Consolidated Mess Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | September 2012 (Updated June 2018 | Title | Consolidated Mess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Alan Griffith | Publisher | Mushroom Model Publications |
| Published | 2012 (Kindle edition: 2018) | ISBN | 978-83-61421-16-0 |
| Format | 192 pages, softbound (and electronic) | MSRP (USD) | Hardcopy out of print, Kindle version $19.00 |
Editor Note:
This was a popular title from MMP and quickly sold out. For whatever reason, they have yet to reissue the title in hardcopy (you can find used copies on Amazon for over $300), but MMP has released this title in Kindle format for $19.00. If you don't own a Kindle Fire or similar reader, you can download the Kindle app onto your electronic device and take this book wherever you travel or model. You can acquire a copy of Consolidated Mess here.
Review
Don't let the title fool you: this amazing assay in aviation history hardly contains "chaos" or "confusion".
Far from it, in fact. Consolidated Mess from MMP BOOKS distills the bewildering array of assorted armament and apertures on "turreted" Liberators into one handy, helpful tome.
Over 18,400 B-24 versions rolled from American assembly lines during World War II. And Alan Griffith masterfully maneuvers through archival and manufacturing minutiae to produce a truly trusty spotter's guide.
Fact-check your old Liberator references with MMP's authoritative account. This valuable volume not only reveals hitherto unpublished information, but also corrects previously incomplete or inaccurate tales of B-24 variants.
Griffith seasons his sumptuous study with over 180 B&W photos – including dozens of interior and exterior shots. And don't let the lack of color profiles bother you: over 100 beautifully executed B&W drawings clearly and conveniently delineate B-24 detail differences in red.
Tip to tail, everything's there. From early field modifications through all production versions. Consolidated. Ford. Douglas. Twin-tail and single-fin. Even precise camouflage demarcations by panel lines. Amazing!
Appendices alone justify the admission price. And Griffith nearly gave me whiplash with the "B-24 'Zwilling'" – a genuine May 1943 design patent for 2-fuselage, 6-engine, 6-fin Liberators! What a Crackerjack Prize!
One Gremlin haunts this otherwise outstanding account. MMP failed to include the Ford/Willow Run factory-applied scheme in Appendix 1. Readers can acquire the addendum here.
Get Consolidated Mess. MMP's exhaustive effort deserves a spot on every World War II aviation enthusiast's bookshelf.
Rabidly recommended!
With thanks to MMP BOOKS for the review copy.