Sopwith Pup Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Lightly armed. But superbly maneuverable. And available in numbers.

A century back, Sopwith Pups played key roles in controlling Great War skies during the Britain’s toughest time – “Bloody April”, 1917.

Now it’s the subject of the 105th “Warpaint” edition.

Author Matthew Willis kicks-off coverage with background notes on Pup pedigree – design, development and deployment.

There, text wends through action accounts. Over France and, in home-defense, England. RFC and Royal Navy. Willis’ comments on early British aircraft carrier operations proved particularly interesting. Pups proved ideal for developing early shipborne operational methods.

They proved equally adept at training tasks. And Pups largely finished out their days in that role.

The account is helpfully annotated – sort of: the author parenthetically references sources within text. Among enthusiast publications, this is rare – but, if you seek further study, very welcome.

Dozens of outstanding Richard Caruana color profiles provide plenty of project inspiration. Plans to 1:48 scale, tables, and dozens of B&W and color photos – including detail shots – season this superb story.  And a list of available model kits and accessories neatly wraps things up.

Warpaint’s handy handbook has it all!

Recommended!

My sincere thanks to Guideline Publications for this review sample!