This wallet-friendly softback is useful entry-level reference for modellers embarking on US Navy aircraft builds.
Reference books are part-and-parcel of modelling if you want to get all the little details just right. If you’re thinking of US Navy aircraft as a theme, Amberley Publishing’s new book is worth considering. Entitled US Naval Aviation in the 1980s – Atlantic and Pacific Fleet Air Squadrons, the Adrian Symonds-penned work offers an engaging appraisal of the units involved, many flying aircraft which, at that time, still sported plenty of colour.
Famous types
The many inspiring images show well-known types, such as the F-14 Tomcat, A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair, F-4 Phantom and A-6 Intruder to name just several, but there’s also useful narrative on, and photos of, support types too (P-3, E-2C etc). While none of the imagery is that large, it still provides handy studies of airframe and weaponry detail… and there’s colour scheme choice aplenty for all manner of aircraft. Some photos show liveries that buck the perceived trend, such as a Sea King in overall green. Ideas for slightly different builds come thick and fast too. A fine example is the photo of a Sea King about to lift a Firebee drone from the ocean… this would make a splendid diorama.
The text provides plenty of information about the US Navy’s air stations of the period and, of course, the aircraft too. Modellers interested in portraying different colour schemes have a happy halfway house here, as the 1980s was the period when high-vis liveries were still prevalent, but the employment of low-vis greys began to blossom. Choice armament loads are evident too, such as the mixed Rockeye cluster bomb and AIM-9 Sidewinder package attached to a VC-10 TA-4J Skyhawk.
If you’re on a budget but feel the need to start a reference collection on US Navy aircraft, this 96-page book is a handy guide with much inspiration and detail. It costs just £15.99 direct from Amberley Publishing.
US Naval Aviation in the 1980s
Atlantic and Pacific Fleet Air Stations
By: Adrian Symonds
Format: 235 x 166mm
ISBN: 978-1-4456-9872-4
