The Horten Ho IX/Ho 229 Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | April 2020 | Title | The Horten Ho IX/Ho 229 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Richard A Franks | Publisher | Valiant Wings Publishing |
| Published | 2020 | ISBN | 978-1-912932-10-8 |
| Format | 66 pages, softcover | MSRP (BP) | £13.95 |
Review
“Luftwaffe 1946” aficionados! Start your engines!
The Horten Ho IX/Ho 229: A Technical Guide – eighth in Valiant Wings’ excellent “Airframe Detail” series – tells the terrific tale of Nazi Germany’s futuristic flying-wing fighter in 66 pithy, picture-packed pages.
Author Richard A. Franks kick-starts contents with a handy history of the innovative design. Only a few prototypes – and several partial examples – were constructed before the Third Reich’s collapse in 1945. And Franks recaps every one.
Valiant’s succinct study then seamlessly segues to a lavishly illustrated, 40-page “technical description”. Dozens of archival images and close-up shots of the only surviving example dutifully depict the full range of Ho 229 details – inside and out. Modelers will love it.
They’ll love the camouflage & markings commentary, too – especially the artwork. Richard J. Caruana’s cool, counterfactual color plates – nine profiles and one plan view – promise potent project possibilities.
Only one, in fact, depicts actual Ho 229 livery. And even that’s the spurious scheme on America’s captured Ho IX V3 prototype for postwar public display.
Main text concludes with Libor Jekl’s beautiful build of Zoukei-Mura’s amazingly detailed 1:72 kit. And three appendices – kits, accessories, and references – complete contents.
Let your imagination run wild. Grab this handy handbook!
With thanks to Valiant Wings Publishing for the review copy.