Within these 160 pages of mostly full color images, is contained the second part of the treatise on the Gladiator. This time, it covers all the survivors and a very detailed look at the various bits and pieces of the aircraft. We are somewhat fortunate that there are at least a half dozen extant airframes in some state or another with some of these quite complete and two of them in flying condition in the UK.

It is quite rare for what is essentially a pre-war military aircraft to be on the war bird roster, but there you have it. One has been flying pretty much constantly since it was built while the second, which one was a spares supply, has been brought up to full flying status.

The book starts out with a look at the extant air frames and then goes into a rather detailed look at pilots notes and aircraft maintenance. Basically, your specs section. This is followed by several pages of superb drawings of all the different Gladiator variations.

Then we get into the meat of the book and that is the very detailed look at all of the various parts of the aircraft. These are taken from not only extant airframes, but also from period photos and illustrations from various manuals. At the end of this long section, we have a new and interesting addition. This is a set of large drawings of the bare airframe in 3D. The folks at MMP have included a set of 3D glasses and I have to say that the experience is pretty neat.

This is followed by huge color profiles and three views that provide one image per page, making the color renditions in what has to be 1/48 if not near 1/32 scale. These provide an unprecedented look at some of the more interesting schemes carried by the Gladiator.

It all makes for the perfect companion to volume 1 and is a must for any RAF or Gladiator enthusiast.

September 2011