When they first arrived in the fleet, the Grumman FF-1 2-seat biplane fighters had a higher performance than the Boeing F4B-2, the then-standard fleet defense fighter, though they were not as maneuverable as that thoroughbred classic. The FF-1 introduced naval aviation to all metal monocoque construction and retractable landing gear. These 27 airplanes were followed a year later by the stuffy F2F-1, the first of the Grumman "barrels," and then by the all-time classic F3F series, the last Navy fighting biplanes.

With the release of the Accurate Miniatures F3F series kits, this book will be a must-have for research by those modelers who will be creating their own "barrels." Fortunately, this is one of the better "In Action" books from Squadron/Signal, due in no small part to the knowledge of its author, aviation writer and artist Rich Dann.

The book has a full history of the development and operation of each of these types, with accurate three-view drawings (something one cannot say about many of the others in this series), and lots of photographs. Given that each airplane is identified with its BuNo, it should be no problem for a modeler to use the very-complete decal sheet in the F3F-1 kit to make any airplane they see in the book that grabs their attention.

Definitely recommended for anyone building these new kits.