Product Code: VE001B
Written by: Roger S Gaemperle
English text.
Pages: 71
ISBN: 97883033030077
RRP: €24.90 (First 2500 books individually numbered)
Available from: Vintage
Eagle Publishing’s website
The first (as Implied by “Vol. I” in the title) of many books by new publisher Vintage Eagle is something that will no doubt please a lot of the model buying public – It is called “Captured Eagles German WWII Aircraft Captured By the Allies - Vol. I.” and is a seventy-two page page soft covered 297x210cm format book that comes either by itself as a stand-alone publication or you can choose to compliment it with an accompanying set of decals plus some dry transfers printed by Hobbydecals to go along with them in 1/48 and 1/32 scales.
Today let us concentrate on the book
as well apply the decals to something tomorrow – the book itself comes in an
attractive glossy covered and striking green coloured package of black and
white photos (85) with some six coloured snaps thrown in of old and four new pictures of modern relics
of these aircraft thrown in. There are eight colour profiles illustrated by the
talented Simon Schatzto better illustrate the aircraft being
portrayed in the book’s text..
A book like this is often a success
when it is great text mixed with great and/or unseen photographs – well from
the start I won’t josh you – the author has done both! Where a small
description of the image is sufficient Roger gives you pretty much all you need
to know on the subjects in the captions numbered to go along with them.
Thankfully these captions are not separated from the pictures by too many
pages. I have a few of these books about the last gasps of the Luftwaffe – and
most of them tell you something you already have found out. This book shows you
pictures you have never seen before and gives you a wealth of info on their
story.
….About the photos – great! They all
look like they could be of much larger print size and the reproduction here is
flawless - the images look often like they have been taken only recently.
Nearly every one of these snaps have never been published before and I like the
way that the author explains his process of deliberation to access from
evidence he has, and research which colour the aircraft in shot actually is.
The case of the He 162s at the rear of the book and his explanation of how
colours change when different types of film are used is just one example of
this. The profiles to match this machine and other in the book are very well
executed – with all of the explained peculiarities included. Top marks for such
good artwork – and while we are on the artwork I liked the little cartoons in
the book and thru the website as well which are in a “stars and stripes” comic
format – they match the many pictures of American G.I.’s sitting inside
cockpits gurning with German goggles on!
This book though is not all Americans
looking at wrecked and captured German aircraft - Roger highlights little
details of which you may not have noticed about features in shot as well as
aircraft or features in the background. One I never would have spotted has
hidden in a clearing by the look of it half a mile down the road – it is clear
he has gone over these images in great detail with probably a large magnifying
glass – I don’t know anyone else who would have any better knowledge on these particular
aircraft at this time as the author has been able to glean from this precious
source material.
To keep everything in a little bit of
order the author has divided the book into several sections showing different
classes of aircraft, they are –
·
Reconnaissance
·
Bombers
·
Ground attack
·
Destroyers
·
Fighters
·
Jets
·
Nightfighters
·
Mistel
·
Under Allied Flag
In each of these sections the author
has a brief explanation of the uses for each of the aircraft and circumstances
and places where they were captured or discovered. It serves as a good
counterpart to the text which is numbered as are the pictures for easy
recognition. The only thing I think would be made better in this book is
sometimes the text is so much that the pictures are a page or so away from the
description, not a big deal but it’s good to “drink in” the atmosphere of these
pictures as you are pointed out things in the description sometimes.
Vintage eagle have also added a
section on their website in their update section for every picture in the book so you can add
any extra knowledge you know about that particular subject or the circumstances
of it. I like this aspect of their work it shows that they accept they cannot
possibly know everything about these pictures and knowledge shared is better
than just handed out. Vintage eagle also offer you to enter in your pictures of
kits made with their decals to be submitted to their site – so get crackin! Here is an amazing Fw 190 - the first as shown on their site - the gauntlet has been thrown down modellers...
Another Vintage Eagle title is in the
works with some photos of a Ju 388 prototype, a JG 300 Bf 109 G-10 with
Reichsverteidigung bands, an fw190D and also Bf 109G of Kampfgerschwader unit
emblem on it as well as a study on the HS 129 and a plan for a pictorial on the
ME 262 – the future looks good for this company.
I thought this book was on par with
other similar books out there right now and in some ways – especially the
breakthrough on the research on some of the aircrafts features and colours it
really is one I’ll keep in my collection. A great book – I am looking forward
to seeing how the decals fare on plastic…
– as for the decals that go along with
it – they will be at this link for both
the 1/48th and 32 scales
The decal sheets to accompany this book in
are available singularly or as a package with the book - the options are below..
Captured Eagles
Vol. 1 is available in three forms, priced as follows:
Captured Eagles
Vol. 1- Book - Price: €24.90
Captured Eagles
Vol. 1 - 1:48 Decals - Price €14.90
Captured Eagles
Vol. 1 - 1:32 Decals - Price €16.90
Captured Eagles
Vol. I - 1:48 Combo - Price €37.90
Captured Eagles
Vol. I - 1:32 Combo - Price €39.90