Customer Reviews

Japanese Military Aircraft: The Air Force of the Japanese Imperial Navy; Carrier-Based Aircraft, 1922-1945, Vol. 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the second volume in this series it is mis-named. It only float planes and one flying boat that were carried on ships other than aircraft carriers.

My comments from my review of the first volume also apply here.

Also and this applies to both volumes, the lack of using the nicknames of the Japanese aircraft as used by the Allies during WW2 is a mystery. Even many Japanese publications use the common nicknames next to the model number.

In both volumes more space is given to the ships the aircraft served on than the aircraft themselves.

Bottom line, OK if you are just starting out or are searching for squadron markings but if you are looking for detailed info on aircraft you aren't going to find it here. These books are not about aircraft but more about the ships that carried the aircraft. No actual photos either of ships or aircraft in either volume.

In my opinion these books could have been named better. The issue seems to be a translation issue from the original Spanish. These books are very attractive and very informative but the titles are misleading. This book deals with non-aircraft carrier ships which would have carried planes such as seaplane carriers, cruisers, battleships, and submarines. Each ship is listed with a brief outline of its history and its specifications. Provided with the ship is a color plate of the aircraft it carried complete with unit markings. These books are great for a modeler or anyone with an interest in the appearance of Japanese aircraft. If you want detailed information on the planes themselves, this is not the book you want. This book has no technical specifications for the planes. It does however have a history of the units and the use of the planes. It is also not a book for photos or line drawings of the ships, it has none.

They do have some additional translation issues here and there but nothing which overly detracts from the book. I look forward to continuing the series as color plates for Japanese Aircraft are not easily found.

This publication is a must for any modeler of former IJN aircraft what ever the scale. The book describes the aircraft carried by ships other than aircraft carriers and includes all battleships, heavy and light cruisers along with converted seaplane carriers. It is excellent for detailing aircraft of specific ships at specific times. Each ship which carried aircraft has a detailed history and listing of what aircraft were carried and when. The only draw back is that there is little discussion of the colors of the aircraft. Because of this I reluctantly downgraded the stars. Others may disagree with my ranking. I recommend this highly to anyone with an interest in IJN aircraft and ships.