Former military personnel usually recall a certain assignment from their career.  It might have been a particular ship, base, unit, country or command.  In my case it will always be those years I spent in Air Defense Command during the early to mid 60s when ADC was at it's peak strength with nearly 50 fighter interceptor squadrons and several hundred radar installations providing coverage from the boot of Florida to the frozen reaches of Alaska and Greenland.

     Perhaps my most vivid memories of this time period will always be the image of a pair of armed Voodoos - or Deuces - or ghost gray F-106s- scrambling out of their alert barns, skidding onto the end of the runway, then thundering off to disappear into a drizzly, dark night sky.  Pretty inspiring stuff for a young Idaho farm boy! Thus it was only natural that I would be drawn to a book dedicated to one of ADC's workhorses, the F-102 Delta Dagger or "The Deuce" as we knew it.

     I had some trepidation in deciding to order this book.  While Schiffer Publications are to be commended for their offerings of a wide variety of military subjects I have learned that their efforts can be a bit uneven.  One title can be an exquisite treatise while the next release might be an overpriced and somewhat disappointing production.  In this case I was overjoyed with my purchase!

     Done in a softbound format measuring 8 1/2 x 11 inches, Wayne Mutza has done an outstanding job of chronicling the lengthy creation, gestation and employment of both the F-102 and TF-102.  192 slick pages are crammed with over 530 color and B&W illustrations accompanied by an interesting and informative text.  Twelve chapters begin with an examination of Convair's model 7 (XP-92) and end with a survey of today's surviving airframes preserved in museums or acting as "Gate Guards" all across the world. 

     Four extensive appendixes detail production blocks, acronyms and abbreviations, individual aircraft records and finally, a comprehensive listing of those airframes expended in the "Pave Deuce" drone program.  If you're looking for 3 view or detailed drawings ala "Detail & Scale" then this book will disappoint you.  But if you want to spend hours devouring beautiful photography and unusual subject matter,  (I.E., an F-102A with a General Electric J-85 engine strapped to it's belly?) then this volume is a great investment. 

     Whether you like your Deuces in ADC Gray, silver lacquer, or spinach and sand camouflage, you'll find every sort of derivative here.  Active units, reserve and guard units are profusely illustrated along with those birds flown by the Greek and Turkish Air Forces.  There is even a photo of George Bush Jr. Strapping into an F-102 in Texas! 

     Don't pass this book up. It's an excellent resource for both the modeler and the armchair historian. 

Review Copy - Courtesy of those funds diverted from my four hungry Weimaraners!

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