Ian Allan "Wellington Special"
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This book was published in 1974 - ISBN 0 7110 0527 3 - I procured my copy
cheaply off EBay in August 2006. There is a wealth of such material on RAF
WWII bombers swimming around EBay but I would urge some caution to the model
maker as most material pre-2000 will definitely show its age. This book by
Alec Lumsden is 96 pages long. It consists of a little text and lots of
black and white photo's. We are lucky in that there are just a few shots of
interior features such
 as
the bomb bay. For example there is a lovely chapter on Wellington production
at the Vickers Armstrong Weybridge plant with a set of useful pictures of
the structure and fuel tanks for the super-detailer. There is even four
pages of colour drawings. To be fair this is little more than a boys 'coffee
table' book from the 1970's and there is little of substance. However, if
you can get it for £0.99GBP off EBay then why not? Otherwise don't bother.
Save up for something newer and more expensive. |
Warpaint Series nbr 10 "Vickers
Wellington"
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ISSN 1361-0369 By Alan W Hall, this early numbered Warpaint book appears to
be a later reprint as it seems to boast a higher quality gloss finish than
other examples I have seen. Your 40 pages boast full colour inside & outer
covers. These include both colour photos and colour profiles. There are 10
additional pages featuring f urther
colour photo's and profiles. The center section has a double page set of
plans although they state no scale. There is a, sadly, brief "In Detail"
section towards the rear that barely covers a page and a half. However it
features a few good interior shots but nothing special. The Final page has a
roundup of Squadrons and Units that operated this Vickers machine. The few
black and white photo's are not highly unusual and nothing you won't see in
the other books featured here. I would still recommend this book for
its colour content which seems quite unusual for books on this type. |
4+ Publication "Vickers-Armstrong Wellington"
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4+ Publication's "Vickers-Armstrongs Wellington - Medium Bomber variants
Mks.I, IA, IC, II, III, IV, B Mk.X, T Mk.X/T Mk.10, T Mk.XIX/T Mk.19". ISBN
80-902559-7-3. +4 Publications is based out of Prague and they published
this in 2003 some years before Trumpeter launched their 1/48th scale kit.
Now MPM have launched a new moulding in 1/72nd scale (2006). Did the book
inspire the model companies or vice versa? I don't know but since the advent
of these new kits THIS book has become THE definitive guide for the making
of models of this subject. The Warpaint book is good but this is better. It
is bigger, for one thing, with 68
 pages
not including the full colour front and rear covers. There is a section at
the back with full 1/72nd scale plans too. These are in a special folder so
you can completely remove them for study. A nice touch. The rest of the book
is largely photo's, many of them in colour including detailed colour
internal photo's from the preserved Wellington in London's Hendon Air
Museum. There are quite a few excellent diagrams and line drawings. However,
all of the artworks (of which there are many) are all in black and white for
some unfathomable reason. However, this is the only criticism. A must have
for the Modeller. Highly recommended. |
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Ian Allan "Wellington at
War"
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This book was published in 1982 as part of the classic Ian Allan "At
War" series. ISBN 1 85648 173 5 - I got my copy cheaply off of EBay in
August 2006 (my edition being a 1994 rebound copy with the "The
Halifax at War" by the "Promotional Reprint Company Ltd".) The book
was written by Chaz Bowyer and is 126 pages long. The reprint appears
to be on a cheaper non-glossy paper whereas I think the original was
of higher quality. I think this was reprinted very cheaply as a
Christmas
 Stocking
filler for the less discerning collector. Well - you get what you
deserve on EBay don't you? The book is standard Ian Allan fair of the
period. Lots of black and white photo's and light of text. A typical
'coffee table' format. There are a small number of photo's here that
will be of interest to the modeller but I cannot see myself bothering
to flick through this if there is something better on offer. There is
no scale plans, no colour pictures, no colour profiles, no line
drawings or engineering schematics. Very dated and not recommended. |
Crowood "Vickers-Armstrong Wellington"
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Ken Delve's "Vickers-Armstrongs Wellington" from the Crowood
Aviation Series. Published by Crowood Press Ltd in 1998 ISBN 1 86126
109 8. 192 pages hardback. Illustrated with large black & white
photo's throughout this book includes lengthy Appendices listing
Type Numbers, Production Data,
 Units,
losses and attacks upon U-Boats. Although modern and well
illustrated there is little here of enormous value for the modeller.
There is no colour whatsoever, not even on the rear dust jacket!
Even the front cover manages only a b&w photo and with a hint of
colour in Michael Turner's painting (which hardly excites the
senses). There are no scale plans and no colour profiles. Later
Crowood offerings (such as the book on the Pe-2) offer far more for
the modeller but these earlier works are little better than the Ian
Allan 'coffee-table' dross that got churned out during the 1980's.
The narrative is probably very worthy. One for the Wellington
completist only I think. Model makers should focus on the Warpaint
and 4+ Publications (left). Dull. |
Martin Bowman "Wellington The Geodetic Giant"
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ISBN 1 84037 006 8. Martin Bowman "Wellington the Geodetic Giant"
published by Airlife Books in 1989. This edition 1998. Picked up
cheaply from EBay in June 2007 there are plenty of copies of this
around. This copy was from Durham County Arts Library and sold for
£16.95. It was £3 on EBay. This imprint came from nine years after
original publication but there appears to have been no
updates. The title includes the word 'giant' which sounds a bit
optimistic for a twin engined light
 bomber!
For your money you get 168 pages of text and black and white
photo's. There is no colour other than the cover photo. There are no
scale plans, no artwork, no diagrams and only a couple of fuzzy
interior shots. Bowman wrote the book primarily for historical
purposes and covers the human story of the crews. Probably worthy
for that but of little use for the model maker. On the plus side
there are some nice ground shots of the Wellington being bombed-up
for those interested in diorama opportunities. Disappointing |
Squadron/Signal "Wellington In Action"
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ISBN 0 89747 183 0. By Ron Mackay with illustrations by Don Greer
and Joe Sewell. Published by Squadron/Signal in 1986. Purchased
second hand from EBay in July 2007. Fifty pages of text and black
and white photo's. Center spread has colour side view artworks by
Don Greer plus his colour work decorates both front and rear covers
as usual. If you are used to the "In Action" formula there will be
few surprises here for you. However the usual scrap view line
drawings, showing the airframe differences
between
the major marques, is always welcome to those of us looking for a
simple over-view for modelling purposes. The photo's are crisp and
clear. There are
 a good few shots of the Wellington under
construction and under repair in the field plus a few useful
pictures of the fuselage interior. Not in the same league as the 4+
Publication on this page but still worth adding to your collection
if you can find a copy. They are going for anything up to £16 GBP on
EBay at the moment due to scarcity. Recommended. |
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