Those of you 'down-under' may recognize fairly quickly the Ventura label. They are a small company based in New Zealand who are skilled in many areas of our hobby. They have produced their own injection moulded kits, still make some very interesting decal sheets and are experienced in the research and production of great reference books. Malcolm Laird with assistance from Judy Laird of Ventura publications have provided this excellent reference for modelers interested in the three great twin engined planes of the Pacific War; the P-38 Lightning, the B-25 Mitchell and the PV-1 Ventura.

The focus of the first part of the volume is the 5th Airforce’s battle against the Japanese stronghold of Rabul, in particular the raid on ‘Bloody Tuesday’ on 2nd Nov 1943. The remainder of the volume predominantly focuses on the PV-1 Ventura, in particular the variants heroically and aggressively flown by the RNZAF. There is some information on RAAF Ventura’s at the end of the book along with some very useful modeling and reference information in the appendices.

I was really impressed by the thoughtful presentation of the strategic and operational contexts of the raids on 2nd Nov 1943 called Bloody Tuesday. It was thoroughly interesting reading the accounts of combat actions but really informative for this tactical information to be framed within the context of the wider picture of the allied operations in the Pacific Theatre. There are a number of great photos taken on the raids and detail shots of aircraft on the ground. There are also a few excellent maps to help visually convey valuable and detailed information. What surprised me though was the amazing nose art of the American B-25’s and some of the P38’s from those units stationed in Papua New Guniea. Nose art images are captured in the photos but also in a number of colour profiles interspersed throughout the book.

Ventura took care in thoughtfully laying out the profiles sections. The nose art appears on a complete port view profile of the plane but also as separate enlarged image. This is sure to be perfect for use when creating your own decals or if you’re so inclined, for detailed hand painted nose art. There are profiles of the majority of Pacific Twins, being the B25, the P-38 and the Ventura are also accompanied by photos of the subject...perfect for knowing the degree to which the plane in the profile was weathered.

The second part of the text focuses on Pacific Ventura’s. Most of the chapter focuses on the PV-1 Ventura but there is also some information on the PV-2. Of some interest might be that the son of a man that flew these in the Pacific is one of our LSP members. His Dad is actually an author of a Squadron Signal book on this make of aircraft. Naturally being based in New Zealand, Ventura have focused on the RNZAF Ventura’s. There are a number of good sections on the use and operational deployment of Ventura’s in RNZAF with plenty of great black and white photographs and a superb collection of cartoonish fuselage art. Many of the Ventura’s used by the RNZAF had fuselage art focused around well known Disney characters which were applied by Lockheeds Vega factory workers and embellished by the New Zealand units.

The book finishes with a couple of appendices which contain useful information on Ventura servicing units and another on the various paints used on them. Both sections though brief provide key elements of information to those looking to do further research or those with a serious case of AMS.

Many thanks to Malcom Laird for the review sample and my sincere apologies for not getting my finger out and getting this review done sooner. Ventura products are available from a variety of sources. You can go directly through their own website ( http://www.thescale.info/news/publish/index.shtml) or if postage is an issue seek to obtain them via any of our LSP sponsors. In Australia they are also available through Platypus Publications ( http://apma.org.au/platypus.html).

Whilst the P38 is probably the main focus of LSP attention, the potential for manufacturers to be moulding other twins looms potentially on the horizon. Irrespective of what you are inclined to build this reference book would be an interesting read and a very handy reference book.

Highly recommended