It is no secret that I think that Scale Aircraft Modelling is the finest modeling magazine around. It was with much delight that I found they'd started branching out to doing soft-cover books. This is the third edition in their Combat Colors (sorry....Colours), series. The other two were on the Bf-109E and the Hurricane.

The format of these books is the same. About 20 pages of camouflage and aircraft histories and the rest of the 64 pages are profiles, profiles and more profiles with a few three views tossed in to make things different. Frankly, I like this format as I get lots of ideas and inspiration from looking at profiles. This would explain the 50 or so volumes of the old Arco-Aircam series that are still in my book cases, not to mention the complete set of Profiles!

As I mentioned, the opening section of the book has a concise but complete historical section on US camouflage colors and the numbering system used (or not used as the case may be). We like to think that US camouflage colors were pretty straight-forward, but they really are not!

The profiles are broken down into four sections. The first is on the P-36 and early P-40s while the second is devoted to the AVG and later 23rd FG. North Africa and the Mediterranean are covered in the next section while the final batch of profiles cover the CBI and Pacific theaters.

One of the biggest complaints I had about the Bf-109E book was that there was no color information given with each of the profiles. I could not tell the difference between an RLM 71/02/65 and RLM 74/75/76 scheme as the colors were so similar. This lessened the usefulness of that book to me quite a bit.

That oversight has been taken care of in this book. Not only camo colors but a short description of the aircraft and unit are also given with each profile.

Some of the more interesting schemes shown are the P-36s with the Camouflage test schemes of 1939 and the aircraft with the 1941 War Games markings. Later on one finds Navy grey P-40Ns with the 15th FG as well as a yellow P-40N as used by a Stateside training group.

The book is logically arranged and in a format that I find easy to use and interesting. I think you will as well. If you have any interest in the P-36/P-40 and are into camouflage schemes as much as I am, you'll have to have this book.

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