I’ve always loved the
looks of the I.A.R.80 since the LTD model came out.
There is something about the look of the airplane that makes it
look like the Hughes racer. It
is sleek and sexy and relatively unknown in the western world.
Prior to this book there
have been very few references available on the I.A.R.80.
There was a book published in Rumanian, and later French,
I.A.R.80-The History of an Unknown Fighter, that is very good.
I have a copy and the photos make it worth the price of admission,
however, I can’t read it. This
book by noted Rumanian aviation historian, Radu Brinzan fixes that.
This soft bound book
contains 128 pages of high quality paper.
The photos are mostly black and white with a two page color
section. The photos are high
quality and will prove very helpful to the modeler.
There are 57 high quality side profiles which covers the evolution
of camouflage and unit markings. There
are drawings for four view drawings for nearly every configuration along
with cross section views. Everything
a model manufacturer and modeler could possibly want.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
The prototype took to the
air in April 1939 and by the time hostilities broke out in Europe the
I.A.R.80 was going into production. There
were so many changes during the construction that without this book it is
difficult to determine the version. The
whole production run is covered and the chapters are broken down as the
aircraft changes. This makes
it easy to find out what version you’re looking at with the serial
number. It is interesting to
see the camouflage changes along with the change of the national markings.
Following the version
chapters comes a chapter that summarizes the evolution.
Then comes the really important chapters for the modeler.
Each section of the aircraft is broken down in drawings and photos.
The level of detail contained here is phenomenal.
The differences between the instrument panels are just indicative
of the research. Even the
smallest detail does not go unnoticed, such as the difference in
headrests. This section alone makes this book worth the purchase price.
Painting and camouflage
are contained in a chapter including the effects of weathering.
The different schemes show the development of camouflage from the
three tone, to the single color and the post war Russian colors. The evolution of the markings again shows the level of detail
that the author puts into all his work.
Finally the theater markings and stencils are covered.
What more could a modeler or manufacturer need to make one of these
beautiful airplanes?
Without a
doubt, this is THE English language book for the I.A.R.80/81.
If you are only going to buy one book on the I.A.R.80/81 then this
is that book. I can’t tell
you how much information is crammed into here.
My hat is off to Radu for authoring such a definitive publication. It is written with the modeler in mind and in that it
succeeds perfectly. Perfect
drawings, excellent side profiles, and awesome detail photos there is
nothing else you need. This
is a one stop shop.
Highly
recommended
Thank to SAM
Publications for the review copy. You
can obtain your copy by contacting them at their website:
http://www.sampublications.com/sampubs.htm
.
Please let
them know you read about it here.
Floyd
S. Werner, Jr. IPMS #26266
|