This is part of a new line of books for Casemate Publishing and it concentrates on aircraft of the Italian Air Force. They have produced over a dozen titles in this series and so I chose one to see what it was like. I have to say that initial impressions were quite good and this was proven as I continued to read the book.

The book is in both Italian and English with both languages on the same page. I have to say that the font used for the English portion is not the easiest on the eyes. However, it does serve the purpose of differentiating between the two languages. The English portion is well done and free from the usual syntax issues one can get from something written by a person for whom English is not their primary language.

The book is basically divided into two sections with one for the F-84F and the other for the RF-84F. Naturally, the F-84F has the largest portion as they were operated in the largest numbers. For both sections we get a brief history of the development of the type followed by a greater look at its operational use. This means each of the squadrons and wings are covered from initial introduction until retirement.

What makes this book stand out are the photos. They are large, well lit, and very nicely positioned. They very much show off the individual unit markings and these are accompanied by full color profiles of the units involved. There is also a modeler's section that briefly covers various kits with some build photos included, but this is not the focus of the book.

It would be fair to say that this is more of a photo book on the type than an in-depth history. In this aspect it really shines. It is the sort of book to get a modeler motivated into building a Thunderstreak/Thunderflash kit with Italian markings and is something that will be equally appreciated by those that simply like the airplane. I give it my highest recommendation and look forward to reading others in this series.

October 2021

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