Editor

posted on 2 years ago

1,509
views

A review of Canfora recent volume on modelling naval aircraft from all times and armies.

Canfora launches a new series of books on naval aviation modelling, this first volume is a softcover of 80 pages with seven aircraft models built and painted.

The selection of aircraft is varied in time and nationalities:

Firefly Mk I
A7E Corsair II
Buccaneer S.2C
B7A2 Ryusei Kai
F4U-7 Corsair
SU-33 Flanker D
FM-2 Wildcat

There are aircraft from WWII, Cold war and modern, jets and propellers, from Japan, United Kingdom, USA and Russia. The camouflages are also varied, from flat paint to multicoloured, new and weathered. Five models are at 1/48 scale and the other two, the Buccaneer and the Wildcat, at 1/72.

All models have a brief historic introduction, a summary of materials used (kit, aftermarkets and paints) and three small profiles with the size of the aircraft.

The book has a very stylish design which is not only pleasant to (my) eye, but also has some interesting features. The content for each article is both in conventional text and step-by-step explanations, an approach that works nicely as each block is clearly separated in different pages. Text is well written, clear and easy to read.

The "traditional" pages have very large frameless images, which means the space around them can be used to add text or overlap photos, having more room without affecting image or text size. There are both general views and close-ups, and all of them perfectly clear and crisp, both the models and their photos are excellent.

Often the image of the model occupies half a page, and sometimes it does not show the whole kit so the amount of detail that can be seen is really amazing.

There are also step by step sections, for building and painting, with a different page background and smaller photos but still showing enough detail.

It is important to note that, against the trend usually seen, the building part is as important as painting and weathering. It has a good amount of photos and information about issues found and aftermarket items used.

Each photo is numbered and refers to its own text. This layout in a grid of equal size photos makes very easy to follow the sequence.

Each article occupies ten pages, and considering the amount of photos included and all the information given, the text has to be direct and concise. It is understood that the reader knows how to paint, what are washes or how to use oils so there is no wasted space explaining basic concepts.

As each model comes from a different author, each one uses the paints and products he likes most without a sponsoring brand.

All the models are nicely done, as can be seen on these sample pages, with addition of aftermarket items to improve the details.

At the end there is a bonus gallery, with no text, of a Sopwith Pup at 1/32 scale.

Conclusion

This is a pleasant and inspiring book to read, with its beautiful design and large images. The models included are varied in subject and style, but all of them are skilfully built, painted and weathered. There is a good amount of information on the building phase, and subsequent painting is also well documented and easy to follow.