Osprey Aircraft of the Aces
No.32: Albatros Aces of WW1
No.33: Nieuport Aces of WW1

by Norman Franks

published by Osprey

Reviewed by Bob Pearson

For quite some time Osprey has been producing a series of books aimed at the WW2 aeromodeler, but the early aircraft fan was left out in the cold. Now, with the release of these two volumes, the WW1 modeler has a ready compendium of schemes for their models.

As with other volumes in this series, there is a historical overview of the relevance of the aircraft, followed by chapters in which various personnel are mentioned. For anyone with a half decent WW1 library, there is nothing new in either volume, but for the newcomer, this will be a treasure trove of options.

The true value in any Osprey book lies in its colour illustrations, and these are no exception. There are 40+ illustrations in each volume done by one Harry Demspsey, these are done from notes supplied by Greg VanWyngarden (who also supplies the colour notes to myself for many of my profiles), so we know that the markings are well researched. While I feel some of the colours are a tad garish to my taste, on the whole there is nothing that I would not be proud to call my own work.

Forthcoming volumes on SPAD fighters and the Fokker Dr.I are in the works. I for one can't wait to see what they include.

Both volumes are recommended reading for anyone interested in WW1 aviation.

My copies were obtained from Barry Stettler of Rosemont Hobby Shop.