Scale aviation modeller international

Boeing 707

1957 to Present. Owners’ Workshop Manual

Insights into the design, construction and operation of the all-

American jet airliner that became the face of 1960s air travel

AUTHOR: Charles Kennedy

YEAR: 2018

PUBLISHER: Haynes

Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-78521-136-2

FOR M AT: 188pp Hardback

T

he latest Haynes

Manual from

this very prolific

publisher tackles the

Boeing 707. In modelling

terms civil aircraft are

still underrepresented,

so it is good to see

publishers taking on

these civil subjects.

The book opens with

a comprehensive and

well-illustrated look

at the development

of the 707, before moving on

to the anatomy of the airliner.

This section is illustrated with

colour photographs and extracts

from the technical manual and

a cutaway drawing. The photos

and drawings cover the airliner

in quite some detail, but it would

certainly be a challenge to

squeeze some of the illustrated

detail into a 1/144 scale model!

The next chapter takes a

detailed, mainly photographic look

at the various engines the type

has used over its long service.

Chapter 4 takes us through

the type’s 55-year service as

a commercial airliner with

companies all around the world.

It is said that the miles flown

by the 707 equate to 63500

return trips to the moon, quite

a staggering number. Again

this chapter is illustrated in

colour with contemporary

photographs, showing the many

varied and colourful schemes

the 707 wore in service.

It must be remembered that

the 707 also saw extensive and

long service in the world’s military

air arms too. I remember seeing

them, growing up in Suffolk,

in their AWACs form with the

large dish. They also operated

as tankers and in other various

electronic warfare roles. The 707

has also seen service as Air Force

One, as well as the jet of choice for

heads of state around the world.

The last chapter takes a look

at flying the 707. This chapter has

some fantastic cockpit shots, and

safety and maintenance are also

covered in this final chapter.

So, if you have the classic Airfix

kit or any of the other available kits

of the type in your stash this book

will give you all the background

and detail images you could need!

My thanks to Haynes Publishing

for supplying this copy for review.

TMU-S

Airframe & Miniature No. 12:

The Supermarine Spitfire

Part 1 (Merlin-powered) including the Seafire

A Complete Guide To The Famous Fighter

AUTHOR: Richard A Franks

YEAR: 2018

PUBLISHER: Valiant Wings

Publishing Ltd

ISBN: 978-0-995-7773-5-4

FOR M AT:240 pp Softback

W

hen

confronted

with this

massive work, I found

myself wondering,

“How on earth do

I review such a

fine book?” This

book covers all of

the Merlin-engine

Spitfire variants,

including, as the title

suggests, the Seafire.

The omission of

other nations’ use of

the Spitfire is pointed out in the

preface. There just wasn’t room

to fit it all in the book, but there

is a PDF file that is available

on the Valiant Wings website. I

really enjoyed the colour profiles

by the celebrated artist Richard

J. Caruana, and in my view the

book is worth it for these alone!

The chapter on camouflage

and markings clears up the

different schemes used during

the war. If you are confused

about the different A and B

schemes used on Mk I Spitfires,

there is a handy guide on Page

72. The Spitfire Mk.IX plan of
    stencil locations on Page 87 is
    of particular value and offers
    a clear guide to the location
    and text of the various stencils
    and markings applied.
    The model section of the
    book features four kit builds:
    the Airfix 1/72 scale Mk.II, an
    Eduard Mk.IX in 1/72 and 1/48,
    and the Tamiya 1/32 scale Mk.IX.

As a fan of Airfix kits, which are

now becoming available in my

local hobby store, I felt that the

verdict on the Airfix kit was a

bit harsh, as for many modellers

this kit may well be their first

introduction to the hobby.

That said, the builds are

all very impressive. The kit

listing omits the Airfix 1/24

scale kit; whilst this kit is not

in the current catalogue it

is still readily available and

can with a little work be built

into an impressive model.

Apart from this minor gripe

(from a self-confessed Airfix

fan), this book is excellent

and gives give the modeller

the key background on the

Merlin Spitfire, with plenty

of detailed photography to

inspire your kit builds.

A fine book overall

and recommended for

all Spitfire fans!

John Bollig

76 • NOVEMBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BOOKS & MEDIA

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