Guideline Publications Hawker Fury and Nimrod Warpaint No.116 - Guideline Publications

[Julien]

Hawker Fury and Nimrod Warpaint No.116

Guideline Publications

 

 

Developed from the Hawker F.20/27 prototype the Fighter Fury would use the same Rolls-Royce Kestrel as fitted to the light Bomber the Hart. It was initially called the Hornet and was purchased by the Air Ministry in 1930, the later production aircraft would be called the Fury as the Air Ministry wanted aircraft names which reflected ferocity!  Due to the depression only small numbers were ordered at first. The Fury was to be the first RAF Fighter to exceed 200mph in level flight. The aircraft was very agile with sensitive control which made it popular for the RAF Aerobatic teams of the day, indeed 19 teams would use it between 1931 & 1938. Interestingly a monoplane version of the Fury was designed. though not built it would form the basis of the prototype Hurricane.

 

 

In 1926 the Air Ministry issued a specification to replace the Fairey Flycatcher in Naval Service. Given the work with the Fury Hawkers designer Sidney Camm insisted the new design not be that different apart from any specialised Naval Equipment that was needed. Like the Fury was originally the Hornet, the Nimrod was originally the Sea Hornet.

 

 

The book looks at the development of both aircraft. The Fury in service with the RAF, and foreign Air Arms. The use of the Nimrod by the Navy, and again foreign Air Arms. The 56 pages include a lot of useful pictures with informative captions, as well as details of the squadrons that operated the types, technical details, lists of RAF & RN Squadrons with colour profiles of some. and a centre section with technical drawings.  

 

Conclusion

The Warpaint series always gets a thumbs-up due to their inability to produce a dud! They are always well written and informative with a wealth of picture and profiles. 

 

Very highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[bootneck]

Another great title to Guideline's Warpaint series inventory and very topical for any WW1     builds being planned this year.

 

Mike

[Dave Fleming]

WW1?

[bootneck]

Apologies, I saw a bi-plane and thought incorrectly it was a WW1 machine.

Ah Well, back to building ship models! 

[Vulcanicity]

I feel like the RNAS and RFC would have swept the field with the Nimrod and Fury in 1918 - The Fury II had a cool 103 mph advantage over the Fokker DVII. Now there's a what-if Dogfight Double!

[stevehnz]

This looks like one to save up for. 

Steve.

[Mr T]

I received this book for Christmas, but have only recently read it. It is well produced and photos are well produced. I do have a problem with the text. In places there is repetition, especially around the aircrafts development. The photo of the Fury cockpit is also in error in that it is of a replica and the instrument panel is  not representative of the original. Still worth having. 

[Patrik]

Received the book in about the same time as Mr T, read it last week.

Excellent photo collection, gorgeous color profiles, scale drawings and usual exhaustive Warpaint list of Fury/Nimrod modelling stuff. But I am not happy with the book. As written above, the text is often chaotic and repetitive, especially in the section on specifications, prototypes and development. It is really hard to keep track because the narrative jumps back and forth along the timeline without clear purpose. Gives and impression of Copy+Paste job from several original sources without taking too much care about coherence. Furthermore the part regarding Nimrod on pages 46-56 seems - especially compared to the previous 45 pages on Fury - rather shoddy to me.

Another criticism goes to the distribution of the photos, which often does not follow the text. Typical example is that the photos of the Nimrod start on page 38, so long before the actual text on the same, and stop on page 46 (?), only to be replaced by haphazard collection of Fury photographs till the end of the book.

So is the book worth buying? Of course it is, if for the photos and color profiles only, but I suggest it should be better labelled "For experienced readers".

Patrik