Matt Odum reviews Valiant Wings' new profile of the Commonwealth Aircraft Company Boomerang.

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Thanks!

Great review Matt, thanks for putting it together for us.

I have 5 different 1/48 Boomerang kits in the stash, and a dream to build them all at the same time and do a comprehensive build log here on Aeroscale. Hmmmmm, one day, maybe.

I will certainly be investing in this book before I launch into the styrene and resin and white metal jungle !

Cheers, D

UPDATE - For anyone interested, the build article for the Montex kit is now available as a free download on their website.

http://www.valiant-wings.co.uk/ekmps/shops/valiantwings/resources/Other/aa3-downloadablecontent-v1.0.pdf

Thanks for the link Matt, the thirty-tooth scale kit has been on my wish list for ages now and it is great to see that Alley Cat have taken up where Montex stopped.

Cheers, D

Thanks Reg - I own a copy of the Montex kit, and I think I'll pick up one of the Alley Cat examples, I need to build one in foliage green and a second one in green and brown over sky....that's right - NEED. Or so I'll tell the wife.

Mr Scrodes - I know it is a while since you published your review but I have just seen it and it's completely at odds with what the book is actually worth. The photos are very good but the text makes it one of the worst reference books I have ever seen.
I have only recently obtained a copy of this Valiant Wings publication and feel that it is necessary to jump in here and provide a few personal comments on the quality of this publication. At first glance it offers great promise from the detail provided in the various photographs, including reproductions from the original Boomerang Overhaul and Repair Manual, wartime photos of Boomerangs during active service and current detail photos of various CAC Boomerang restorations. However this is where my support for this publication ends. It's not just a matter of a few typos (one example of this is reference to the town of Gove in the Northern Territory as Grove) but many of the stated facts or information provided is purely incorrect or fictional. There is hardly a page in this publication that escapes this affliction in some form or another. Critical review by a well esteemed Boomerang restorer located in southern Australia was offered prior to printing, but this had been refused by the author on the grounds that he didn't have time to wait an extra week or two. The unfortunate result now is a printed document (i.e. this book entitled The CAC Boomerang by Richard Franks) which has been distributed worldwide loaded with errors and incorrect statements regarding the CAC Boomerang. Regardless of whether or not corrections are published on some website somewhere, it is too late now... the hard copies are out there. The horse has bolted. If you really do feel the need to buy one of these books, do so for the picture reference only without relying on the captions or text.

Hi John,

Would you like to submit a contrasting review? We're completely open to differing points of view, and as long as you can substantiate your criticisms, we'll be happy to publish them.

By the way, welcome to Aeroscale. Hope you enjoy it here