Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

Why don't you ask them? Their website includes a readers' forum, after all: https://ospreypublishing.com/forum/

Do let us know how you get on.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

Nick, I think only Osprey members can post on the forum.

I think the Battle Orders example is really poor as it was a series that catered for more specific readers.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

No. It is like ordering a half-litre cola and receiving a quarter-litre cola.

You also missed my point. I did not suggest deleting illustrations to make room for more text, I suggested that blank areas by eliminated for more text. Poles apart. In fact, in e.g. Duel volume on Jap. vs. U.S. cruisers there are numerous examples in which by eliminating the blanks on the page the photo could in larger by 50 %, thus providing more visible detail.

I have never said that I oppose extensive illustrations per se. But I oppose meaningless illustrations. E.g. in the Weapon volume on the M16, one entire spread is wasted on a comic book style colour art that serves nobody's needs, not a modeller's, not a wargamer's, not an enthusiast's. Not anyone's over 12 years. The same space could have been used to illustrate the gun's gas system in detail.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

I have also been following this discussion with some interest, mainly because I consider myself a "fanboy" of the Osprey stuff, but also because I find it mildly amusing what arguments are coming up to aim some flak at Osprey...

first of all, noone I have ever talked to or discussed about Ospreys has put the words "definitive" or "ultimate" in their mouths when describing a new Osprey tome.
for the money they cost, I consider most of them great value though! of course the authors play a big role in how good the average Aces, Combat Aircraft, Duel or whatever turn out, but guys like Chris Goss, Mark Lardas, Mark Stille, Andrew Thomas or Robert Forsyth (just to name a few and I have surely forgotten some others) know their stuff, and their volumes can be seen as great introduction, if not much more, to the topics they cover;
as someone here came up with a culinary comparison, let me bring another one...this whole complaining thing here is like going to McDonals, ordering some fries and a BigMac and then complain about the Burger not having 5 different salads, 4 different sauces, only one kind of cheese and not that great tasting bread, and all this for 4 Euros quid...
if you want a bigger better Burger with more taste, more stuff inside, more beef, more sauces etc. GO AND MAKE IT YOURSELF...
for our discussion here...if you want a book for ten Euros quid that contain hundreds of drawings, hundreds of pictures, thousand and thousands of words, new eye witness accounts never published before etc. GO TO ARCHIVES, FIND THE STUFF AND F$%%ing WRITE THAT BOOK YOURSELF...and do not forget to publish it for maybe a max of 20 Euros, because thats the max price I have ever seen asked for the typical Osprey book...

just to put some beef into my argument...I have just finished reading the IJN BB vs USN BB Duel... if you want some serious books about this topic (or if you want further reading), go and get Morrisons USN history for starters, add "Neptunes Inferno", some Friedman and Polmar books about Naval gunnery and BB development, add some books about the Philippines sea battles and also find some illustrator willing to draw you some technical stuff about guns, aiming devices etc....and now be prepared to put some hard earned dinero down -I hope you get the idea!

the downline is simple - if you dont like Ospreys, do not buy them, avoid them, make a cross whenever you see them or put some silver bullets in your gun and shoot each and every bookseller offering them (pun intended);
I will continue to buy them (albeit only in pdf form - my library is quickly outgrowing my space available) and for about 10 Euros I pay for them (adding up to about 30 Euros maybe a month altogether for all the tomes I buy) they do provide great value.

And I am looking forward to the new books from Chris, Robert, Andrew or whoever will write them...

btw Chris, may I ask will the HE-177 Combat Aircraft be yours? I have seen the cover art already, looks very nice I have to say....

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

Since you feel strongly about this, I thought perhaps you’d find it worth signing up.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

I have no contract for a He 177 book.....yet?

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

Looks like "He-177 Units of WW2" is by Robert Forsyth due out July. There is also an existing Classic. Would be nicer if Classic would do a Ju-90/290/390 book, IMHO. Big empty hole there unless your German is good enough for Ott.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

Robert Forsyth recently did “Shadow Over The Atlantic” for Osprey, all about the Ju 290 and FAGr. 5.

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

I was about to post the same, that FAGr 5 book is great and it even contains colour profiles of the Junkers...

Re: Osprey's obsession on colour eye candy
 

And I have it (I buy a lot of books). It is a good & interesting book, but a comprehensive history of the Ju-90/290/390, in the manner of the better Classics, it is not. The material would make a fair nucleus for such a book, if Forsyth & Classic wanted to pursue it though.