MMP/Stratus Spotlight On Series
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Publisher: Stratus/MMP Books
Binding: Hardcover
A new series from MMP and Stratus, the Spotlight On series provides a hardcover book that focuses on just a handful of specific examples of the title subject. Most of the titles cover aircraft, but there is an armor edition. Subjects range from World War One fighters to modern jets. Each individual profile illustration includes additional detail illustrations where needed and is captioned with specific information about the aircraft (or tank) illustrated. The illustrations are all done extremely well, filling the page top to bottom (that's another feature of these books: they're covered in portrait but the pages inside are landscape format).
Panzer Colours of the III Reich
Author/Artist: Thierry Vallet
ISBN: 978-83-63678-73-9
Pages: 42
This book includes camouflage pattern overviews and a timeline of camouflage colors, starting from 1918 through to the end of the war. Tanks covered include the A7V, Grosstractor Krupp, PzKpfw I, Neubaufahrzeuge, PzKpfw III, PzKpfw IV, StuG III, PzKpfw 38(t), PzKpfw II, Tiger, Panther, and a Sherman.
Supermarine Spitfire V
Author/Artist: Robert Grudzien
ISBN: 978-83-63678-81-4
Pages: 42
There's no shortage of interesting Spitfire schemes, and this book provides plenty. In addition to the expected RAF Spitfires, this book also includes Australian, American, Russian, Yugoslavian, Greek, Portuguese, French, Italian, Egyptian, Turkish, and German Spitfires.
Hawker Tornado, Typhoon, Tempest V
Author/Artist: Janusz Swiatlon
ISBN: 978-83-65281-09-8
Pages: 46
The Hawker Tornado/Typhoon/Tempest family is a fascinating one, and the subjects here include prototypes, early schemes, desert schemes, late war schemes, a captured German example, and post-war Tempests.
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
Author/Artist: Simon Schatz
ISBN: 978-83-65281-13-5
Pages: 42
Coinciding with their new title on the Junkers 87, this title covers the Ju 87A, Ju 87B/R, and Ju 87D/G Stuka variants, with standard camouflage schemes, desert schemes, night operations schemes, and winter schemes. All of the options are from the Luftwaffe, though, so you will have to look elsewhere for those foreign Stuka options.
Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Romania
Authors/Artists: Teodor Liviu Morosanu & Dan Melinte
ISBN: 978-83-65281-05-0
Pages: 42
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Romania covers some of the more colorful 109s out there, and this book covers the yellow-nosed Bf 109Es and the later Bf 109Gs, with both early and late style national markings.
P-51D Mustang American Aces
Author: Artur Juszczak
ISBN: 978-83-63678-79-1
Pages: 46
The P-51 Mustang was popular with American aces during the Second World War, and quite a few pilots racked up impressive scoreboards with this plane. Each profile in this book includes additional scrap views showing the nose art or names painted on the aircraft. Additionally, there is a page outlining how the base finish of the Mustang was done, with fabric, painted, and natural metal sections.
MiG-29 in PAF
Author: Marek Radomski
ISBN: 978-83-63678-96-8
Pages: 46
The Mikoyan MiG-29 has found its way into the air forces of many nations, and Poland was one of the first. Poland received MiG-29s from Russia and the Czech Republic, and this book covers both of those original camouflage schemes, as well as the schemes adopted by Poland after these aircraft went through overhaul.
F-104 Starfighter Special Camouflages
Author: Lieuwe De Vries
ISBN: 978-83-63678-58-6
Pages: 42
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the longest lived Century Series fighters, although most of its career was spent in air forces around the world rather than in the service of the United States. This book covers a handful of special camouflages worn by the F-104 over the years, including Canadian, Dutch, German, Greek, Belgian, Italian, Japanese, and American Starfighters.
This new Spotlight On series is a great take on a single subject and is done remarkably well. My thanks to Mushroom Model Publications and Stratus for the review copies.