The Battle of Midway: 4th to 7th June 1942 Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | September 2019 | Title | The Battle of Midway: 4th to 7th June 1942 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Patrick Branly, Libor Jekl, Steve A. Evans | Publisher | Valiant Wings Publishing |
| Published | 2019 | ISBN | 978-1-912932-05-4 |
| Format | 80 pages, softcover | MSRP (BP) | £11.95 |
Review
Commemorate the decisive U.S. victory that turned the tide of WWII against Imperial Japan with The Battle of Midway: 4th to 7th June 1942 – tenth in Valiant Wings’ lavishly illustrated “Airframe Extra” range.
Contents follow the publisher’s familiar format.
A pithy précis of the pivotal four-day clash kick-starts coverage. But that simply suggests the battle’s model-project possibilities: the book’s pretty pictures really confirm the stunning range of participating Midway aircraft.
And Valiant Wings provides plenty. These include period photos, nose-art close-ups, maps, and at least 25 color profiles by Richard J Caruana.
Seven specially commissioned kit builds also season the survey. Steve A Evans provides four:
- 1:48 Accurate Miniatures Vought SB2U Vindicator
- 1:48 Accurate Miniatures Grumman Avenger
- 1:48 Hasegawa Nakajima B5N “Kate” and
- 1:144 Sweet A6M2b Zero double kit
And Libor Jekl offers three:
- 1:72 Nakajima B5N2 Kate
- 1:72 Hasegawa Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
- 1:72 Airfix Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat
But illustrations largely skip the admittedly modest, but intriguing USAAF Midway forces: torpedo-packing B-26 Marauders and colorfully camouflaged B-17Es – the latter in vivid Hawaiian Air Depot warpaint. The profile of Capt William C Humberd’s Buffalo “MF-15” also does not depict an F2A-3 machine. And for reader enrichment, at least some sources should accompany Patrick Branly’s handy “history”.
Still, seeking topics for a “Midway” group build? This slim study affords excellent inspiration!
Recommended!
With thanks to Valiant Wings Publishing for this review copy.