The second successful operational jet fighter that was developed by the British was the de Havilland Vampire. This small, single engined light fighter was produced in rather large numbers and stayed in operational service with the Swiss Air Force until the late 1980s. A truly remarkable length of time and a tribute to the qualities of the aircraft.

What makes the Vampire so popular with many modelers is not only the design of the aircraft, but the number of different air forces that used it. Though not as widespread as the F-86 or Mig-15, this first generation jet fighter did see a great deal of service out side of Europe in the air forces of the middle east and of southern Africa. 

Hall Park books has had a bit of a rocky road when it comes to the Warpaint series. They started out just fine, but some of their later editions had some problems with the images. Probably due to the lack of familiarity with the electronic medium, many of the images in these later books were not good at all. In fact, they were terrible, being heavily pixilated and unclear. There was talk about them having been taken from web sites which explains the poor image quality. 

This particular Warpaint is quite large (80 pages) and has a substantial number of profiles, which is something that I like. Being a relatively modern aircraft, there are a number of color images available of the type which also adds to the interest in the book. A superb set of 3 view drawings, penned by Ian Huntley, accompanies this book. This is a feature that I know many modelers appreciate. If I had any complaint, it would be the flimsiness of the front and rear covers. They are barely thicker than the pages in between. I think that for the price, we deserve better.

The book goes into a history of the Vampire that includes development of the type and the various modifications and different variants. This section covers RAF and RN usage of the aircraft quite well. Fully half of the book is devoted to use of the Vampire by different air forces. Some have a rather large section devoted, while others have only a few paragraphs. 

Included in the book is a walk around of a preserved Vampire as well as a list of kits, decals and accessories. For those who are interested in the units that flew the plane, there is a very large table which lists that information. The profiles of the Vampire cover just about every unit or country that flew the plane.

If you have any interest in the type and can see your way past the cover price, then this book is one that you should pick up.

Review copy courtesy of your editor. 

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