The Supermarine Spitfire - Part 2 Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | September 2019 | Title | The Supermarine Spitfire - Part 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Richard A. Franks | Publisher | Valiant Wings Publishing |
| Published | 2019 | ISBN | 978-1-912932-00-9 |
| Format | 272 pages, softcover | MSRP (BP) | £21.95 |
Review
Valiant Wings completes its superb study of Britain’s legendary Spitfire with The Supermarine Spitfire - Part 2 (Griffon-powered) including the Seafire, Spiteful & Seafang – ably edited, as always, by Richard A. Franks.
Lithe, graceful Merlin-powered versions forged fame as “ballerinas” of the breed. But with bulbous cowls, massive props, and canon armament, Griffon-equipped examples exuded the menacing muscle of Danse Apache street thugs.
And Franks tells the whole terrific tale in one vital volume.
Billed as “A Complete Guide To The Famous Fighter”, coverage spans a whopping 272 lavishly illustrated pages in the publisher’s familiar format.
History. Camouflage & markings. Airframe & interior details. Variant evolution & minutiae. All with hundreds of photos, drawings, variant views, and archival images augmenting the effort.
Modelers will especially love it. The book’s kit builds offer plenty of potent project inspiration:
• 1/72 Fujimi FR Mk XIVe
• 1/72 Xtrakit/Special Hobby F Mk 22
• 1/48 Airfix FR Mk XIV
• 1/48 Special Hobby Seafire Mk XV
Savor the possibilities. Dozens of Richard J. Caruana’s excellent color profiles will help select a scheme. His one-page Spitfire RAF insignia & stencil guide with official specs will help fact-check decals. “In detail” shots and tech-manual excerpts will help detail your miniature masterpiece. And four appendices recap model products and references.
What I said about Valiant Wings’ “Airframe & Miniature” No.12 on Merlin-powered Spitfires goes double here: if your library sports just one book on Griffon-engine Spitfires and Seafires, make it this one.
Robustly recommended!
With thanks to Valiant Wings Publishing for this review copy.