If you’re only going to buy one Shackleton book, this is the one I’d recommend.

Scale Aviation Modeller International, December 2019 - reviewed by MJC

This offering as part of the Flight Craft series looking at the AVRO Shackleton is the best one I have looked at as yet from a modeller’s viewpoint. The high point for me is that the photographs and text have been well considered and have a very pleasing ratio present, I also like that the photographs are of a good size. The modelling section is especially good due to reading more as a review than a look at what is available; the information on the work needed on the early Shackleton models from Revell that is the early Frog offering. If there is a Shackleton in your future this book is a worthy contender as a reference offering.

Read the full review here

Armorama

Featured in

Catalina Society

As featured by

Aerdia-Aviapress

Carefully researched, with a section for the modelling enthusiast.

The Shackleton Association

As featured in

Modelbouw Magazine, November/December 2016

The Avro Shackleton, also known in the RAF as ‘40,000 rivets flying in close formation’ was very much a product of WWII that just took a long time to arrive. The authors have managed to do full justice to both the history of this important aircraft and to the scale model kits that have been produced to immortalise it. Recommended to all enthusiasts of aviation matters and to all model makers.

Firetrench

... their text does pretty well in documenting the type's development history, the differences between the marks and 'Phase' modification standards, camouflage and markings carried, squadron allocations, bases and dates. There are 16 pages of colour profiles, very well done with good colour balance. Photo coverage is, as promised, quite extensive, and includes a shot of MR2 WG557 with Royal Navy titling.

Aeroplane Monthly, August 2016

The latest addition to Pen and Sword's Flightcraft series is No 9 and in 96 pages covers the famous Avro Shackleton. The book opens with the explanation of the Defined Purpose of Coastal Command needing a new maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the mid-1950's. After the end of WW2, the long-range lend-lease aircraft the RAF had been using, the Liberators and Catalinas, needed to be returned to the USA. A temporary solution was the use of Lancaster B.3 airframes that remained from wartime stocks along with remaining Sunderlands but they were not the ideal solution and a new aircraft was needed. The growth of Soviet Naval forces and the Cold War threatened British Maritime interests, and generated a fear similar to that of the German U-boats during WW2...

... The final couple of pages carry a set of useful colour photos of the interior details of the cockpit instrument panels, ideal for the modeller. Not mentioned in the book are the very new Eduard sets for the detailed cockpit instrument panels, and instrumentation for the detail in the fuselage work stations which are included in the new Airfix kit and will look even better with the pre-coloured panels in these new accessory sets.

Military Modelling - Robin Buckland

In the preface to this excellent volume the authors start by saying that the object of it '....is to offer as much visual coverage of the Avro Shackleton as possible within the confines of just 96 pages...', and I can immediately and unqualifiedly confirm that they have succeeded admirably in this task. Any modellers requiring a single-volume reference to enable them to construct a near-perfect replica of the aircraft need look no further than this book.

Very highly recommended.

International Plastic Modellers Society Magazine (IPMS)