On Target Special: Wings of Stars
By Matt Bittner
Author: Peter Freeman and Mike Starmer
Publisher: The Aviation Workshop Publications LTD
ISBN: 978-1-904643-12-4
Binding: Softcover
Pages:80
While this book only has color profiles and no photos, it's still an important reference for USAAC aircraft from 1919-1941 (the book's cut-off date is primarily 7 December 1941). What the book has done is taken some of the reference material not only currently available, but also reference material long out of print (such as the Monogram book on the subject), and provides profiles of some of the aircraft in those references. Every reference used - including on-line sources - is outlined in the front of the book, and each profile contains not only the title of the reference used but also the page number for print references. This is definitely a thoroughly researched book, one every student of the USAAC should have in their library.
There are references that I feel should have been used but haven't been (and you're going to have this in a book like this). For example, while they used the older, 1972 book "The Curtiss Hawks", they didn't use the more current book "Curtiss Fighter Aircraft: A Photographic History, 1917-1948" by Francis H. Dean and Dan Hagedorn, published in 2007. Another book that could have been referenced is Aviatik Production's "USAAC camouflage & markings 1926-1941" which has plenty of similarities - and enough differences - to the Squadron book listed in the reference section. In addition, there are numerous issues of the magazine Skyways that could have been used as well but weren't.
But don't let that dissuade you from picking up this book. It's still quite awesome and worth every penny. The very first profile is of a uniquely painted Nieuport 28, post-WW1. From there it deals with WW1 aircraft the USAAC used for awhile until the eponymous designs take over. If you're looking for the typical USAAC yellow-flying-surface painted aircraft, then this book is definitely for you. It also handles the transition from "yellow-wing" to the natural finishes, to the start of the olive drab over neutral grey schemes found immediately pre-WW2 and into WW2. Everything you could want in regards to USAAC single-engine aircraft (with early P-38s thrown in) is found in this tome. While it does omit some types I personally think should have been included - for example the LePere LUSAC, if for nothing else the interesting camouflage schemes it sported - there is no doubt this book would have become quite large and possibly unwieldy. Aviation Workshop has also included paint "chips" (in the form of a printed page of colors on the back, inside cover of the book) that should help in discerning colors. So, all-in-all this is an excellent resource, as I said, worth every penny (shilling, euro, etc.).
Huge, huge thanks to The Aviation Workshop for sending this book to review.
One thing Aviation Workshop has announced are decals to support this book. Excellent! My only comment to that is - where are they already? For those who build the larger scales you'll be hard pressed to find some of these subjects in kit form. But for those of us that build 1/72, there are a lot of aircraft profiled in this book that kits are available for. The following list shows those types and what kit manufacturer has them in their current catalog (or still available through swap-meets, ebay, etc. - and also, if you know of kits that exist for the other types in this book, please email me).
Kits available:
- Nieuport 28: Revell
- Fokker D.VII: Revell, Roden, MAC
- SPAD XIII: Eduard
- Curtiss JN-4D: Olimp
- LFG Roland D.VIb: MAC
- Curtiss O-1B/A-3A: Ardpol
- Curtiss A-3B: Ardpol
- Douglas O-2H: Ardpol
- Curtiss P-1A: Pro Resin
- Curtiss P-1B: Pro Resin
- Curtiss P-1C: LF Models
- Curtiss P-6E: Monogram/Accurate Miniatures, Olimp
- Boeing P-12B/D: Pro Resin
- Boeing P-12E: Matchbox
- Douglas O-38A/B: Ardpol
- Douglas O-38E: Ardpol
- Boeing P-26: Revell, Pavla
- Curtiss A-8: Czechmaster Resin
- Curtiss A-12: Czechmaster Resin
- Consolidated P-30/PB-2A: LF Models
- Boeing Stearman PT-13: Revell, Pavla
- North American BT-9: Special Hobby/Azur
- North American AT-6/AT-6A: Academy
- Seversky P-35: MPM, Meikraft
- Curtiss A-17: MPM
- Curtiss A-17A: MPM
- Curtiss P-36: Monogram, Heller, Azur, AML
- Stinson O-49: Execuform vacuform
- Bell P-39D: Academy
- Curtiss 81A-2: AML, Pavla
- Curtiss P-40B/C: AML, Pavla, Trumpeter
- Curtiss P-40E: Academy, Hasegawa
- North American O-47: AML, Czechmaster Resin