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• Modeling Madness • 2009-09-24
• Internet Modeler • 2009-09-24
• Hyperscale.com • 2009-09-24
• Amazon.co.uk - customer review • 2009-09-24
• Replic • 2009-09-24

• Modeling Madness • 2009-09-24
  Reviewed by Scott Van Aken Mushroom Models Publications has been doing some really great books recently. I especially like this yellow series of books. They are a history (sometimes brief) of a specific aircraft that also shows all the variants and subvariants of the type. Their first two books on the 109E and 109G are used by yours truly quite a lot when researching models. In fact, they are starting to get that nice, worn look of a an oft-used publication. There is also a third book in the series on the A6M Zero which will be reviewed in the near future. Book four is on the Gloster Gladiator. Now I don't know about you, but to me, the Gladiator is probably one of the more interesting British aircraft. Sort of a mix between the biplanes and monoplanes of the late 1930s. It has your two wings with the usual bracings, but it also has several attributes of the more modern monoplane fighters such as an enclosed canopy. It also piques my interest because it was used by a rather large number of foreign countries and so can be built with a nice array of camouflage schemes. This particular book is card covered, 160 pages and about 9½ by 6¾ inches in size. The printing and images are first rate and on high quality paper. Unlike the Bf-109, the Gladiator was not built in a staggering number of variants and variations. Therefore, this book has much more historical background than those other editions. The author has wisely chosen to break it down into several very well-thought out sections. RAF and Commonwealth Gladiator historical section Sea Gladiator histories Foreign use of the Gladiators A section of appendices which includes: Survivors, Claims and Losses, and a section on technical specs. There is also a large color profile section and several pages of color detail photos taken of surviving Gladiators. In addition, each of the first three sections has an area dedicated to the various color and marking schemes worn by the various forces and units. Each of the historical sections goes into some detail of unit actions with the aircraft. There is enough information given to allow the reader a sense of what it was like to be in one of those units during the early days of the war. Whether operating from a frozen lake in Norway, to the desert sands of Egypt or in defense of its homeland during the invasion of the low countries, the Gladiator put up a courageous battle against rather large odds; at time coming out well, but often being rather badly mauled. Want to know the true story of Malta's Gladiators Faith, Hope and Charity? It's in there. This is a superb book on the type and I'd have to say that if you only can have one reference on the Gladiator, this is the one that you should have in your library. It really is that good.
• Internet Modeler • 2009-09-24
  Osprey Aircraft of the Aces · 44 - Gloster Gladiator Aces: Andrew Thomas, Osprey, UK, 2002, ISBN: 1-84176-289X Mushroom Magazine Special; Yellow Series - Gloster Gladiator: Alex Crawford, Mushroom Model Publications, UK, 2002, ISBN: 83-916327-0-9 Reviewed by Jim Schubert These books were released at about the same time and reinforce one another very nicely. The Osprey book, naturally, focuses on the men who became aces on the type. This focus, perforce, also includes a good outline of the main operations involving Gladiators but largely excludes those operations, which produced no aces. The Mushroom book, on the other hand, focuses on the airplane and its use in all of the various theaters of WWII and then accounts for the, apparently, 12 survivors. I say "apparently" because Appendix 2 is very confusingly written. One survivor, perhaps the best known, is Gladiator Mk.I, L-8032 (for awhile misnumbered K-8032), civil registration G-AMRK, which has been regularly demonstrated aloft during the Shuttleworth Trust's Flying Days at Old Warden since 1967. It is the only Gladiator that is currently airworthy. Here then is a tabular comparison of the contents of these two excellent paperback books for aviation enthusiasts: OSPREY MUSHROOM Front Cover: Color painting Two color profiles Back Cover: One color profile and one B&W photo Two color profiles Color Profiles: 40 on ten pages;no top, bottom or opposite side views 32 on 14 pages; Three with both sides; ten top views, three top and bottom views Color Photos: None 44 B& W Photos: 103 102 Gen'l. Arrangement Dwgs: 8 views 20 views Isometric Dwgs: None 6 Appendices: 6 3, plus 3 tables Numbered Pages: 90 160 MSRP: $18.95 $24.95 The print and paper qualities of the two books are nearly identical. There are, however, quirks in Mushroom's color profiles: The serial numbers are a bit skinny compared with the photos, the roundel proportions in many instances are a bit fat, color saturation is generally weak and the hues are off the mark. The dark green Chinese Gladiators, for instance, are rendered as a dark gray. Osprey's color is, on the whole, better than Mushroom's. If you're only going to buy one of the two as a modeling reference - get the Mushroom book; it is much better value for a modeler's money. Not being restricted to the Osprey's "Aces Formula", the Mushroom book is much wider ranging on all counts except "Aces". The Osprey book illustrates and comments upon Gladiator operations of: RAF, FAA, RAAF, SAAF, China, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Norway, Belgium and Iraq. The Mushroom book illustrates and/or comments upon Gladiator operations of those users plus Egypt, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Free France, Portugal USSR and Germany. I've been a big Gladiator fan since I first visited Old Warden in September 1969 and did a "Photo Walkaround" of L-8032. For model builders the old (mid 1960's) Inpact (subsequently Pyro and Life Like) kit is the only one in 1:48 scale and it is excellent. My only quibbles with it are the light fabric "texture" and the too thick trailing edge of the engine cowling. In 1:72 scale the Heller kit is far superior to the old Airfix offering. There are rumors that some other manufacturer will soon release another 1:48 scale Gladiator. When/if that happens I have asked the Publisher of this magazine to allow me to review the kit. It'll have to go a long way to beat the Inpact/Pyro/Life Like kit. These are both quite good books. On balance, the Mushroom book is the better value for a model builder. Other Gladiator references a modeler must have include Profile No. 98 (Red Series), Camouflage and Markings No. 5 - Gladiator, Gauntlet, Fury, Demon -RAF Northern Europe 1936-45 and the book - On Silver Wings by Alec Lumsden & Owen Thetford. Can any reader suggest any other "Must Have" Gladiator references? I would really like to hear form anyone who can recommend additional references. The review copies were purchased at Emil Minerich's Skyway Model Shop in Seattle.
• Hyperscale.com • 2009-09-24
  Reviewed by Brett Green Mushroom Model Publication's latest book is "Gloster Gladiator" by Alex Crawford. The book comprises 144 pages in 9.5" x 6.5" format, with soft covers and including a sixteen page colour profile section and a further eight pages of colour walkaround photos. After a brief introduction, the body text describes the Gloster Gladiator in RAF and Commonwealth service. The description commences with the introduction to Squadron service in 1937 after the first Spitfire and Hurricane had already flown. Despite this surprising situation, the Gladiator a front-line fighter with the RAF until early 1939. The RAF section follows the Gladiator's operations through the Munich crisis, the Phoney War, the defence of Egypt, Greece and Crete, East Africa, Iraq, Syria, the Far East and its retirement to second-line duties. Camouflage and markings are summarised over two pages. The Sea Gladiator is covered in a separate section. The remaining half of the book is devoted to the many other operators of this significant fighter, including Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free French forces, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, the USSR and Sweden. The text is rounded out with Appendices listing Gladiator survivors, claims and losses, and technical data. Each country's section is generously illustrated with photographs. The text follows a common format - discussing the introduction to service and operations followed by a summary of camouflage and markings. The text throughout is clear, concise and logically organised - just as well considering the breadth of the subject matter. My only criticism is that the book's format dictates that many of the photographs are quite small. Some photos are also darkly reproduced, making it difficult to discern details. The twelve page colour profile section includes 28 paintings of Gladiators in the service of many different countries. It is nice to see some full-page side profiles, and other subjects being depicted in four-views. 44 colour photographs are included in the walkaround section. Various Gladiators are photographed, including one aircraft under restoration. This machine reveals rare airframe details. There are also good quality photos of the interior of the Gladiator. This book is a wonderful resource for the aircraft modeller or the aircraft historian. Recommended
• Amazon.co.uk - customer review • 2009-09-24
  Reviewed by dirk_p_broer from Leiden, the Netherlands 2002 was a good year for the Gloster Gladiator, because after years of negligence of this aircraft in aviation literature two good books about the Gladiator were published, "Gladiator Aces" by Andrew Thomas and this book by Gladiator-expert Alex Crawford (he also maintains a website about the Gladiator). This all-new and original reference work goes together very well with the before mentioned "Gladiator Aces" and the few long-time classic references about this aircraft: "The Gloster Gladiator" by Francis K. Mason (Macdonald, 1964), the "Aircraft in Profile, no 98" also by Francis K. Mason, Profile Publications, 1966 (included in Aircraft in Profile, Volume 3) and "Camouflage and Markings - Gladiator, Gauntlet, Fury, Demon " by James Goulding and Richard Ward (Ducimus 1970), because of all the mentioned titles only the two by Francis K. Mason have a bit of overlap. Apart from the story of the Gladiator in the RAF and the FAA, Mr. Crawford tells that story for every country which used the Gladiator (including Germany and Russia) and concludes the book with some in-depth overviews and tables, as well as nice colour profiles and detail photos. To top it off there is a very good bibliography at the end, basis for my "Listmania" list about the Gladiator. Recommended reading for all who are interested in biplanes, biplane fighters, the RAF or World War Two aviation.
• Replic • 2009-09-24