ISBN #
978-0-9795064-4-4 Price $31.99 (USD
Before I begin my
review I should point out that I did provide a (very) few photos which have been
used in this book I don't believe this will colour my views or opinions
offered in this review at all but simply felt that I should mention it in the
interest of openness and honesty.
This latest book
from Jake Melampy provides a very detailed, photographic coverage of the F-15 in
both its Fighter and Strike versions.
Like previous
books in the series, it is laid out in a fairly logical sequence. After a very
brief introduction and background to the Eagle, the detailed, photographic
coverage starts (quite logically) at the front with the large radome then
continues on around the airframe covering the cockpit (external then internal),
fuselage, wings, wheel wells, engines etc. before moving on to pylons, launchers
and weapons and finishing off with a brief coverage of F-15 units, including
overseas users. Some external details of the Republic of Korea Air Force's
(ROKAF) brand new F-15K version are also covered where they vary from the USAF's
F-15E version.
Click on
images below to see larger images
An indication of
the level of coverage and attention to detail that this book provides can be
gauged by the fact that fully 43 pages are used just to cover the cockpit areas
of the A/C, B/D and E variants!
The captions are more than just a repetition of what you can see for yourself
see in the photos as well, providing interesting and informative explanations
and background for what you are looking at as well as often drawing your
attention to the smaller details or variations that may not be obvious at first
sight.
The coverage of the Eagle's weaponry, sensors ,stores pylons and launchers is
equally as thorough and includes some of the very latest ordnance to be seen on
the various versions of F-15, such as GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), JDAMs
and AIM-9X as well as more (perhaps?) mundane items such as the Sniper targeting
pod, AN/ALE-58 BOL dispensers and ACMI telemetry pods.
As with Jake's previous "Exposed" volumes on the F-16 and A-10, the
level of coverage and access which he has achieved is truly amazing and a lot of
effort has obviously been put in behind the scenes to have enabled such a
detailed and thorough coverage of just about every inch of the F-15 imaginable.
It isn't just a couple of general overview shots per subject either. Jake has
delved right into each nook and cranny and provides close up photos of many of
the smallest details along with different angles of many areas which leaves the
reader in no doubt as to exactly what's there.
One section that doesn't quite seem to match the visual quality of the majority
of the book (and, like all of Jake's books so far, you have to be looking hard
and being pretty picky to find much to fault) might be the section at the end
which covers the various Eagle units in the US forces and around the world. The
mixture of the text and photos in this section seems to look a little haphazard
and disjointed with the large text seeming to compete with some of the photos
rather than compliment them and it's sometimes a little unclear which text is
relevant to which photo. This is particularly evident on the pages for some of
the overseas units. To be fair, photographic coverage of some users is very
difficult, if not impossible to come by (e.g. Israeli and Saudi Strike Eagles)
and Jake has done very well to be able to include as much coverage as he has
(and, to be honest, this section is also where a few of my photos have been used
so make of this what you may).
It might also
have been useful to include some form of index or key at the beginning, or some
other aid, to allow the modeller to quickly locate the specific areas of
interest that they may be after during a build.
These are very minor nitpicks though and shouldn't detract in any way from the
fact that, as a whole, the depth of coverage, presentation and quality of photos
and information puts this book among the very best references available.
The quality of photo reproduction throughout the book is very good, being
printed on good quality satin paper and the book itself has an overall feel of a
good, quality product. For anyone wanting to add that little something extra to
their F-15 model, looking for that "one" book on the Eagle or even if
you're just interested in the F-15 in general, this book would have to be
high on the "must have" list.
Special thanks to Jake Melampy for
the review sample. You can purchase this book through the secure
online webstore at Reid
Air Publications
Motty
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