Scale aviation modeller international

Civil Collection No.6

SERIES: Civil Series

C AT. NO: 5015

PUBLISHER: Aero Research Co.

WEB: http://www.AeroResearchCDs.com

I

rather like civil aircraft.

I don’t build as many as I

should, but discs like this one

are full of inspiration. On it there

are 157 photos from the 1960s to

the present day, offering a rather

diverse selection of aircraft. It was

good to see photos on this disc from

across North America and Europe.

Images which stood out for me

include the derelict Bristol 170 at

Luton Airport in 1967, the NASA Bell

AH-1G, and the futuristic looking

Beech Starship. There are plenty

of images of more mainstream

civil aircraft too, such as various

De Haviland types, Cessnas, etc.

As well as showing pristine

civil aircraft, the images also

show everyday aircraft in use,

some of which look a little mucky

and worn, a little like cars you

see on the road: some owners

keep them shiny, a lot don’t!

Civil aircraft are still

somewhat under-represented in

kit manufacturers’ catalogues,

but we are starting to see some

golden age designs being kitted, so

hopefully this trend will continue

with some 1960s or 70s designs?

My thanks to Aero Research for

supplying this disc for review.

TMU-S

North American P-51D

Mustang

AUTHOR: Robert Peczkowski

COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS:

Zbigniew Kolacha

YEAR: 2016

PUBLISHER: MMPBooks

ISBN: 978-83-65281-23-4

FOR M AT: 152 pp Hardback

T

he frontispiece

information

reveals that this

book is the second,

improved, and enlarged

edition of an earlier

publication. It is a

technical look at the

bubble-top Mustang,

the P-51D and P-51K.

It also covers the F-6D and

K reconnaissance variants,

the Australian CAC-produced

aircraft, the various post-

war developments, such as

the Cavalier Mustangs, and

touches briefly on the P-51H.

A brief introduction

outlines a short history of the

aircraft’s development up to

the P-51B/C; there is then a

further short chapter on the

D and K variants, majoring on

the technical changes from the

earlier models. This is followed

by a list of production blocks

and serial number batches,

which includes the various

developments. The text and

data is well supported by

photographs and colour profiles.

The remainder of the book

is divided into various sections

covering the different parts

and systems of the aircraft, and

consists mainly of photographs

and drawings, supported by

explanatory text. There is also

a detailed technical description,

again supported by line

drawings of various systems.

The photographs are many

and varied, and range from

black-and-white shots of

aircraft taxying en-masse,

through photos of individual

aircraft, to detail shots of

particular parts of the airframe.

The selection of photos also

ranges from period wartime

shots to current warbirds and

museum exhibits. Drawings

and colour profiles are all to the

high standard one has come to

expect from this publisher.

This will be a very useful

addition to the library of any

Mustang enthusiast, and

for modellers of the Pony –

particularly if you have the

Tamiya 1/32 scale kit – it is

a most definite must-have.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to MMPBooks

for the review copy.

MJC

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

More than a Tanker

AUTHOR: Robert S Hopkins III

YEAR: 2017 (1st edition 1997)

PUBLISHER: Crecy Publishing Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-910-809013

FOR M AT: 384 pp Hardback

I

was fortunate to grow

up in East Anglia,

and as my interest in

aviation developed in the

late 1960s and early 1970s,

I really came to appreciate

living a few miles from RAF

Mildenhall. Day after day

the skies above my house

and school were filled with

a steady procession of USAF

and USN aircraft, and by far

the most common were the

C-130 and the KC-135, the latter

being the subject of this book.

The KC-135 started life as

a tanker intended to support

SAC’s nuclear deterrent, and over

the years has been developed

for a number of other uses,

most notably various forms of

electronic reconnaissance. It has

had a long history in the USAF,

but has mainly done its job out

of the limelight enjoyed by the

likes of the B-52, F-4, etc.

This book tells the story of this

essential but relatively unsung

aircraft. It starts by setting the

scene, with chapters on the

development of Strategic Air

Command and the USA’s deterrent

strategy, and on the development

of in-flight refuelling. The latter

naturally focuses on the US, and

fully explains the reason for the

use of two different systems

by the various US air arms.

The bulk of the book is taken

up with a very comprehensive

account of the development and

service history of the Stratotanker

in its many variants. There are

a number of appendices which

include a listing giving details

of each individual aircraft; a list

of aircraft in “the Boneyard” at

Davis-Monthan AFB; and a series

of photographs illustrating the

various SAC unit tail markings

carried over the years.

The text is illustrated

throughout with a comprehensive

selection of photographs.

There is much in this book that

will be of interest to modellers. I

was quite surprised to see from

the Scalemates website (https://

w w w.scalemates.com/ ) that a

variety of kits have appeared over

the years, ranging in size from

1/144 to ID’s 1/48 vac-form.

The book will also be of wider

interest, and deservedly so. It is

written in a very readable style,

and as a final recommendation,

the author is a former KC-135 pilot,

with 17 different variants in his

log book, which as well as adding

undoubted authority, has clearly

made this book a labour of love.

Thanks to Crecy Publishing

Ltd for the review copy.

MJC

78 • OCTOBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BOOKS & MEDIA

T

he A4D/A-4 Skyhawk is without doubt

one of the more successful military aircraft

of the post-War era. It entered service with

the US Navy in late 1956 and served with distinction for

many years, bearing much of the early action in carrier-based

strikes against North Vietnam during the 1960s. The Skyhawk was

in continuous production for over twenty-seven years, and although the A-4

is no longer serving with the US Navy and US Marine Corps, a few

examples are still operational in foreign hands, and private defence

contractors. Douglas built 2,960 Skyhawks between 1954 and 1979,

and this small yet effective aircraft packed a mighty punch and these

lightweight, high-speed bombers was affectionately nicknamed

‘Heinemann’s Hot Rod’, the ‘Bantam Bomber’ and ‘Scooter’. Upgraded

models had improved engines and a drogue parachute, new avionics

displays, larger cockpit canopies and more ammunition for the two

cannons, and the two-seat trainer versions included the TA-4F and

TA-4J series. As noted, its combat career began with the first American

carrier-launched raids on North Vietnam, August 4, 1964, and during

Israel’s Yom Kippur war in 1973, Israeli Air Force Skyhawks provided

much of the short-range striking power on the Sinai and Golan

Heights fronts. Skyhawks were also in action against British forces

during the 1982 Falkland’s conflict, where they paid a heavy price

against the Sea Harrier. The Navy’s ‘Blue Angels’ flight demonstration

team flew the Skyhawk from 1974 to 1986, and Skyhawks were also

used by the armed forces of Australia, Kuwait, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia

and New Zealand. An additional role undertaken by the Skyhawk was that

of ‘aggressor aircraft’. During the Vietnam War, it was found that the air-

to-air kill ratio against North Vietnamese fighter aircraft was too low. In an

attempt to improve this, the Navy Fighter Weapons School - better known

as ‘Top Gun’ - designed to train pilots against Soviet-bloc aircraft, adopted

the Skyhawk and when its avionics and weapons systems were stripped out

it proved to be an extremely agile aircraft, and one which could simulate

the performance characteristics of the MiG-17. The A-4 Skyhawk remains

one the iconic designs of the Cold War era, and its history and operations are

celebrated in these pages of this new Datafile from SAM Publications.

SKYHAWK

THE DOUGLAS A-4

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

MDF 31

SKYHAWK

£24.99

+ P&P

By Andy Evans

M D FSKYHAWK 31

SKYHAWK

THE DOUGLAS A-4

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

THE DOUGLAS A-4 SKYHAWK

SAM Publications

Modellers Datafile • 31

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US Navy, US Marine Corps and Foreign Versions

order now

31

M D F

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ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1234 211245

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