The premier Soviet interceptor of the late 1950s and early 1960s was the MiG-19. This was the Soviet Union's first supersonic aircraft and was forced through the air by two honking Mikulin RD-9B turbojets, each producing nearly 7,000 lbs of thrust, a considerable amount for the day. As with all aircraft, there were initial problems. One mentioned was that the original MiG-19 sans suffix had a tendency to blow up in the air, something that did not instill pilot confidence. Additional insulation of the fuel tanks took care of that and fortunately, few were built, being replaced by the MiG-19S early in production.

As with all aircraft, the plane was modified with better systems through its life and this resulted in several different variants, all of which are covered in the book.

The 4+ books all provide what the modeler or enthusiast needs in this area and this edition on the MiG-19 series is not different. It provides a good background history, superb photos and excellent drawings to help differentiate between one modification and the next.

This includes a goodly selection of profiles, photos of extant aircraft (some in color) and information on armament and other systems. Not only are Soviet built aircraft covered, but also those built by the Chinese, whose production exceeded that of the Soviets many times over. The type is still in service with China, Bangladesh and Albania, having only recently been retired by Pakistan after 30 years of operation.

There is an excellent close-up section using extant airframes and period images to dig into all parts of the airframe. The plans section covers all the differences between subtypes. A camouflage and color section  is included as well as an armaments section that provides a load-out diagram for the different stores the aircraft could carry.

Overall, this is a superb reference on one of my favorite Soviet aircraft and one that you really need to have on your shelves.

Review copy courtesy of 4+. In the US, contact 4+ N.A., 855  Bebout Road, Venetia PA  15367

E-mail: x4plus@fyi.net TEL/FAX: 724 941 8755. To see the full line visit www.4pluspublications.com

November 2006

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has over 325,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.