Military Model Scene

Title: Origins and Evolution Boeing B-47 Stratojet & B-52 Stratofortress
Author: Scott Lowther
Publisher: Tempest Books
ISBN: 978-1-911658-76-4

A new large format hardcover book of 387-pages telling the story of what is perhaps one of the most famous and recognisable bomber of the post-war era, the Boeing B-52. It has already been in service for well over 60 years and at this point there are still many more years ahead for it. The slightly smaller B-47 did not stay in service for anything like as long. The stories of both are covered across 10 chapters.
The design story starts with how the WW2 era Boeing B-29 had plenty of advanced features and was the first to drop a nuclear bomb. Then, as WW2 was drawing to a close, US troops discovered the German aircraft research material which quickly influenced US aircraft design. It provides a neat explanation of the benefits of a swept wing design for higher speeds, the kind of speeds that had not been achievable with the engines of WW2, but as the war ended, so jet engine designs were getting much closer to the sound barrier. It was all happening in a period of technological change and advances. Starting with the competing designs from which the B-47 was selected, the differences between them is quite marked. Then there are details of plenty of different design ideas to develop the B-47 itself, and these include scale line drawings of many of them. Some were actually built, others remained just ideas. To give you an idea, a couple of examples regarding the B-47 include various large missile designs, along with 'Brass Ring' and 'Weary Willie II', which planned for a conversion of a control ship plus multiple remote controlled crewless aircraft, in an updated version of the use of Weary Willie B-17s during WW2. MIT Project Lamplight had a large radome mounted on top, looking very similar to the later AWACS. The 'All American Engineering Flying Pusher Catapult' design immediately brought the Thunderbirds TV models to mind.
Moving on to the B-52, the Evolution story again shows some very different looking designs which were not pursued, along with some interesting looking competitors to what was to become the accepted B-52 design. The B-52 went through a development process taking it from the A, D, G and H versions, though plenty more were thought of, even the possibility of Nuclear Propulsion! There were other Miscellaneous Designs and the B-52 was used as a carrier for plenty of other missiles and experimental airframes. As the years went by there have been re-engining studies while the final chapter, B-47 and B-52 Derived Transports, illustrate some fantastic ideas, even though they didn't materialise.
A significant element to this book are the line drawings, in a variety of scales so that they fit the page, but all with a given scale. Many fantastic ideas, some looking like they came from a 1960s science fiction comic. You'll need to read the book to see just how many there are. I have been interested in military aircraft all my life and thought I was familiar with both the B-47 and the B-52, but how wrong I was. I learnt a lot from this book and had never seen the bulk of the designs that are included. I think this will be a great addition to your bookcase if you have an interest in these famous Cold War bombers, and even more so if you are an aircraft modeller. It is a bit of a goldmine in my opinion. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Tempest Books for our review copy.

Robin