Brewster F2A Buffalo Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

USMC Capt Phillip A White considered it "inferior to the planes we were fighting in every respect."

Yet in Finnish service, it enjoyed the best kill ratio – 26:1 – "of any fighter, Allied or Axis during the World War II years".

It's the Brewster Buffalo. And Ginter Books chart the controversial combatant in Number 104 of its popular "Naval Fighters" series.

Ginter's study spans 178 pages – including cover. And format follows the publisher's proven prescription.

Coauthored by Richard S Dann and Steve Ginter, contents commence with notes on F2A design and development. Packed with hundreds of photos, drawings and tech-manual excerpts, coverage chronologically and swiftly segues to details of all versions.

From prototype movements through Barclay camouflage schemes to Buffalo squadron service, authors mine metaphorical mountains of minutiae.

Looking for cockpit and instruments shots? They're there. Main gear and wheel-well details? Yep. BuNos and individual aircraft histories? Yowza. Airframe and power plant particulars? Definitely.

Even some amazing armament experiments.

Can you imagine eight (8) .50 cal machine guns in the wings of an XF2A-2? I couldn't, either. But authors include shots of the installation during trials.

Several manufacturers released Buffalo kits to all three major scales – 1:72, 1:48 and 1:32. And hobbyists will naturally migrate to Ginter's modeling notes for capsule reviews of these.

Just remember a dot of flat black to simulate the rubber prop spinner tip. Dann and Ginter show shots of that, too.

With due deference to celebrated F2A specialist Jim Maas, I consider Ginter's volume the hobbyist handbook on Brewster's benighted Buffalo. Make it your principal project reference, too.

Robustly recommended.

With thanks to Ginter Books!