Scale aviation modeller international

RAF in Camera

RAF IN CAMERA: 1950S

AUTHOR: Keith Wilson

YEAR: 2015

PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword Aviation

ISBN: 978-1-47382-795-0

FOR M AT: 304 pp Hardback

RAF IN CAMERA: 1960S

AUTHOR: Keith Wilson

YEAR: 2015

PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword Aviation

ISBN: 978-1-47383-776-8

FOR M AT: 320 pp Hardback

RAF IN CAMERA: 1970S

AUTHOR: Keith Wilson

YEAR: 2017

PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword Aviation

ISBN: 978-1-47389-796-0

FOR M AT: 390 pp Hardback

W

ith the publication

of the latest in this

series, RAF in Camera:

1970s, we were fortunate to also

receive its two predecessors,

both published in 2015. Since they

form a series and are very similar

in concept and format, it seems

natural to review them together.

And what a series! The three

decades in question were each

significant in their own way for the

RAF. In 1950, World War II was still

a very recent memory, and the Cold

War was just starting. The RAF had

a very large inventory of aircraft,

which started growing again after

the post-war rundown and which

peaked at over 6,000 in 1952. A great

many of these aircraft were powered

by piston engines and were flown by

pilots wearing leather helmets and

other flying kit little changed since

the war. The decade saw the last

operational service and retirement

of Second World War veterans like

the Spitfire; brand new jets like

the Sabre, Hunter, Canberra, and

Valiant; and the development of the

helicopter as a useful military asset.

The 1960s also saw great change,

including the ending of many of

Britain’s overseas commitments, the

consequent closure of many overseas

bases, and the inevitable draw-down

of both people and machines. But there

was also much improvement, with the

introduction of types like the Phantom,

Hercules, and Buccaneer, a trend which

(like the shrinkage of the service)

continued into the 1970s with types like

the Puma, Bulldog, Jaguar, and Hawk.

The format of each book is

consistent: after a short introduction,

each chapter concerns one year.

In each chapter there are short

sections of text, which detail

specific events and point out items

of significance; and each chapter is

liberally illustrated with photographs,

both monochrome and colour.

Of course, as the title implies,

the main point of these volumes is

the photographic record held within.

The photographs, many of which

have not been seen before by this

reviewer, are from the archives of

the Air Historical Branch (AHB),

and they comprehensively illustrate

the Royal Air Force of the period.

As an added bonus, the first two

volumes have an annex illustrating

selected publicity and recruitment

publications from the decade.

Sadly, the books are not perfect,

and your reviewer picked up a couple

of minor errors. In the 1950s volume,

two photographs of Jet Provost T1s

are captioned as T3s (p246). And in

the 1970s volume, the appendix on the

1977 Royal review makes no mention

of the Slingsby Venture motor glider;

I know there was one, I was standing

smartly to attention in front of it!

(Sadly, I don’t recall its serial number.)

But these are minor details, and do not

detract from the whole in any way.

These books are not cheap,

particularly if you buy all three.

But they are unquestionably well

worth the price. Together they form

a comprehensive record of the RAF

over three decades, and should

provide the modeller with much

inspiration and useful reference

material. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Pen & Sword

Ltd for the review copies.

MJC

Junkers JU 87 Stuka

All marks and variants (1935 - 45) Owners’ Workshop Manual

AUTHOR: Jonathan Falconer

YEAR: 2018

PUBLISHER: Haynes Publishing

ISBN: 978 1 78521 141 6

FOR M AT: 188pp Hardback

T

his latest in the popular

Haynes Manual series

takes a look at the Stuka

dive bomber, perhaps one of the

most recognisable Second World

War German aircraft due to its

unquestionably unattractive

lines. The book opens with an

introduction to the type, before

moving on to the type’s variants.

The next chapter looks at

the anatomy of the aircraft and

is illustrated with numerous

original photographs, colour

photos of preserved airframes and

various surviving components,

as well as illustrations from the

type’s technical manuals. This

section also has a classic cutaway

drawing, something which I

associate Haynes manuals with.

The next chapters look at the

engine, before moving on to cover

the type at war, from its debut

during the Spanish Civil War to the

end of the Second World War. Flying

the type is considered next, with

the test pilot’s view first, followed

by the combat pilot’s view, before

looking at maintaining the type.

The last section takes a look

at the tiny number of Stuka

survivors, the most complete and

original of which is displayed by

the RAF Museum. Other survivors

are either heavily reconstructed

or unrestored wrecks, with one

still on the seabed off Croatia.

The Stuka has been a

perennial favourite with model kit

manufactures and this book will

certainly give you a good overview

of the type, with plenty of images

to add that little extra detail to your

model. Like all of the Haynes series

this title can be recommended.

My thanks to Haynes Publishing

for supplying this copy for review.

TMU-S

Military Series

Museum

and Display

Aircraft No.3

C AT. NO: 1073

PUBLISHER: Aero Research Co.

WEB: http://www.AeroResearchCDs.com

T

his latest disc from Aero

Research has 160 images of

aircraft on museum display.

The majority of the images are

from museums in the United States,

with Pima in Arizona featuring

quite prominently (I hope to see

some of these aircraft for myself

when I attend the US Nationals in

August). A lot of the images show

aircraft on display from as early

as the 1950s. It’s interesting to

see that in 1952 a rarity such as

a Nakajima Ki-43 was displayed

on a pole outside Clark AFB!

From the UK an image that stood

out for me was of an engineless,

derelict Mosquito at RAF Staverton

in 1972... hopefully it is one of those

now on display in a UK museum.

The images on this disc

illustrate how attitudes to

preservation and display have

changed over the years and will

be of interest to modellers and

historians alike, with plenty

of images to inspire weathered

paint schemes on aircraft

that have been exposed to the

elements for many years.

My thanks to Aero Research

for supplying this disc for review.

TMU-S

78 • JUNE 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BOOKS & MEDIA

078-79-Books-0618.indd 78 11/05/2018 16:03