Avonmore Books | Pacific Profiles: Volume Nine
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Avonmore Books
Author: Michael John Claringbould
Publishing Date: 2022
ISBN: 978-0-6452469-4-0
Pages: 124
Now that I have a growing familiarity with the series, they're very well presented, all printed on nice quality gloss stock, with quite a few very nice illustrations of chosen and representative subjects, along with several black & white and occasional color photos as well. Following a format that's already a proven success, this volume just adds to the overall wealth of data that proceeded it in the previous 8 volumes.
This particular book (Volume Nine in the series), depicts one of the more rather well known Pacific combatants, specifically the legendary Lockheed P-38 Lightning, and it’s chock full of representative material; plenty of ground shots, variations in painting schemes, as well as showing the incredible wear on the finishes of these Pacific birds, as well as (naturally enough) plenty of color profile drawings.
P-38 Lightnings, being stalwart subjects amongst modelers, are well represented here and I'm particularly pleased with the real "at work" type of photos presented, both black & white, as well as a spattering of color shots, again, many of which capture the spirit of the surface battering that these aircraft were subject to. Large scale modelers are again somewhat limited in this area, there being only two truly viable candidates, the Revell and Trumpeter kits. The Trumpeter kit, with a bit of patience, as well as any or all of the available AM, can actually be quite stunning. The H, J and G are all presented here, as well as the almost inevitable recon Lightnings.
This work, being dedicated once again to the South Pacific (1942-1944 time-frame) arena, offers up some worthwhile coverage of quite a few Lightnings in that theater; a great wealth of information to add for those that seek information regarding these types of aircraft working from those environments.
By now I've learned to truly respect this author, as his research and attention to details and dates, is truly worthwhile.
Typical Photo/Illustration Quality to be Found Throughout
To me, the high point of this volume, is the overall appeal of the subject matter, combined with numerous interesting facts about the campaigns in the Pacific, all packaged in a smooth, attractive presentation.
I'll have to say that, to me, this book is very good value, given the overall intensity of the content.
Even if you have just a passing interest in the pacific air war, you can’t go wrong with the purchase of this book and you may just become a fan, as I most certainly am.
(Not a selling point, as such, but the cover has a nice tactile "feel" to it, reflecting, in my opinion, a dedication to overall quality of presentation that I very much like.)
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this book as a solid 10, no question about it.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Many thanks to Casemate, it's truly an outstanding reference book for the Pacific theater of war in general, and the wonderfully interesting and truly iconic P-38 Lightning specifically, really top-notch stuff.
© Kevin Williams 2023
This review was published on Sunday, October 01 2023; Last modified on Sunday, January 28 2024