Polish WIngs 10 - MiG-23 Book Review by Mark Davies

Polish Wings 10

Mig-23MF & MiG-23UB

S u m m a r y :
Catalogue Number:	Polish Wings #10, ISBN 978-83-61421-05-4
Scale:	N/a
Contents & Media	A4 portrait format, glossy soft-cover with 80 semi-matt finish pages. Over 250 colour photos and artwork.
Price:	Available on-line from MMP Books for £12.99 (UK) or £15.00 (Europe), Hannants for £12.99 and Casemate Publishing for US$25.00
Review Type:	First Look
Advantages:	Good quality of finish plus well researched and laid out.
Disadvantages:	None apparent
Conclusions:	Intended for a specific readership interested in Polish MiG-23 airframe histories and markings.

Reviewed by Mark Davies

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FirstRead

Background

The Mig-23 was developed in the 1960’s as an improvement on the MiG-21 in terms of range/payload capability whilst shortening take-off and landing distances. These capability improvements largely resulted form the adoption of a swing-wing design. A dedicated ground attack variant was produced as the MiG-27. Both the MiG-23 and 27were used in large numbers by the Soviet Union, as well as being adopted by many Warsaw Pact states and Third World client states.

The Polish Airforce turned down the opportunity of acquiring early examples of the MiG-23 MS, but accepted later and improved MF version and UB trainers. These entered service in 1979 and replaced Lim-5’s (licence-built MiG-17’s) and MiG-21’s. By the early 1990’s maintenance problems were significant, and all MiG-23’s had been withdrawn from service by 1999.

The Book

This is the first example of the Polish Wings series by Stratus I have seen, and it is obviously part of a series on Polish aircraft from all periods. My first impressions are of a quality finish to the soft-cover A4 portrait format booklet.

Thumbnail panels:

The content is focused on the MiG-23’s service career with the Polish Air Force, and list each aircraft’s history and final fate. This aspect of the book appears very well researched and frequently mentions individual pilots in conjunction with descriptions of training missions and accidents. The English text is easy to read and flows well, and does not suffer at all from presumably having been translated from Polish at some stage.

The booklet is resplendent with 254 images consisting of good colour photos and numerous colour scheme profiles and plans, all of which are clearly captioned. Changes in colours and markings during the career of the aircraft are described in detail. There is also a section dealing with camouflage and unit badges at the end of the booklet.

The book is very specific in its subject matter, and does not dwell on technical capabilities the aircraft or its performance. It is intended for those who want airframe histories and a good guide to colours and markings. As such it is ideal for the modeller who wants to produce an accurate finish on a Polish MiG-23.

One slightly confusing aspect of the booklet is the appearance on page 2 of a picture a 1/48 scale Techmod decal sheet for the MiG-23. At first I thought perhaps this sheet accompanied the booklet, but as I could find none I concluded this page was intended to promote the decals.

Conclusion

This high quality booklet succeeds in providing the historian and modeller with Polish MiG-23 airframe histories and a comprehensive guide to the painting and markings schemes they wore. Recommended to those who have this specific focus.

Thanks to Mushroom Model Publications for this review example.

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