Contents

Kagero's book, written by Tom Zmuda and Leszek Wieliczko is printed in 24 x 16.7 cm pamphlet format with 44 pages containing 70 B&W and 102 colour photos in a highly detailed walkaround of several preserved airframes.

The photos aren't subdivided but, nevertheless, are grouped into the following basic series:

Propeller, exhausts and Wright R-2600 engine.
Cockpit - including vintage photos from the National Archives for maximum authenticity.
Gun turret and rear crew areas.
Wings and wing-fold details.
Undercarriage and wheel-wells.
Tail wheel and arrestor gear.
Bomb bay and rear fuselage interior.
Tail assembly.

Each section is treated to several pages - an average of 20 photos - to give modellers all the detail they could ask for. The photos are printed in high quality and at size which allows plenty of detail without cluttering up the workbench.

Colour Section & decals.

Rounding everything off is a pair of excellent colour profiles:
TBM-3 of VC -83, USS Sargent Bay, 1945 in Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue and White.
TBM-3 of VC-9, USS Nato Mabay, 1945 in Glossy Sea Blue overall.

To accompany the profiles, Kagero have included a small decal sheet with white numbers and tail markings in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scales. The decals are printed by Techmod and, as usual, look excellent quality - thin & glossy with minimal carrier film.

Conclusion

Kagero's book is well timed to follow the release of Trumpeter's 1/32 scale Avenger and the re-release of Accurate Miniatures' 1'48 scale classic. The combination of great reference photos and a neat set of alternative markings puts TopShots #2 into the "must have" category for Avenger modellers. Thoroughly recommended.

Thank you to Kagero Books for kindly supplying the review sample.

Kagero Books are distributed in the US by MMD-Squadron.

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