The Hawker Sea Fury (revised) Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | May 2018 | Title | The Hawker Sea Fury (revised) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Richard A Franks | Publisher | Valiant Wings Publishing |
| Published | 2018 | ISBN | 978-0-9957773-3-0 |
| Format | 114 pages, softcover | MSRP (BP) | £16.95 |
Review
If you missed this magnificent, lavishly illustrated monograph the first time around, grab it – now.
Valiant Wings' "updated and expanded" The Hawker Sea Fury – second in the publisher's pioneering "Airframe Album" series – packs almost all you need to model that piston-engine classic in any scale.
What's different this time?
Page count, sans covers, increased to 114 pages from 96. And addenda include additional walkaround information and photos, revised locations of surviving airframes, and updated kit and accessory listings.
Oh, and the reissued tome sports model builds of Airfix's new 1:48 FB Mk 11 kit and AMG's 1:48 Sea Fury T.20 – both by Steve Evans. The original contained no kit builds.
Otherwise, format follows Valiant Wings' proven prescription.
After a handy glossary and history, author Richard A. Franks expertly recaps Sea Fury technical details in mind-numbing manner. Detail shots. Tech-manual excerpts. Manufacturer's images. And more. It certainly is, as the subtitle claims, "A Detailed Guide to The Fleet Air Arm's Last Piston-engine Fighter"!
A chapter with isometric drawings charting design "evolution" follows. And another with Richard J. Caruana's superb profiles surveys the sumptuous sweep of international Sea Fury schemes. Plenteous project inspiration here.
Model builds and "survivors" sections come next. And four revised appendices – scale model kits, accessories, decals, and references – conclude contents.
Valiant Wings forged brilliant repute for gems like this. See where it all began. Grab this terrific title.
Robustly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Valiant Wings Publishing for this review copy.