The Gloster Gladiator Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | November 2017 | Title | The Gloster Gladiator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Richard A. Franks | Publisher | Valiant Wings Publishing |
| Published | 2017 | ISBN | 978-0-9957773-1-6 |
| Format | 130 pages, softcover | MSRP (BP) | £17.95 |
Review
Santa came early this year with a magnificent monograph on one of my favorite Blitzkrieg-era subjects.
I must've been a very good boy!
Penned by Richard A. Franks, The Gloster Gladiator – 12th in Valiant Wings' outstanding "Airframe Album" range – spans 130 pithy pages over four chunky chapters:
- Introduction – with Gladiator design, development, deployment, and disposition notes
- Technical Description – in astonishing detail, especially for modelers
- Evolution – prototype, production, and projected variants
- Camouflage & Markings – sampling the full swath of Gladiator livery
A further section details Steve A. Evans' superb build of the 1:32-scale Silver Wings model. And four appendices complete coverage:
- Kits
- Accessories
- Decals & Masks
- Bibliography
Like all Valiant Wings efforts, it's packed with plenty of pretty pictures. Hundreds of them.
B&W historical photos. Color detail shots. Tech-manual excerpts. Variant isometrics with detail comments. Manufacturer's diagrams. And more.
They make the book's subtitle – "A Detailed Guide To The RAF's Last Biplane Fighter" – a masterpiece of understatement.
Color plates, too. At least 56 profiles and 21 inset views by Richard J. Caruana. Sensational for model-project inspiration.
RAF. Fleet Air Arm. Belgian. Chinese. Egyptian. Irish. Finnish. French. Nazi Germany. Greek. Iraqi. Latvian. Lithuanian. Norwegian. Portuguese. South African. Swedish. Even Soviet.
All complete with authoritative camouflage & markings notes. Let your modeling muse run wild!
So whether you're attempting ancient Inpact, FROG, or Heller efforts – or tackling newer Airfix, Hobby Boss, or Roden Gladiators, you need this vital volume.
Period.
Rabidly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Valiant Wings Publishing for this review copy.