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Midland Publishing |
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F-4 Phantom II Production and Operational Data |
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by William R. Peake |
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Reviewed By Robert Ulrich, #35901 |
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MSRP: $49.95 USD The introduction to this massive collection of Phantom information indicates that the research for it has been ongoing since 1979. I can believe it. The first thing that strikes you in looking through the book is the sheer amount of effort that had to go in to assembling and organizing so much information. This 360 page book lists every Phantom produced – all 5000+ - in sequence according to both the internal McDonnell ship number and the military Mission-Design-Series number (F-4A, F-4B, etc.). The first listing includes information on the corresponding military serial numbers, first flight date and initial service assignment. The second table presents this information plus the actual original unit assignments and ultimate disposition of each aircraft, along with notes pertaining to the specific ship (want to know the serial number of the record holders? It’s in here). Other tables include an MASDC/AMARC storage list, a listing of Battle Damage Repair aircraft, a comprehensive listing of all display aircraft with display locations, an Attrition list that includes date and manner of loss, an Air to Air Victory listing with dates, aircrew names and weapons used, and a listing of all domestic and foreign Phantom units. All this data is arranged in easy to read form. The data is supplemented by a large all color photo section that is not comprised of the same old F-4 pictures you’ve seen a hundred times. For the modeler, this is probably the most useful part of the book. The question is whether this book should be on the modeler’s bookshelf. Aside from the photos, I’m not so sure. You would be hard pressed to find someone more interested in Phantoms than I am, and even for me the book is a bit much. I enjoyed looking through some of the information, but it’s hard to see how any of it really is crucial to someone building a Phantom model. The photos are very nice, but they cannot really justify the $49.95 asking price. This book would be indispensable to someone writing about the F-4 or its associated history, but of for the Phantom modeler – you’ll have to make that call on your own. |
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