Book Review of
Blackburn Shark Orange Series 1
No. 8120
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP)
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP)
ISBN: 978-83-65958-31-0
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $25.00
Publication date: February 20, 2020
MSRP: $25.00
Publication date: February 20, 2020
HISTORY:
The Blackburn Shark torpedo/spotter/reconnaissance biplane was thoroughly overshadowed by its competitor, the Fairey Swordfish. In reality though, the Shark was more modern than the Swordfish and performed better, and had it not been bedeviled with engine trouble in its early service, might have gone on to great things.
As it was, the Shark contributed greatly to the Royal Navy’s preparation for war in the late 1930’s, and performed valuable service for the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Canadian Air Force during WW2.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Blackburn Aircraft
First flight: 24 August 1933
Introduction to service: 1934
Retired: 1945
Primary users: Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Portuguese Navy
Produced: 1937–1939
Number built: 269
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus, who is based in Sandomierz, Poland in English. Stratus does their own line of books also in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 104 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ½” page format.
It is the first book devoted to the Shark to cover all of its service with every operator, and features nearly 100 photographs including many never seen before, and detailed manufacturer images from the BAE Systems Heritage archive.
Written by naval aviation historian Matthew Willis, featuring 16 line-drawing scale plans in 1/72nd scale and 31 color profiles by Chris Sandham-Bailey, this title offers the most comprehensive historical and technical study of the Shark yet published.
Included in the black and white photos there are: 20 walk-around photos of Sharks being worked on in factories, 39 photos of the Shark on wheeled landing gear, 18 photos of the Shark on pontoons and 3 photos showing the Shark aboard carriers.
This is one neat book. Highly recommended. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample and also Roger Wallsgrove, Editor in Chief of MMP.
Casemate is the North American distributor of MMP books and all MMP titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Blackburn Shark torpedo/spotter/reconnaissance biplane was thoroughly overshadowed by its competitor, the Fairey Swordfish. In reality though, the Shark was more modern than the Swordfish and performed better, and had it not been bedeviled with engine trouble in its early service, might have gone on to great things.
As it was, the Shark contributed greatly to the Royal Navy’s preparation for war in the late 1930’s, and performed valuable service for the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Canadian Air Force during WW2.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Blackburn Aircraft
First flight: 24 August 1933
Introduction to service: 1934
Retired: 1945
Primary users: Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Portuguese Navy
Produced: 1937–1939
Number built: 269
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus, who is based in Sandomierz, Poland in English. Stratus does their own line of books also in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 104 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ½” page format.
It is the first book devoted to the Shark to cover all of its service with every operator, and features nearly 100 photographs including many never seen before, and detailed manufacturer images from the BAE Systems Heritage archive.
Written by naval aviation historian Matthew Willis, featuring 16 line-drawing scale plans in 1/72nd scale and 31 color profiles by Chris Sandham-Bailey, this title offers the most comprehensive historical and technical study of the Shark yet published.
Included in the black and white photos there are: 20 walk-around photos of Sharks being worked on in factories, 39 photos of the Shark on wheeled landing gear, 18 photos of the Shark on pontoons and 3 photos showing the Shark aboard carriers.
This is one neat book. Highly recommended. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample and also Roger Wallsgrove, Editor in Chief of MMP.
Casemate is the North American distributor of MMP books and all MMP titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at: