This is the second book done on the F-84 and is done in Squadron/Signal's new style. What that means are LOTS of color photos. I doubt if there are more than a dozen black and white images in this one, which really is nice as the F-84 series is quite colorful.

Though the title says Thunderjet, in reality this one covers the Thunderstreak and the Thunderflash as well. Over half the book is dedicated to the main title with a history of its development, service introduction and the continuing upgrading of the aircraft. I found a couple of snippets of information to be interesting. One is that the F-84G, a plane that wasn't really supposed to be built, was built in larger numbers than all previous variants combined. Secondly, that the F-84G was not used by ANG units, the F-84E being used in that regard. I should also point out that the mixup in the earlier book regarding the speed brakes and which versions used what, has been corrected in this edition.

The rest of the book concentrates on the F-84F, a plane that had pretty much only the name in common with the earlier plank winged aircraft. Sort of like the Super Hornet and Legacy Hornet today. Despite the improved engine and swept wings, it was still not the equal to the F-86 and so spent its career doing what the Thunderjet did so well before it, and that was pretty much as a fighter-bomber. The only combat success scored by an F-84F was with the French during the Suez crisis of 1956. I particularly liked the images of the Thunderstreak as an ersatz MiG in various movies, its overall shape being similar.

Finally, the RF-84F Thunderflash is discussed. This version stayed in military service longer than any other with the last ones being retired by the Greeks in March of 1991. This section also covers the RF-84K which was developed for the 'FICON' project in conjunction with the B-36, but was cancelled after a couple of dozen planes were built due to the retirement of the B-36. The ANG got several of these planes. The XF-84H is also covered in this section.

But what makes this book so special are the photographs. It truly is a delight to see all these color images in one place and that alone makes this one well worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

August 2011

My thanks to Squadron Products for the review copy. Get yours today at your favorite shop or on-line retailer.

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