Boum! A History of the SPAD XII Canon
By Matt Bittner
Author: Jonathan J. Wagstaff
Publisher: Aeronaut Books
ISBN: 978-1-964637-52-5
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 242
"Back in the day" (as us old-folk like to say) Albatros Productions LTD produced both Windsock magazine and the Datafile series (along with other WWI aviation publications). The Datafiles were excellent resources covering different aircraft used during the war and while most aircraft were covered, some were not, like the Spad 12. The Spad 12 was produced in such small numbers (compared to the rest of SPAD's output) that it's not surprising it didn't warrant it's own book "back in the day", but that has since been rectified by this magnificent publication.
The Spad 12 was mostly the brain child of French ace Georges Guynemer. He had this idea of mounting a cannon into a fighter aircraft to help eliminate the opponent. Granted, mounting a cannon had already been done by the French, but they were mounted on two-seater pushers such as those produced by Voisin. The two-seat pushers were considered too slow to actually be put into a dogfight scenario so somehow/someway Guynemer wanted a cannon in a fighter aircraft. He took his idea to SPAD and they eventually came up with the Spad 12.
By utilizing the cannon meant the pilot had to reload each time it was used, which could be tricky in a dogfight scenario. While SPAD did mount a Vickers to the starboard side of the upper fuselage that too had its limitations; it was so far forward that trying to clear an ammunition jam was also difficult. So this was a machine not truly meant for novice pilots and indeed, it was mostly flown by French aces and those with a lot of flying experience.
Jonathan J. Wagstaff has assembled as much documentation as was possible at the time of publication, most not being seen before. Not only is this a book for historians, but also a very rich publication for the modeler. With 240 photographs (again, most new to this reader), 21 color profiles and scale drawings of not only the Spad 12 but also its derivative the Spad 14 it's perfect for those lucky enough to posses any of the two Spad 12 models that ever existed: JMGT in 1/48 and Pegasus in 1/72. Even if you do have these models and plan to build them, pay close attention to the specific aircraft you want to build, because there were plenty of variation between each specific aircraft.
This is a much needed tome on the Spad 12 and provides a lot of first-time information in it. I highly recommend acquiring one. Search on Amazon for your copy.