Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-45

Rating:
Summary: The new Holy Grail of VVS books
Review: Printed as a hard cover book that measures in at 9 ¼ by 12 ¼ and is 224 pages filled with rare photographs and color profiles of all the main Soviet fighters used during this time period. Chris Banyai-Riepl expertly completes the profile and ling drawings while Eric himself did the schematics in the book. This is really three books in one. An expertly researched book on the histories of each of these aircraft, a perfect line drawing reference book, and a beautifully rendered profile paintings of the major players during this four year period of time.

Printed on very nice paper stick the photographs are reproduced very well. Take into mind that many of these photographs are very old and the negatives have long since been lost to time. There photos of museum aircraft pointing out errors or accuracies of the plane in question.

I really liked the color profiles. They are very well done and shows Chris Banyai-Riepl's work off as the master that he is. Eric Pilawskii did a wonderful job of breaking down a daunting amount of information and giving it to us in digestible portions to make it easier to understand. Grouped into aircraft type and chronological order for ease of information make sense to me.

The coverage of this informative title is presented as follows:.


A Treatise on VVS Colour Systems
An Introduction to Soviet Aircraft of the Great Patriotic War
Lavochkin LaGG-3
Lavochkin La-5, La-5FN, La-7
Mikoyan & Gurevich I-200, MiG-1, MiG-3
Polikarpov I-15, I-152, I-153
Polikarpov I-16
Yakovlev Yak-1
Yakovlev Yak-7, UTI-26
Yakovlev Yak-9
Yakovlev Yak-3
Appendix I - Notable Prototypes and Developmental Aircraft
Appendix II - NKAP Painting Template
Appendix III - VVS National Markings
Appendix IV - Pilots
Appendix V - Performance Tables (Imperial)
I would say that this book is the new holy grail of VVS aircraft colors and schemes. I would have like to see a color chit system like the famous Monogram Color Guide of Luftwaffe Aircraft or a FS color equivalent chart but that is my wish only. I highly recommend this book to all interested in this subject and for those whom build the occasional Soviet aircraft, this book would still be one of the main source books on your shelf.



Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking and very specific.
Review: This book shows a new twist on Soviet WWII camo. It does away with Cold War misconceptions about the colors used on Polikarpovs, YaKs, MiGs, LaGGs and Las. Pilawkii has researched minute variations on things like how different factories, or different factory workers, for that matter, painted the camouflage patterns on the planes. It has color 3 views for EVERY different pattern or each plane, which will be helpful for modellers or artists.

Different series of aircraft are noted, and the evoultion of the patterns on these is explained. For example, the LaGG-3 includes info for:

LaGG-3 Zavod 23
LaGG-3 1941 early
LaGG-3 1941 mid
LaGG-3 Zavod 153
LaGG-3-37 1941
LaGG-3 1942
LaGG-3 1942 Lightened
LaGG-3 1942 Boosted
LaGG-3 1942 Boosted & Lightened
LaGG-3 1942
LaGG-3-37 Improved & Lightened
LaGG-3 Type 105

Get the picture? Like that on all main plane desigantions. Plus the author includes specifications (with speed at sea level and at altitude) for each variant!! In imperial and metric measurements. Very well thought.

Also, every plane type includes 4 to 8 nicer, detailed side view profiles, as is the standard. None of the same stuff: actual, fresh-made profiles by web artist and model kit reviewer Banyai-Riepl.

4 and not 5 stars for not inlucing P-39s, P-47s, Spitfires, and other Lend-Lease planes in the camouflage descriptions. Maybe because they weren't MADE in the USSR, but they were still "Soviet Air Force Fighters." And also because there was only a little info on tactical number styles. Although there was a page or two about the colors used, and the places where they were painted, I feel more details could have been printed, the same as for the camo patterns.

Good book, mostly recommended for more hardcore Soviet plane geeks, or Soviet plane modellers.