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Input requested regarding reference material.


ClareWentzel

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Here is our chance to get that special item of reference material that you have needed. I had a recent communication with Osprey Publishing. I had advised them of recent reviews of their products that we had published on this web site. Osprey were very appreciative of our handling of their products and asked for our input on future publications from them.

Here is their request;

 

Quote

So you’ve seen lots of our aircraft books, and New Vanguards too. Would you want a new Series, and if so, what direction should it take?

 

I see model/RC reviewers usually comment on wanting more detail. Osprey has always been about introducing people to a subject. However, if we did a Series with more detail, what detail would you want…lots of markings for various specific models of planes, tanks, and ships?

 

Or combat stories of the machines in a campaign…Whitman’s Tigers in Normandy, The Flying Tigers at Rangoon, etc.?

Or some combo of the two?

 

In other words, if you had your druthers, what would you like us to do next, and what would sell with the broadest appeal to both modellers and RC enthusiasts?

Unquote

 

From my standpoint, I love their "Aces" series because I love to make models of aces plus I love the history. I also have several other series of Osprey and am currently using their Iranian Tomcat book to finish an F-14 model.

 

Lets hear from the group here. What changes or new series or new directions do we want from Osprey? Let's discuss it here and I will pass the info to Osprey. Thanks.

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I think, like you, that my fascination with a particular aircraft increases when I read the history of the aircraft and the stories of the pilots that flew them. I am also a sucker for the unusual, so I love to see anything that shows odd/non standard markings on a particular aircraft.

 

Finally, I enjoy slice of life photos of any modeling subject (aircraft, armor, ships, etc) that might make an interesting vignette or diorama.

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I personally enjoy the books that dissect a battle and provide a lot of photos to go with it. The Duel in the Mist two-book series is one example.

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I agree with the history aspect. I want to see detailed descriptions of battles that people fought using equipment we model; complete with extensive maps and battlefield renderings, detailed pics of the vehicles and the people who used them.

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I want to see more Middle East War stuff! PICTURES.....not history. I have lots of info on the who, what, when, where and whys!!!!! The IDF is pretty well covered in photographs as of late. However, the Jordanians, Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, and Lebanese either could not afford cameras or they just didn't care enough to take photographs or they just haven't made it out of their countries yet.

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I like seeing history, with lots of photos. I find myself more interested in people and their careers as opposed to a single event; the more colorful individuals often have lots of interesting stories that can inspire models, collections, etc. Not just aces, but lots of interesting people like Howard Huges, Chalmers Goodlin, Pancho Barnes - you can find books about them but usually not aimed at the modeler (you're lucky to get a picture or two of the planes they flew/built/etc).

 

Not sure if Osprey has any interest in automotive subjects, but you could do the same things there: drivers who raced in many different kinds of cars (e.g. Mark Donohue) as well as car designers and team owners (e.g. Phil Remington).

 

Don

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I enjoy their modeling compendiums. I have most of the armor ones and one aircraft one (Harrier I & II). The one that I think missed the boat was Modelling the M113 Series. It was well done and very informative, but it covered non-US versions of the M113. That vehicle has been in continuous US use since its inception and through many evolutions as well.

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I'll agree with Mark on getting more pictures of the Middle Eastern wars through the years--I understand Israeli securtiy issues, but the stuff I'm mostly interested in is more than 30 years old by now.

 

I'll also put in a request for more on the Italian campaign in WWII. There are many histories written, especially of Sicily, Anzio, and Cassino, but very few pictures. And there is an absolute minimum of history and pictures covering the British and non-U.S. and UK Allies' end of the assault up the boot. Up 'til now, the best armor book has been Concord's "Panzers in Italy"...and it doesn't cover Allied vehicles.

 

While I'm on the subject, histories of the various Allied air units stationed in Italy would be cool, too--it wasn't just the 99th that slogged around Foggia. The 12th and 15th Air Forces has a good many assets in Italy, and they deserve more coverage than they've received. How do I know this? Try researching anything from the 739 BS, 454 BG at Cerignola...you get generalities at best.

 

Ralph

Edited by Ralph Nardone
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CAUTION - Imagineering in progress!

 

I'd like graphics-intensive, campaign-type treatments that list the respective orders of battle by unit & type, with unit-specific markings/profiles of the planes, ships & vehicles opposing each other as they would have appeared in that timeframe, all shown together in a given volume. This set-up should also place multiple famous people and weapons in the larger context of a given campaign, time and place, vs. focusing on the personalities, or the operational strengths of one platform vs. another (EX: Not 'Wildcat vs. Zero', or 'Aces of the SWPAC', but planes/ships/units of the Guadalcanal campaign.) This treatment should be especially effective for 20th century & later conflicts, focusing on the appearance & configuration of the respective hardware, vs operational performance, or personalities.

 

Maybe call it "BATTLE COLORS" and the series would describe the orders of battle, with various unit emblems & unit-specific profiles of the planes, ships and vehicles for:

 

WWI - Western Front

WWI - Colonial conflicts

WWII - The Aleutians (A lot of variety here, to include US, Japanese, Canadian; fighters, bombers, scouts, subs, PT boats, amphibs, big guns, Spec ops...etc.)

WWII - The Schweinfurt/Regensburg Raids (US/RAF bombers & escorts vs. the L/W units/fighters and AAA units?)

COLD WAR - NATO vs. Warsaw Pact; Berlin Airlift thru Reunification

COLD WAR - WESTPAC

COLD WAR - Strategic Nuclear Standoff

COLD WAR - at Sea

COLD WAR - Proxy Wars worldwide

Korean War - Air

Korean War - Land & Naval

Vietnam - The Iron Triangle

Vietnam - Tet, 1968

Vietnam - Linebacker I & II

Vietnam - That other war; a.k.a. "Western Vietnam"

Israel - Six Day War

Israel - Bekaa Valley, 1982

Falklands War

DESERT STORM

ALLIED FORCE

IRAQI FREEDOM, etc,

 

Some of these titles could obviously be broken down into more focused bits: Air/Land/Sea, Early/Late campaign, and so on.

Edited by VonL
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