Gloster Gladiator
In Action No. 187

W. A. Harrison,
Squadron Signal Publications,
Carrollton, Texas, 2003
ISBN: 0-89747-450-3

Reviewed by Jim Schubert

This is the fifth review of recent reference publications on the Gloster Gladiator and it is a winner. Given its MSRP of $9.95, it is clearly the best value for money of the five titles reviewed and that's especially true if you're only going to buy one Gladiator reference. Speaking of references, to bring you up to date, Internet Modeler has covered recent Gladiator releases as follows:

May 2002: Book reviews - Osprey and Mushroom
Jan. 2003: Book review - Warpaint No. 37
Jan. 2003: Kit review - Roden 1:48 scale Mk.I
Feb. 2003: Book review - Monographie Lotnicze No. 24.

The kit review in the January 2003 issue listed all Gladiator references then known to me. To that list must now be added the Warpaint No. 37 and the Squadron Signal In Action here reviewed.

We planned to get this review in last month's issue but didn't make it because, although Squadron was advertising this title in December and early January, it did not become available until too late in January for me to beat the editor's deadline. It was, however, worth the wait. The quality of photo reproduction is clearly the best of the lot - a hallmark of Squadron Signal's recent In Action series.

To continue the by-the-numbers comparison/evaluation of Gladiator references that I've been using, here are the numbers:

Cover: Color painting
Back: Two color paintings
Color profiles: 10
Color photos: none
B & W photos: 99
GA Dwgs.: 11
Isometric Dwgs.: 14
Appendices/Tables: None
Pages: 54

Conclusion

This title is the best value for money of the five works reviewed and has the best reproduced black and white photos, many of which do not appear in the other four reference works. I bought the review copy from Emil Meinrich's Skyway model Shop in Seattle for $9.95 plus sales tax.

This volume, and most in-actions, would be of more value to modelers and enthusiasts if they contained more and better General Arrangement drawings and more close-up photos of details on the subjects that Squadron do not intend to cover in separate "Walk Around" volumes. Now, Mr. Campbell, how about a combined In Action/Walk Around on the Boeing Stearman PT-13, 17, N2S, etc. trainer?