The US Navy embarked on the VFX fighter programme when it became obvious that the weight, engine and manoeuvrability issues plaguing F-111B, the naval variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defence fighter whose primary role was intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier battle group. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the US Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft that were not required by the Navy. 
Grumman came up with a solution in the form of their F-14 Tomcat, a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing aircraft. But what made the Tomcat head and shoulders above all other fighters was its AWG-9 weapons control radar married to the superlative AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile. The Tomcat was all the US Navy required, and the F-111B episode was soon forgotten. The F-14A was the first version of the Tomcat, and it entered US Navy service in 1972 with VF-1 and VF-2 and first deployed overseas on USS Enterprise in 1974, gradually replacing the later versions of the F-4 Phantom on the US carriers' decks.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has become an icon although it was the result of a diffi-cult birth courtesy of various officials whose understanding of realistic goals was overrid-den by the desire to chase an impossible dream. Eventually a great eight engined high winged bomber would appear on the Seattle flight line. The first model would be a devel-opment batch with the B Model being the first operational version. From these two batch-es would come the famous Balls 3 and Balls 8 of NASA fame. Of all the versions of these tall tail bombers the B-52D would be the one that would achieve a certain measure of fame. Not only was this the largest production run of all the models, but it would also be the main bomber used during the Vietnam War having succeeded the B-52F in this role. Eventually the B-52D would be the only survivor remaining in service till it was replaced in the remaining Strategic Air Command Bombardment Wings by the B-52G and B-52H. This book is written by Kev Darling and is superbly illustrated by Sam Pearson.  96 pages - NO PLANS these can be sent print copy £5.00

emming from the original American Taylorcraft design, the British Auster is arguably as well known and famous as the Tiger Moth, being built at the right time to provide a vital role during WW2 in the Air Observation Post role, spotting and reporting artillery positions, particularly during D-Day and through decades of post-war conflicts worldwide. Founded in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aero-planes (England) Limited, they made 1,604 high-wing Taylorcraft Auster monoplanes which were built during World War II for the armed forces of the UK and Canada. The type has proved to be versatile and adaptable to worldwide conditions being fitted with wheels, floats or skis as per the Trans-Antarctic Expeditions, which are all recorded within. This is another comprehensive Warpaint book by Adrian Balch, which covers the design and de-velopment of the Auster, highlighting the variants that were used in military service by the RAF, Army Air Corps and air arms around the world, culminating in the variants built by BEAGLE. Nearly 150 photographs, many rare and never seen before, illustrate the type in military service, supported by 13 pages of colour profile drawings and plans by artist Sam Pearson.

Ilyushin Il-28
By Nikolay Yakubovich

The Ilyushin Il-28 (NATO reporting name ’Beagle’) was the Soviet Union’s first jet bomber to enter large-scale production. Licence-built in China as the Harbin H-5, as well as in the Czech Republic, total production in the USSR alone was 6,316 aircraft. The aircraft drew on captured wartime technology, as well as benefitting from the sale to the USSR of Rolls-Royce Nene jet en-gines, reproduced for soviet use as the RD-45. The Il-28 was widely export-ed, serving in the air arms of some 20 nations ranging from the Warsaw Pact to various Middle-Eastern and African air forces. The aircraft also saw limited use in Vietnam and with the Afghan forces in Afghanistan, while Finland had four examples delivered between 1961 and 1966 for target-towing duties, which remained in service until the 1980s. This latest Warpaint includes all the usual expertise and research that has made the series the benchmark for aviation reference material. With full history, development, walkaround, and colour artwork and plans, author Nikolay Yakubovich documents fully this milestone in Soviet aviation history. 


A massive 108 pages  £22.00 
Over 200 images some never seen before 
16 pages of Colour Profiles 
  2 page scale Plans 
4 pages of detailed Aircraft used by various units 

North American Aviation's P-51 Mustang is right up there in the top echelon of fighter of the second world war. However, without the Britain's desperate need for fighter aircraft this iconic machine might never have existed. Although the first prototype was damaged after a ground loop during initial test flights it was quickly repaired. 
This airframe would be followed a further small batch of aircraft to extend the flight envelope and clear the installed weaponry. As the Mustang was garnering attention to itself courtesy of an outstanding performance and manoeuvrability it came as no surprise when the USAAC purloined an example for their own use. Deliveries to Britain would begin fairly quickly, the new fighter slotting into the fighter recon role, its only limitation being deprecated performance at high level due to the version of engine installed in the airframe. 
Even so Mustang production ramped up with deliveries taking place to the RAF and the USAAF. There was one diversion along the way that produced the excellent A-36A Dive bomber. 

The best known model of the Mustang was the Merlin powered P-51D/K series that gained fame in all the theatres it served in, becoming the long range escort fighter of choice for bombing raids over Germany and Japan. Postwar the Mustang lingered on in USAF service having one last successful fling over Korea before retirement. 
This was not the end of the road for the Merlin powered P-51's as numerous airforces around the world would use them throughout the 1950's before they were finally traded in for jets. Nowadays the Mustang has become a favourite amongst the warbird community and in better times could be seen at various air shows around the world. 

This book is written by Kev Darling and is supported with artwork by John Fox.

Warpaint No.129 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 Author Nikolay Yakubovich 
72 pages. £17.00 
9 pages of Colour Profiles 
6 pages of Scale Plans 
Over 120 images some never published before!!! 

By the time Operation Barbarossa unfolded on 22 June 1941 some 981 MiG-3s were in service with the Soviet Air Forces (VVS), the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) and Soviet Naval Aviation, but the aircraft had undergone a difficult development and was an unforgiving machine to fly in combat. It had been designed for high-altitude but combat over the Eastern Front was gen-erally at lower altitudes, where it was outmatched by its chief adversary, the Bf 109. Combat losses were high, and over time, the aircraft were concen-trated in the PVO, where its disadvantages mattered less, despite which the type had been replaced in service by the end of the conflict. This latest book in the Warpaint series covers the aircraft comprehensively, with an impres-sive historical text, and a selection of photographs that will be essential for any modeller considering a project. Drawing on original Soviet sources and archives this is an authoritative and comprehensive account of one of the great fighter aircraft of World War 2. Once again author Nikolay Yakubovich has provided an authoritative text backed up by historical images and colour artwork and scale drawings to the same standard by artist Andrey Yurgen-son.

One of the great unsung keystones in the development of aerial combat, the Bristol Scout was originally designed as a racing aircraft. It was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a ‘scout’, or fast reconnaissance machine, and was one of the first single-seaters to be used as a fighter aircraft. Designed in the second half of 1913 the first flight was made at Larkhill on 23 February the following year after which it was exhibited at the March 1914 Aero Show at Olympia in London. It was evaluated by the British military in May 1914 at Farnborough and its period of service saw great leaps forward in the design and tactical usage of fighter aircraft, and many of the earliest attempts to perfect forward-firing guns were tested in action using Bristol Scouts.  An RNAS Scout was the first landplane to be flown from a ship, when Flt. Lt. H. F. Towler flew No. 1255 from the flying deck of the seaplane carrier HMS Vindex on 3 November 1915. The aircraft saw service in both Europe and the Middle East but by mid-1916 was largely relegated to training units. This latest book in the Warpaint series covers the aircraft comprehensively, with an impressive historical text, and a selection of photographs that will be essential for any modeller considering a project. Author Matthew Willis is well-known for his authoritative books on classic British aircraft, and we are particularly pleased to add this follow-up to his earlier volume on the Sopwith Pup to the series. Artwork is by John Fox.

When USAF went searching for a new jet trainer in the early 1950's to replace the Lockheed T-33, it came as a great surprise to all when Cessna, best known for producing light aircraft, actually won the competition. Little did anyone realise that the T-37, the new training aircraft's designation, would stay in service for fifty years. Along the way the fleet had many rebuilds and is reckoned to have conservatively trained over 500,000 pilots to wings standard. Along the way it garnered many nicknames including 'Tweet, Tweety Bird' and the 'Screaming Dog Whistle'. Had the conflict in Vietnam been avoided this might of been the end of the line for the multi coloured trainer. As America became more involved with the conflict in South East Asia USAF was on a buying spree for all of the latest all singing, all dancing fighter attack aircraft. However, despite their supersonic capability and state of the art avionics these mighty behemoths were not suited to the close air support role.

Bristol Britannia, 
Canadair CP-107 Argus & CC-106 Yukon  By Charles Stafrace 
The Bristol Britannia, known as the Whispering Giant because of its silent engines, was the world's first long-range turboprop-powered aircraft. It was built for the Royal Air Force as well as for civil airlines, and in time became renowned for its reliability. However, its gestation period was not easy, and its saga was one of sadness and disappointment, so that it entered service a decade after the first specification had been issued. Its period of service with BOAC and the major airlines was not long, as by then these had opted for the more glamorous jet-powered airliners. As a result, only 85 Britannias were produced by Bristol at Filton and at a second production line at Short Bros & Harland in Belfast, of which 23 went to the RAF. But thereafter the Britannia served at length with other less well known British and overseas airlines and feeder companies. It continued to fly as the RAF's main trooper as late as 1976, until its long-range role became redundant with the closing down of British Far East and Middle East bases. Early in the Britannia's development, the Royal Canadian Air Force was in search of a maritime patrol aircraft to replace the ageing Lancaster, and Canadair obtained a licence from Bristol to build the CP-107 Argus, which was basically a Britannia with a completely new fuselage to cater for the different role.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Fresco followed on from the successful MiG-15 design providing the Soviet air forces with a high-subsonic fighter aircraft that was able to hold
its own against many of the NATO aircraft of its day. MiG-17s first saw combat in 1958
in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and later proved to be an effective threat against more modern supersonic fighters of the United States in the Vietnam War. Produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants, the aircraft was license- built in China as the Shenyang J-5 and Poland as the PZL-Mielec Lim-6. This latest addition to the Warpaint series follows on from the acclaimed title on the MiG-15 and draws on original Soviet documentation to provide a very thorough technical and historical account of the aircraft's development and service. Once again author Nikolay Yakubovich has provided an authoritative text backed up by historical images and colour artwork and scale drawings to the same standard by artist Andrey Yurgenson.

The Chipmunk is probably the most famous and well-known post-war piston-engined basic training aircraft after the Tiger Moth, for which it was designed as a replacement by de Havilland in Canada.  It first flew on 22 May 1946 and entered operational service that same year. During the late 1940s and 1950s, the Chipmunk was procured in large numbers for air arms around the world, primarily the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the, Royal Air Force (RAF), who utilised it as their standard primary trainer aircraft. The type was also produced under licence by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, who would build the vast majority of Chipmunks, as well as by OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico) in Portugal.The type served with the RAF right up until 1996 in the ab initial training role and many still fly today in civilian guise. This is another quality publication in the Warpaint series by author Adrian Balch, who relates the history of the Chipmunk together with colour scheme details for the modeller, supported by no less than 90 top quality photographs from his archives, the majority of which are in colour. Many colourful profiles are provided by Jan Polc, making this 48-page publication a ‘must have’ for the aviation historian and modeller alike.

The Albatros D.III was flown by many top German aces during World War One, including Wilhelm Frankl, Erich Löwenhardt, Manfred von Richthofen, Karl Emil Schäfer, Ernst Udet, and Kurt Wolff and was the preeminent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance known as 'Bloody April' 1917. The D.III entered squadron service in December 1916, and was immediately acclaimed by German aircrews for its manoeuvrability and rate of climb. Albatros built approximately 500 D.III aircraft at its Johannisthal factory, but In the spring of 1917 D.III production shifted to Albatros' subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), to permit Albatros to concentrate on development and production of the D.V. Between April and August 1917, Idflieg issued five separate orders for a total of 840 D.IIIs with the he OAW variant undergoing its proofing trials in June 1917. Production commenced at the Schneidemühl factory in June and continued through December 1917, with OAW aircraft distinguishable by their larger, rounded rudders. Peak service was in November 1917, with 446 aircraft available on the Western Front. This is the second Great War subject to be added to the Warpaint list and has been authored by Dave Hooper, founder of the IPMS Great War Special Interest Group and a long-standing contributor to aviation modelling journals, whose comprehensive knowledge and attention to detail will ensure this current title will maintain the high standards that have made Warpaint one of the most respected and sought after aviation reference sources. Includes a full walkaround of a replica D.III and scale plans and profiles by Jan Polc.

Born out of a United States Navy (USN) requirement for a carrier-based, tactical, nuclear strike aircraft and designed under the supervision of the Douglas Aircraft Company's Edward H.Heinemann, the Skyhawk went on to become one of the USN and United States Marine Corps (USMC) iconic aircraft of the Vietnam War. Based around Heinemann's concept of 'keep it light, keep it simple' the Skyhawk evolved from a light-weight nuclear strike aircraft to an aircraft capable of hauling large amounts of ordnance by comparison to its size and with it a proven ability to accept damage and survive. It also served in the training, carrier qualification, 'buddy' tanker and target facilities roles. Originally designated A4D under the USN's designation system, but better know from 1961 as the A-4, the Skyhawk was built in large numbers at Douglas' and later McDonnell Douglas' factories at El Segundo and Long Beach. 144 pages

New from Guideline is this innovative collection of artworks and scale drawings culled from the famous Warpaint series and collected in a single volume presenting eight iconic US military aircraft types from the Second World War
Warpaint has grown into one of the most authoritative and comprehensive encyclopaedias of military aviation in print today. Compiled by artist Jan Polc this latest series gathers together the colour profiles and line drawings from selected volumes with a common theme, and presents the reader interested more in camouflage and markings than the history and development of the aircraft with a wide selection of choices upon which to base a modelling project. With a minimal text by way of introduction the book offers a collection of top quality profile art covering the Curtis P-40, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Vought F4U Corsair, Douglas A-20 Havoc, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Martin B-26 Marauder, North American B-25 Mitchell and Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
With this first volume Guideline introduce an ongoing series that promises to inspire and inform as well as offering a great introduction to those not already familiar with the original Warpaints.
100 pages

Long overdue in the Warpaint range, the MiG-15 is one of the most important and influential aircraft to come out of the early years of the Cold War and was to see active service in a wide range of theatres and with a great many Soviet client states. The MiG-15 was a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union and was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate swept wings to achieve high transonic speeds. In combat over Korea, it outclassed straight-winged jet day fighters, which were largely relegated to ground-attack roles, and was quickly countered by the similar American swept-wing North American F-86 Sabre. The MiG-15 is often mentioned, along with the F-86 Sabre, as the best fighter aircraft of the Korean War. The MiG-15 is believed to have been one of the most produced jet aircraft ever, with in excess of 13,000 manufactured. Licensed foreign production may have raised the production total to almost 18,000. This latest addition to the Warpaint list by Nikolay Yakubovich has been sourced direct from Russian sources and includes a great many rare or previously unpublished photographs collated by the author, along with accurate scale drawings and colour profiles by Andrey Yurgenson.

Grumman F9F Panther one fo the first US Navy quests for jet fighter. this books is exceptionally well written and extensive photographs and colour profiles

Like most nations America likes to celebrate its first's. Strangely enough this didn't seem to apply to the first jet bomber in USAF service, the North American B-45 Tornado. Although the airframe layout bore some resemblance to WW2 aircraft this new boy on the block had many aerodynamic refinements commensurate with the newly emerging jet engines. 
In common with many new designs the B-45 underwent many changes throughout its career, the greatest of which was the provision of more powerful and reliable engines. Major structural changes were applied to the principle bomber version to allow carriage of a nuclear weapon whilst the final model was a versatile reconnaissance aircraft, the RB-45C. 
During the Korean War the RB-45C carried out valuable reconnaissance flights in support of operations whilst in Europe the B-45C remained on alert for a possible war. Under the aegis of USAF the Royal Air Force flew a handful of aircraft to plot bomber approach tracks for both Bomber Command and USAF over the Soviet Bloc. 
When finally withdrawn from service the majority of B-45's were scrapped thus the surviving handful are drawn from those used as test beds.

Warpaint 132 Boeing B-52A-F Stratofortress

Warpaint 131

Warpaint 130 II-28

Warpaint 130 - P-51 Mustang

Warpaint 129 - Mikoyan-Gurevich  MiG-3

Warpaint 128 - Bristol Scout

Warpaint 127 - Cessna T-37 & Dragon Fly

Warpaint 126 - Grumman F14 - TomCat

Warpaint 125 - Bristol Britannia

Issue 124 - MiG 17

Issue 123 - DHC-1 CHIPMUNK

Issue 122 - Albertros

Issue 121 - SKYHAWK

American Aircraft of WW11

Issue 120 - MiG -15

Issue 119 - F9F Panther

Designed with both the aircraft enthusiast and the model maker in mind, the Warpaint titles try to establish as near as possible a comprehensive and accurate account of a single aircraft type within one set of covers. 
* Complete and detailed history 
* 1:72nd scale plan 
* In detail pictures 
* Kit, decal and accessory list 
* Pages of superb colour camouflage drawings and photography 
* Complete production list 
* Squadrons, units and individual aircraft serials and codes 
* Comprehensive specification 

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