Book Review of
Fairey Flycatcher
Scale Plans No. 70, 1/72, 1/48 & 1/32
MMP Books
ISBN: 978-83-66549-40-1
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
ISBN: 978-83-66549-40-1
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British single-seat biplane carrier-borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation Company which served from 1923 to 1934. It was produced with a conventional undercarriage for carrier use, although this could be exchanged for floats for catapult use aboard capital ships.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Fairey
First flight: 28 November 1922
Introduction to service: 1923
Retired: 1934
Primary user: Fleet Air Arm
Produced: 1923–1926
Number built: 196
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the U.K. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus Books that is based in Poland. This book is in English. Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of 3 Fairey Flycatchers flying in formation. The photo is against a black background that has a yellow 3-view line-drawing of a Soviet Yak-3 fighter on it that is wrapped around the spine of the book with half the line drawings on the back cover,.
The book contains 6 fold-out line drawings on sheets that are in 7 ¾” x 15 ½” page format.
The first sheet is in 1/72nd scale on both sides.
The face side shows a line-drawing of the Flycatcher Mk.1c. First as a side-view showing the locations of its bulkheads inside its fuselage and illustrations of their shapes. Next are 3 side-views that show different exhaust pipe arrangements. Followed by a 5-view and an illustration of Fairey’s winged logo.
The reverse side of the sheet shows a Flycatcher on floats as a 5-view.
The second sheet is in 1/48th scale on both sides.
It also has a side-view line drawing of the fuselage showing bulkhead locations and their shapes. Fjollowed by a side-view line drawing of a Flycatcher with a Jaguar IV engine, 2 side-views of different exhausts used and a side view showing catapult spools mounted on its bottom. The Fairey logo is shown again.
The reverse side shows a 4-view line-drawing of the Flycatcher in 1/48th scale and the logo again.,
The third sheet shows line-drawings of the Flycatcher in 1/48th scale again. It shows the aircraft on pontoons as a 5-view.
The reverse side shows a 1/48th scale side view line-drawing that shows the bulkhead locations again and a side view with the Jaguar IV engine.
The 4th sheet is all in 1/32nd scale. The face side shows 3 side views with the different exhaust arrangements again, a drawing of the machine gun and a repeat of the Fairy logo.
The reverse side shows a top view of the Flycatcher Mk.1c with the Jaguar IV engine.
The 5th sheet is in overall 1/32nd scale and shows the Flycatcher Mk. 1c bottom view.
The reverse side shows a front and rear view of it on wheels.
The 6th sheet also is in overall 1/32nd scale.
The face-side shows a side and front view line-drawing of the Flycatcher floatplane on pontoons.
The reverse side shows another front and side view line-drawing that has the Flycatchers' wheels lowered with the pontoons.
This is a neat book of line drawings of the Flycatcher. It will be of interest to modelers planning on building a Flycatcher and to aviation historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British single-seat biplane carrier-borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation Company which served from 1923 to 1934. It was produced with a conventional undercarriage for carrier use, although this could be exchanged for floats for catapult use aboard capital ships.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Fairey
First flight: 28 November 1922
Introduction to service: 1923
Retired: 1934
Primary user: Fleet Air Arm
Produced: 1923–1926
Number built: 196
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the U.K. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus Books that is based in Poland. This book is in English. Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of 3 Fairey Flycatchers flying in formation. The photo is against a black background that has a yellow 3-view line-drawing of a Soviet Yak-3 fighter on it that is wrapped around the spine of the book with half the line drawings on the back cover,.
The book contains 6 fold-out line drawings on sheets that are in 7 ¾” x 15 ½” page format.
The first sheet is in 1/72nd scale on both sides.
The face side shows a line-drawing of the Flycatcher Mk.1c. First as a side-view showing the locations of its bulkheads inside its fuselage and illustrations of their shapes. Next are 3 side-views that show different exhaust pipe arrangements. Followed by a 5-view and an illustration of Fairey’s winged logo.
The reverse side of the sheet shows a Flycatcher on floats as a 5-view.
The second sheet is in 1/48th scale on both sides.
It also has a side-view line drawing of the fuselage showing bulkhead locations and their shapes. Fjollowed by a side-view line drawing of a Flycatcher with a Jaguar IV engine, 2 side-views of different exhausts used and a side view showing catapult spools mounted on its bottom. The Fairey logo is shown again.
The reverse side shows a 4-view line-drawing of the Flycatcher in 1/48th scale and the logo again.,
The third sheet shows line-drawings of the Flycatcher in 1/48th scale again. It shows the aircraft on pontoons as a 5-view.
The reverse side shows a 1/48th scale side view line-drawing that shows the bulkhead locations again and a side view with the Jaguar IV engine.
The 4th sheet is all in 1/32nd scale. The face side shows 3 side views with the different exhaust arrangements again, a drawing of the machine gun and a repeat of the Fairy logo.
The reverse side shows a top view of the Flycatcher Mk.1c with the Jaguar IV engine.
The 5th sheet is in overall 1/32nd scale and shows the Flycatcher Mk. 1c bottom view.
The reverse side shows a front and rear view of it on wheels.
The 6th sheet also is in overall 1/32nd scale.
The face-side shows a side and front view line-drawing of the Flycatcher floatplane on pontoons.
The reverse side shows another front and side view line-drawing that has the Flycatchers' wheels lowered with the pontoons.
This is a neat book of line drawings of the Flycatcher. It will be of interest to modelers planning on building a Flycatcher and to aviation historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.