Avonmore Books | Pacific Profiles: Volume Eighteen
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Avonmore Books
Author: Kevin Gogler
Publishing Date: 2025
ISBN: 978-0-9756423-8-2 (Softcover)
Pages: 120
Now that I have a growing familiarity with the series, they're very well presented, all printed on nice quality gloss stock, with quite a few very nice illustrations of chosen and representative subjects, along with several black & white and occasional color photos as well. Following a format that's already a proven success, this volume just adds to the overall wealth of data that proceeded it in the previous 17 volumes.
This particular book (Volume Eighteen in the series), depicts a couple of the more rather well known Allied Pacific combatants, specifically the Bristol Beaufort and Bristol Beaufighter, and it’s chock full of representative material, with a balanced look at both types, the rather interesting Beaufort and what I personally believe to be one of the ugliest British designs of WWII, the ghastly Beaufighter; plenty of ground shots, variations in painting schemes, as well as showing the incredible wear on the finishes of these Pacific birds, as well as (naturally enough) plenty of color profile drawings.
Just two of the "usual suspects" are included, being stalwart subjects amongst modelers, and workhorses in several theaters of the war, are well represented here and I'm particularly pleased with the real "at work" type of photos presented, both black & white, as well as a spattering of color shots, again, many of which capture the spirit of the surface battering that these aircraft were subject to, along with interesting text, tables and anecdotes.
Large scale modelers are again somewhat limited in this area, there being only one option at this time (that I am aware of), the quite dated Revell Beaufighter, but no Beaufort.
This work, being dedicated once again to the South Pacific (1942-1945 time-frame) arena, offers up some worthwhile coverage of quite a few allied aircraft in that theater, a great wealth of information to add for those that seek information regarding these types of aircraft working from those environments.
By now I've learned to truly respect this author, as his research and attention to details and dates, is truly worthwhile.
Typical Photo/Illustration Quality to be Found Throughout
To me, the high point of this volume, is the overall appeal of the subject matter, combined with numerous interesting facts about the campaigns in the Pacific, all packaged in a smooth, attractive presentation.
I'll have to say that, to me, this book is very good value, given the overall intensity of the content.
Even if you have just a passing interest in the pacific air war, you can’t go wrong with the purchase of this book and you may just become a fan, as I most certainly am (and have been for quite some time).
(Not a selling point, as such, but the cover has a nice tactile "feel" to it, reflecting, in my opinion, a dedication to overall quality of presentation that I very much approve of.)
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this book as a solid 10, no question about it.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Many thanks to Casemate, it's truly an outstanding reference book for the Pacific theater of war in general, really top-notch stuff.
© Kevin Williams 2026
This review was published on Thursday, June 25 2026; Last modified on Sunday, June 28 2026