Colors & Markings of the
A-7 Corsair II - Part 1

Detail & Scale Colors and Markings Volume 9

Reviewed by Floyd S. Werner Jr.

For those that aren’t familiar with the Detail & Scale Color and Markings series of books, it is a look at just the markings of a particular aircraft.  In this case, it is an often underappreciated workhorse, the A-7 Corsair II.  The A-7 was in service from Vietnam to Desert Storm, taking the place of the A-4 and A-6 in the light attack role in the Navy. 

This eBook is available for Apple, Kindle, Kobo, and Google digital formats, as well as a printed version.  I’m using the Apple version which contains 192 ‘pages’ and 330 full color photographs.  The nice thing about a digital book, besides being able to carry your library with you on a single component, is that the pictures can be enlarged in typical fashion to the size you need it.  You can even print it should you desire to.  For those that have bad eyesight you can even enlarge the text.  Another reason is that as more information becomes available the author can update the book at no cost with the most up to date information.  There are so many reasons to embrace the digital versions, but let’s see what is in the ‘book’.

The author is not the usual suspect, but Mike Heideman.  There is a bio of his career that cements his love of aviation.  Along with Mike is the always talented Rock Roszak, who illustrates this volume, as well as, the rest of the Detail & Scale books. 

The book starts off with the A-7 Paint Schemes.  The A-7 started out in the Light Gull Grey over Insignia White and progressed all the way to the Tactical Paint Schemes (TPS) including some unique Desert Storm colors.  There are illustrations showing what the Mil Spec called out and when they came into service.  The A-7 served during some really colorful times.  One that stuck out to me was the overall Light Gull Grey.  I can’t recall seeing that scheme before, but it is quite striking on the Corsair II, especially with the full color insignia.  The TPS with its flat nature and frequent repaint and touch ups made for some very unique looking aircraft. Of course, there is the Desert Storm commemorative paint scheme used upon the return to the US. 

After that is established the 13 Atlantic Fleet Squadrons and three Naval Reserve units are shown in numerical order.  If you can’t find an aircraft that tickles your fancy than you obviously aren’t looking.  Again the A-7 went to Vietnam in the grey over white with full color markings, which are beautiful by anybody’s standards.  There are some unique bicentennial markings and you can always count on a CAG bird having some gaudy markings.  The touch up paint applied to the TPS scheme allows the modeler to have fun with weathering.  I don’t think you can have too much weathering when it comes to this paint scheme. I think my favorite is a shark mouth VA-15 aircraft from the USS Roosevelt.  Although there is something about the Clansman aircraft.  It is nice to see some great color and schemes on the TA-7C of VA-174 as well. 

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The variety of paint schemes and the colorful markings make the A-7 a really cool aircraft that gets often overlooked in the F-14 era.  It was used very successfully by the Navy, and with this reference book in hand, the hardest thing will be deciding which aircraft to depict on your model.  Inspirational.  That is what this book is.  With great kits of the A-7 and plenty of aftermarket resin and decals now on the market, this eBook makes a great addition to your library. Another winner from Detail & Scale.  Can’t wait to see what is next.

Thanks to Detail & Scale for the review copy. 

If you want either the printed or the eBook version of this book, check out www.detailandscale.com . 

There are a lot of books on there to peruse and make a part of your library

Thanks to Detail & Scale or the sample.

Review Copyright © 2026 by Floyd S. Werner Jr.
This Page Created on 13 January, 2026
Last updated 13 January, 2026

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