F2A Buffalo in Action - Aircraft No. 81 [Paperback]

Jim Maas (Author), Don Greer (Colorist), Perry Manley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1987

Flown by five different nations, the portly Brewster Buffalo was designed as a carrier borne fighter, but was to see combat only from land bases. As a US Naval fighter it was too-little-too-late, but in the hands of Finnish Air Force pilots on the Eastern front it achieved a higher kill ratio than more modern and higher performance fighters. Over 100 photos, 40 detail drawings, 3 pages of scale drawings, 13 full color paintings. 50 pgs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 50 pages
• Publisher: Squadron/Signal Publications; 1st edition (1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897471962
• ISBN-13: 978-0897471961
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maintaining the status quo..., April 8, 2002

By 

John Dynan (Highett, Vic Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: F2A Buffalo in Action - Aircraft No. 81 (Paperback)

The Squadron/Signal series has always been good value for money and this one is no exception. The Brewster Buffalo was deservedly much-maligned due to indifferent performance, stability issues and manufacturing defects, making it dog meat for any Zero pilot. It was, however, an important factor in the early battles of WWII. The book gives little indication of the general feeling of allied pilots towards the F2A; only the Finns were able to make it work at all and much is made of that, which gives the reader cause to ask why. Otherwise, this little book covers the brief history of the aircraft quite well. The illustrations have always been a strong suit of this series and this one is among their best. Good value for money is the key here.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic work on the Brewster Buffalo, September 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: F2A Buffalo in Action - Aircraft No. 81 (Paperback)

This is one of the best works produced in the series of "in action" books produced by Squadron./signal publications. The Brewster Buffalo aircraft has had a bad press, due to its perceived contribution to the Fall of Singapore in 1942 and its failure at the battle of Midway, and this work goes some way in correcting this view.
This work covers all of the operators (US Navy, USAAF, Finland, Belgium, RAF, RAAF, Royal Navy and Dutch East Indies) as well as captured aircraft flown in Japan and Germany, and the development of the Buffalo.

This book is good value, highly informative and is the best book on this aircraft so far produced. I recomend it highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brewster Buffalo, February 13, 2010

By 

cpt matt (tanktown, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: F2A Buffalo in Action - Aircraft No. 81 (Paperback)

Americans love an underdog, which is why there is a lot of interest in this pre-WW2 designed fighter plane. The front cover shows a Buffalo shooting down a Zero, which makes you wonder if this is going to be a comedic book.

Actually the Buffalo did shoot down a Zero or two. The Finnish used it with some degree of success against the Russians in WW2. Of interest, it used the exact same engine as the Grumman Wildcat F4 and had pretty much the same dimensions and weight. This is not to say it was a good fighter. It was outdated by 1941, only about 500 were made and they are most famous for how quickly they got shot down in the Battle of Midway.

This In Action book is very well done, the publishers have not tinkered with their successful formula of 48 pages, great line drawings, B&W photos with helpful captions and 2 pages of color plates to show the paint scheme used. I absolutely recommend this for modelers, anyone who wants to know a bit more about pre WW2 fighter design, Naval Aircraft, early stages of the Pacific war.