Introduction
Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1: U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons and Test & Evaluation Facilities is a new book by Detail & Scale, packed with information for modelers and enthusiasts of the Vought A-7 Corsair. Co-authored by Mike Heideman and Rock Roszak, it is volume 9 of the Colors & Markings Series.
This part of Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II covers Atlantic Fleet A-7 through 127 pages, with 325 full-color photographs and illustrations. This review looks at the softcover version, catalogued with ISBN 9798266835870. Kindle, Google, Kobo and Apple formats features 192 pages and 330 color photos.
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About the Book
You gotta love the A-7. The "SLUF" (Short Little Ugly "Fellow") was the most important attack aircraft of the United States navy (USN) for a quarter of a century. It was also important for the United States Air Force (USAF), filling an attack role along with the F-4 Phantom until the F-16 came along, but that's a story for another book.
Detail & Scale first chronicled USN A-7 in detail in 1988, followed by a second part in 1990, thence USAF and Air Guard in 1991. The authors note that USN A-7s then participated in Desert Storm, leaving a gap in the A-7 story. The original A-7 book was a whopping 64 pages; vastly expanded since then, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II is ready for your enjoyment.
Detail & Scale books are excellent sources for modeling and history. They impressed me then and yet only recently have I comprehended just how comprehensive they are. Founders and authors Bert Kinzey and Rock Roszak bring over 60 years of first-hand military aviation expertise into their Detail & Scale products. Roszak, a USAF navigator who retired as a colonel, created illustrations for this book. Both of the Detail & Scale creators are modelers, too.
When I was offered to review this book I happily accepted as A-7s have a soft spot for me. They came along and "grew up" when I did, being new and exciting jets to a kid who did not understand the difference between "fighter" fighters and attack "fighters". I had some encounters with them. My first was when USN A-7s dove upon my hometown and shook up everyone during recess, spooling up us kids beyond what the teachers could rein in for the rest of the day. During junior high my dad pulled me out of school and flew down to Toledo Bend Lake for a week of bass fishing, where a pair of A-7s dive-bombed at us for a couple of runs; was the truant officer an A-7 pilot? We refueled Louisiana-based A-7s during an AFROTC fam flight. A few years later I was taxiing for takeoff at KSGH when two of a four-ship of 178th Wing SLUFs broke down while taxiing out ahead of me, blocking me until a tug towed one away. My most exciting encounter was at 500-ft AGL over Hamlin, WV (yes - that Hamlin), when I rolled out of a turn and went beak-to-beak with a pair of A-7s. One went to the right of me, the other to my left. (Fight Service previously told me the VR Routes was not active that day.) Good times!
Read along and sample what this book offers. In D&S' description;
The Vought A-7 Corsair II was one of the backbones of the United States Navy’s strike capability for almost twenty-five years. During this time, the A-7 served with a considerable number of U. S. Navy light attack squadrons stationed on both coasts, and the aircraft entered the active inventory during one of the most colorful periods in the history of American military aviation. This book, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1: U. S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons, focuses on the thirteen active-duty and three Navy Reserve A-7 squadrons assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.
Content
All formats have over 120 pages and offer more than 300 color photos, plus artwork. The books are organized thusly:
Introduction presents the background and focus of this monograph, with shout-outs to those who contributed. A-7 Corsair II Paint Schemes presents the progression of Navy colors and markings from post-war through the low-visibility era. It is informative and also offers information for those of us who like to geek-out during trivia night, e.g., MIL-C-18263(Aer) was the 1955 Navy directive that created the light gray/white scheme - specifically FS 36440 non-specular Light Gull Gray over FS 17875 glossy Insignia White. Further, this chapter covers amendments to the specifications, date of changes, and subsequent directives due to operational experience. Those morphed into the TPS (Tactical paint Scheme) and its trial with vivid and low-vis markings. Wear and tear, fading, and general weathering characteristics between schemes is discussed. A-7s also sported unique badges and insignia concerning certain nicknames. The author includes the date of insignia adoption, when known.
Together, those chapters account for seven pages leading to the section Atlantic Fleet A-7 Corsair II Attack Squadrons - 115 pages of individual squadron chapters. This part begins with a brief discussion of A-7 basing and tail codes, and deployments, even with the Marines. This includes squadrons, air wings, tail codes, carrier assignments, deployments with dates, and number of deployments while so assigned. This is a lot of date and complex, and in the spirit of "a picture is worth a thousand words", D&S created an informational table, detailed below.
The meat of the book is the 115 pages of colors, markings, and brief squadron histories. There are excellent examples of weathering and fascinating surprises in the images, i.e., significant changes in unit colors and insignias. The squadrons are described in text and demonstrated with color photos and insignia illustrations:
VA-12 "Ubangis"/"Clinchers": 15 photos and a unit badge.
VA-15 "Valions"/VA-67 "Vulcans": 23 photos and two unit insignias.
VA-37 "Bulls": 22 photos including six closeups of vertical stabilizers; two insignia.
VA-46: "Clansmen": 21 photos plus the insignia.
VA-66 "Waldos": 27 photos and an insignia.
VA-72 "Blue Hawks": 20 photos including the specially painted commemorative Desert Storm colors; one insignia.
VA-81 "Sunliners": 15 photos and one insignia.
VA-82 "Marauders": 16 and one (photos and insignia).
VA-83 "Rampagers": 15 photos and one insignia.
VA-86 "Sidewinders": 21 photos plus the insignia.
VA-87 "Golden Warriors": the unit insignia with 21 photos.
VA-105 "Gunslingers": 19 photos and three insignia and badges.
VA-174 "Hell Razors": 19 photos plus the insignia.
VA-203 "Blue Dolphins": 11 photos plus the insignia.
VA-204 "River Rattlers": 8 photos, an insignia, and an emblem.
VA-205 "Green Falcons": 18 photos and the insignia.
Atlantic Coast Test & Evaluation Facilities: 10 photos with four emblems for:
- Naval Air Test Center
- Strike Aircraft Test Directorate
- Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
- Naval Air Engineering Center.
Photographs, Artwork, Graphics
Photos
All photos are in color. Same as other Detail & Scale books, modelers, artists and historians will find a feast for their eyes as Detail & Scale have collected an extraordinary gallery from who knows how many photographs to which they have access. I did not note a single one that is not sharply focused and skillfully developed in full color. Scores of images get the heart pumping while showcasing the aesthetic conundrum of the SLUF. A few photos worth mention are:
- "Blue Hawks" A-7 painted in TPS all but invisible against the sky
- Gray/white Corsair II flight demonstrating the need for low-visibility schemes
- Two Vought A-7s off each wing of a "gator", a.k.a. Vought F-8 Crusader
- Lack of visible panel lines on even well worn airframes
- VA-15 A-7E paint finish horror show after a 1984 cruise
- "Overdone" panel lines on otherwise clean airframes
- The tendency of TPS paint to splotch and fade and change hues
- Closeup of a vertical stabilizer showing hand prints and other blemishes.
I did not count the number of fascinating photos displaying internal structure and equipment revealed by open access panels. Each photograph feature captions of varying lengths which divulge detailed commentary not in the previous text, e.g., CAG and Squadron commander names and markings are mentioned.
Table
Atlantic Fleet A-7 Corsair II Squadrons Major Overseas Deployments:
- Squadron
- Nickname
- Home Base/Deployed Base
- CVW/Tail Code
- Carrier
- Period
- Number of Deployments
Illustrations
Light Gull Gray Over Insignia White: the scheme on the A-7 in profile and two planforms; keyed to the colors.
Tactical Paint Scheme depicted in profile and top/bottom planforms.
Personally, I find the tradeoff between the size of the photos with the quantity and quality of images is well worth the visual support of the text.
Conclusion
With Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1: U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons and Test & Evaluation Facilities, historians and modelers can thank Detail & Scale for another excellent resource for USN A-7s. The original releases of the subject have been expanded and now include the significant Desert Storm look of the jet. Even if you are modeling a different aircraft type, the visual component presents source material useful for colors and weathering.
Personally, I think D&S' Colors & Markings series are invaluable for modelers of a particular subject. The depth of research and breath of color imagery is something I have wanted for years. Happily recommended.
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