Although designed and built for the US Navy, the F2A fought in only one major US engagement, the battle of Midway, in which F2A pilots managed to shoot down a number of Japanese fighters. Soon replaced by the navy, the F2A was exported to Britain, where it was nicknamed the 'Buffalo' thanks to its stubby appearance. The British sent most of these fighters to the Far East where they were used in the defence of Singapore and Malaya. It was in the Winter War, however, that the F2A truly found a home. Calling the plane simply the Brewster, the Finnish flew it against the invading Russians. Overall 37 Finns achieved ace status flying the Brewster, and it was the Finnish fighter of choice until succeeded by the Bf 109 in 1943.

* Includes a free decal sheet in 1:48 and 1:72 scales A monograph devoted to the history of the controversial WW2 fighter, Brewster Buffalo, covers its design and development, operational history and camouflage and markings. Discusses the particular versions, their field modifications and combat operations in the U.S., British, Dutch and Finnish service, illustrated with maps. Lists aces of the Finnish Air Force and paints used to paint Buffalo. Includes technical data. 102 pages, 107 photographs, 18 sheets of technical drawings in 1:24 and 1:48 scale with specification of external changes on production-run versions of the aircraft, 11 color charts with 18 examples of camouflage schemes. Free 1:48 and 1:72 decals for 4 schemes: Brewster F2A-1 (BuNo 1338), 3-F-18 of VF-3, 1940. Brewster Model 339 (B-3110), flown by Lt. August Deibel of 2-VLG-V, Kallang, 1941. Brewster Model 239 (BW-378), flown by Lt. P.E. Sovelius of 4./LeLv 24, Karelia, jesień 1941. Brewster Model 339E (W8138), flown by Sqn. Ldr. Noel Sharp of 488 Sqn RNZAF, Singapur, 1941. About the Series Monographs focuses on an individual type of aircraft. Each monograph contains descriptions of the aircraft's origin, its variants and combat history. Each volume includes several hundred archive photographs, technical scale drawings and color profile artwork. Each book also has free extras for modelers, with decals and masking foil.

This comprehensive monograph covers the entire history of Brewster's much maligned Buffalo fighter aircraft. The book starts out with the background of the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation and the events that led to the selection of the F2A as the Navy's first monoplane fighter. Following this, each variant of the aircraft is covered in detail including all three major variants purchased by the US. Navy as well as the versions purchased by Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Indivdual squadron histories are also included as they relate to the F2A. Many interviews are included with pilots who flew the Buffalo, some with glowing comments on its performance, while others cast a less than stellar light on the Brewster. It is up to the reader to draw his own conclusions as to where the F2A sits in the history of modern aerial warfare. It is interesting to note that the Brewster 239, as used by the Finnish Air Force during the 1939-1945 period achieved the highest kill ratio of any fighter plane of the war with an impressive 26-1 score. Finland produced many Aces with the Buffalo, including the all-time high scoring Buffalo Ace, Hans Wind with 39 aerial kills, and followed closely by Ilmari Juutilainen with 34. The book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 photos, many of which have never been published. This is the ultimate history of the Brewster Buffalo.

The first batch of the F2A-1 Buffalos picked by US Navy from the Brewster factory between May and December 1939 were powered by Wright 1820-34 Cyclone engine. Moreover they differed from the XF2A-1 prototype in enlarged canopies. F2A-1s were equipped with telescope sights. Antenna masts were moved from left to right side of upper fuselage in front of the cockpit. The landing light was relocated from the bottom left engine cowling to the left wing underside. Wing tips were shortened. Lower part of the leading edge of vertical stabilizer received a profile reaching further on, up to the back frame of the cockpit. The F2A-2 received a new engine: Wright R-1820-40, which extended the weight of the front part of the plane. To keep the centre of gravity unchanged, the nose part was shortened by 12 cm. Bigger engine demanded enlarging and redesigning the cowling. The Hamilton Standard propeller was replaced by Curtiss Electric model. The exhausts were moved from the lower part of engine masks to the wing level. The armament was unified and consisted of four .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns. There were also 50 kg bomb racks installed. The Model 339B ordered by Belgium had the catapult mountings removed, as well as arresting hook, radio and antennas. It was powered by Wright R-1820-G105 engine. The removal of the hook caused the necessity of modifying the tail cone. Its new shape lengthened the plane slightly. The F2A-3 - last serial version of Buffalo - had another modification in the nose area. It had the same engine as its predecessor and propeller without the nose-cap. Nose of the fighter was lengthened by 25 cm. It also received a new fuel tank which enlarged their overall capacity up to 1100 liters

The Brewster Buffalo was born as the Brewster F2A for the United States Navy. It was the first monoplane fighter to be introduced into USN service. At the end of the thirties, with war approaching, many European countries were seeking new equipment, particularly modern fighters, and the Brewster looked promising and when war was declared in September 1939, requirements were drastically accelerated and the UK was among the first to place an order. For the British, the Buffalo was not an obvious option as they were already producing two excellent fighters, the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire, that were far superior to the American design. The Brewster fighter was initially rejected by the British Purchase Commission for this reason. However, the Air Ministry soon realised that production of both Hurricanes and Spitfires would not be enough to meet the RAF's increasing demands and the acquisition of foreign fighters was therefore seriously considered. By the end of 1939, all American manufacturers were overloaded and delivery delays repeatedly extended. Large orders could only be placed with the manufacturers not yet overloaded. The Brewster Corporation was one such manufacturer. Therefore, the Brewster 339 was the only suitable option and appeared to be a good alternative that left Hurricanes or Spitfires to theatres where the RAF was already engaged, like the Far East. When Japan invaded Malaya and Burma in December 1941, the Buffalo was the backbone of the RAF fighter force in the Far East. They faced to very experienced Japanese fighter pilots who gave no chance to the young pilots freshly graduated from advanced training schools. The sacrifice of those young Commonwealth pilots, most coming from Australia and NZ would be in vain Burma and Singapore would be lost. About seventy photos and six colour profiles.

This WWII history recounts how RAF pilots, outgunned by superior Japanese aircraft, nevertheless flew and fought their way to victory. In 1940, the Royal Air Force Purchasing Commission acquired more than 100 Brewster B-339 Buffalo fighter planes from the US. But when the aircraft were deemed below par for service in the UK, the vast majority were diverted for use in the Far East, where it was believed they would be superior to any Japanese aircraft encountered should hostilities break out there. This assessment was to prove tragically mistaken. When war erupted in the Pacific, the Japanese Air Forces proved vastly superior in nearly all aspects. Compounding their advantage was the fact that many of the Japanese fighter pilots were veterans of the war against China. By contrast, most of the young British, New Zealand, and Australian pilots who flew the Buffalo on operations in Malaya and in Singapore were little more than trainees. Yet these fledgling fighter pilots achieved much greater success than could have been anticipated. Buffaloes Over Singapore tells their story in vivid detail, complete with previously unpublished source material and wartime photographs.

The ace pilots of the Republic of China Air Force have long been shrouded in mystery and obscurity, as their retreat to Taiwan in 1949 and blanket martial law made records of the RoCAF all but impossible to access. Now, for the first time, the colourful story of these aces can finally be told. Using the latest research based on released archival information and full-colour illustrations, this book charts the history of the top scoring pilots of the RoCAF from the beginning of the gruelling, eight-year Sino-Japanese War to the conclusion of the Civil War against the Chinese Communists. Beginning as a ragged and very disparate group of planes and pilots drawn from various provincial air forces, the RoCAF gradually became standardised and was brought under American tutelage. Altogether it produced 17 aces who scored kills whilst flying a startling variety of aircraft, from biplanes to F-86 Sabres.