Classic Warbird Series No. 11
Author: Malcolm Laird & Wojtek Matusiak
Publisher: Ventura Publications
ISBN: 0-9582296-5-1
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 64
The Supermarine Spitfire remains a popular aircraft to this day among aviation enthusiasts, myself included. As I like the more eclectic subjects, though, my interests tend to gravitate to those lesser known types and operators. This newest title in the Ventura Publications line satisfies that interest, detailing the Merlin-engined photo-reconnaissance Spitfires.
The book is an excellent blend of drawings, text, and photographs, resulting in a great reference for the modeler on PR Spitfires. The text provides a detailed synopsis of nomenclature and equipment fitted to these aircraft. This is particularly useful, as it helps to sort out just what kind of base Spitfire the various PR marks are associated with, and what kind of equipment they carried.
Once the variants are figured out, attention turns to the drawings. These provide excellent detail for the cockpit, canopy, cameras, and other airframe differences. These drawings are of high quality and provide just about all the information a modeler could want. Complementing these scrap views, there are 1/72 and 1/48 scale drawings covering all of the Merlin-engined PR Spitfire variants.
All of this information is only part of the story, and the other end of things is the operational history and colors & markings. The operational record is not a part of this book, other than the small background provided in the photos of operational aircraft. Indeed, the book IS titled 'PR Spitfires in Detail', so a thorough operational history was not expected. Still, the information in the photo captions is enticing, and will whet the appetite for more. For those who need to satisfy that desire, Ventura's previous title covered just that subject (and that's a very good read).
As for the colors and markings, interspersed throughout the book are many color profiles, with a handful more printed on the back page. While some might think PR Spitfires were boring in their overall solid color camouflage, these illustrations will show just how interesting some of these aircraft can be.
This is a great addition to any Spitfire library, and one which will undoubtedly increase interest in these lesser-known variants. My thanks to Mushroom Model Publications for the review copy.