early
years were rather mediocre,
and it wasn’t until an aircraft
was required to ferry agents
into and out of occupied Europe
that it came into its own. Haynes
introduces the aircraft and covers
the early service of the Lysander in
detail, including the heavy losses in
the Battle of France and its service
in the Middle East, where the
fighter threat was much lower and
it was used as an occasional light
bomber. An excellent overview ofthe airframe anatomy then follows,
which combines close-up/walk-
around photographs with technical
notes courtesy of the Shuttleworth
Collection, and provides a neat
segue into the type's cloak and
dagger operations. It came assomething of a revelation to
find out that the majority of
the clandestine missions were
conducted by just two units, 138
and 161 Squadrons. As would be
expected, the wartime anecdotes
of those flights are at times
breathtaking, with the occasional
humorous interlude, such as a
pilot taking a piece of telephone
cable that his aircraft had snagged
on take-off as a souvenir! A
wonderful final section covers the
surviving Shuttleworth Collection
airframe, with yet more close-up
photographs and an engineer’s
perspective on how to maintain the
more than 70-year-old airframe.
This is an invaluable reference foranyone with an interest in wartime
special operations or the Lysander
aircraft, doubly so for modellers,
as, in addition to the fantastic
photographs of the interior and
engine, there are plenty of ideas for
dioramas featuring the eponymous
Lizzie. SFBOOK SPEC
Il-2 Shturmovik
By: Viktor Povinsky
ISBN: 978-83-63678-
37-1
Price: £35
Format: A4
Available from:
http://www.mmpbooks.bizBOOK SPEC
Westland Lysander 1936-1946
(all marks)
By: Edward Wake-Walker
ISBN: 978-0-85733-395-7
Price: £16.99
Format: 212mm x 276mm
Available from:
http://www.haynes.co.ukhttp://www.airfixmodelworld.comSurprisingly, the 'Lizzie’s' earlyinto and out of occupied Europe
that it came into its own. Haynes
introduces the aircraft and covers
the early service of the Lysander in
detail, including the heavy losses in
the Battle of France and its servicefighter threat was much lower and
it was used as an occasional light
bomber. An excellent overview ofCollection, and provides a neat
segue into the type's cloak and
dagger operations. It came asand 161 Squadrons. As would be
expected, the wartime anecdotes
of those flights are at times
breathtaking, with the occasional
humorous interlude, such as a
pilot taking a piece of telephone
cable that his aircraft had snagged
on take-off as a souvenir! A
wonderful final section covers the
surviving Shuttleworth Collection
airframe, with yet more close-up
photographs and an engineer’s
perspective on how to maintain the
more than 70-year-old airframe.
This is an invaluable reference forAVIATION HERITAGE
STALIN’S FLYING TANK
Now in its 24th edition, it’s hard
to believe that this series began
more than 30 years ago as an
86 page pamphlet and, in itslatest iteration is now five times
larger. The author has continued
to update this fascinating
compilation of UK-based aviation
heritage, with some truly notable
examples, including a 100-year-
old Cody biplane located at the
Science Museum. Entries are
sorted geographically, first by
country, then county, and finally
by actual place of residence, so
modellers can determine quickly
which artefacts are close by,
or where a specific airframe
can be found. Each location is
then given a short narrative
(although the museums tend to
get a much larger commentary),
which outlines its significanceand any historical background,
before the resident airframes,
or parts thereof, are detailed.
A considerable amount of
information is provided for each
wreck/relic, and where applicable,
additional notes provide a
comprehensive chronicle of an
aircraft’s history. It should be
noted that several entries are
located on active military bases as
either gate or unit guardians, and
while there isn’t free access, a visit
can easily be arranged via a quick
call to the base public relations
office. In addition to a series of
black and white photographs
that accompany a number of
the individual entries, there aretwo colour compilations, which
will provide modellers with basic
details at the very least. The final
section comprises a number
of appendices, which include
overseas RAF wrecks, exported
airframes, a useful glossary and
a handy index of exhibits by type
and location. SFtank-buster in the manner ofproved unsatisfactory. Pilots
preferred the mix of bombs and
23mm cannon over the biggerconstraints on manoeuvrabilityweight. More than 900 were
produced with 37mm cannon,
but they were used little over photographs of surviving aircraft
from museums in Moscow,BOOK SPEC
Wrecks and Relics
By: Ken Ellis
ISBN: 978-08597-91779
Price: £18.95
Format: 155mm x 217mm
Available from:
http://www.crecy.co.uk90_Books.CC.indd 90 17/03/2015 14:49