70 Years On but Never Too Late

http://iccpaix.org/live-streaming-of-christmas-concert/ Aircraft of the Fighting Powers, Volume IV

http://justmusing.net/2007/09/27/threescore-and-ten/ by H. J. Cooper, et al

Aircraft Technical Publication, 1943. 76 pages.

 

Frankly I don’t know how I missed this series.

I’ve been collecting aviation books for more than 50 years and this set got by me. And I am sorry it did.

There are seven books in the series, one for each year of World War II and 1946. My copy is from the original series (I have since acquired copies of all the originals and several reprints). The chapters of each consist of a 2- or 3-page aircraft biography and a 3-view drawing to 1/72nd scale. Those drawings are the heart and soul of the series. (Don’t let the low page count fool you. The drawings pages are not numbered. Many are two-page foldouts, and not a few are three-page.)

Frankly, I discovered this series after deciding I was paying Bob’s Aviation Documentary Services too much money for aircraft drawings. His catalog listed these books as the sources of a lot of his drawings. So I went to the source. I paid for the whole seven volumes less than I spent over six months with Bob.

Now, the caveats. The series is uneven in that the drawings improved over the seven years. The Vol. 7 drawings are definitely superior and more accurate than those of the earlier volumes. Also the accuracy of especially German and Japanese aircraft is suspect in the earlier volumes. But don’t let this put you off.

First these are pretty neat artifacts of Great Britain in the midst of a fight for its life. Look at the ads they contain, especially over the life of the series, and you get a micro-education on England at war.

Second, there are a lot of aircraft you’ll have a hard time tracking down. In this particular volume, some of the more unusual of the 76 aircraft covered include the Miles M-28 and Martinet I, three TGs, nine PTs, 11 ATs, Hall PH-3, Spartan NP-1, German DFS 230A-1, and Mitsubishi OB-01. If you are an aviation junkie as I am, you will be in hog heaven.

As noted, some of these are available in reprint if you want a pristine copy. Frankly I like the crap-shoot of used, especially if they come from England. I have yet to have received one that didn’t include some interesting “bonus” items buried among the pages such as photographs, cards, newspaper clippings, or notes by previous owners. The physical quality may leave a lot to be desired, but it all depends on what you are looking for.

Whether you opt for the originals or reprints, if you are unfamiliar with this series, it is time you became acquainted.

Reviewed November 2014