F-102 Delta Dagger

Detail & Scale - Digital Volume 6

Reviewed by Floyd S. Werner Jr.

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron

Why do a digital book?  Well there are many advantages of having a digital book.  The first is that you are no longer constrained by page counts, color page limitations, out of date material and a book that takes up your entire shelf space.  Detail & Scale have embraced the new digital medium in a big way.  While including all the previous book information, the new digital book has expanded that material, as well as, adding new information and significantly increasing the use of color.

The first F-102 Delta Dagger book was released in 1990 and contained 72 pages in a soft bound book.  It is long out of print and fell victim to the same issues as all printed books do.  It was dated once printed and couldn’t be updated without a reprint.  It also could only have a certain amount of color pages due to printing costs.  Well these things are not a factor in the modern digital world.  Detail & Scale can update the book and when you log on the book is automatically updated.  Color photos are not limited by pages now.  In fact the digital book has more pages, more photographs, and more artwork.

The amount of information that can be contained in this digital book is significantly more in depth and expanded.  Areas that certainly could have used more information are not limited in the digital universe.  New chapters have been added to the digital book. 

This digital book covers the F-102 from the prototype to the last drones used by the Air Force and National Guard.  The armament section is greatly expanded and new chapters, such as Operations in Southeast Asia, Flying the Deuce and an updated modelers section, by noted modeler Haagen Klaus.

Before I review the whole digital book let me explain some things about the way you can use the digital book to full advantage.  First off you have to have iBooks or the Kindle app downloaded onto your computer.  Then it is a simple matter of downloading the book onto the computer.  This is one area that digital books are better than printed ones, they can be updated and when you log in your book is updated automatically.  This can mean more or different information, corrections in spelling or other clerical errors. 

On an Apple iPad, once you have the book you can use it just like any other book, by sweeping through the pages.  You can also use the Table of Contents (TOC) and ‘zoom’ to a page.  Another way is to tape any non-image area which brings up the title bar then tap the TOC or pinch anywhere on the page and the TOC pops up.  The chapter selection then pops up and you can go directly to any page.  The thumbnails at the bottom of the page shows you a snap shot of the page.  You can touch any page and go directly to it. 

Another nice thing is that any picture in the book can be expanded to bring out details that you want to see.  Simply tap the image and it brings up the full screen mode.  You may be able to rotate the image for a bigger picture and you can expand the pictures just like any other app.  The pictures can expand up to 200%.

The first chapter is devoted to the developmental history from the first subsonic aircraft to the final version.  There are some great photos of the XF-92A, the predecessor of the F-102.  The Machette as the original F-102 was designated was vastly different than the production machine.  All the variants, including the two seater, and the design changes up to and including front line service in Vietnam and the Air Guard are discussed.   The two foreign users, Greece and Turkey, are discussed slightly as well.  Unfortunately, there is no coverage of the battles in 1974 where the two country’s aircraft may have been in combat. 

Chapter two is quite interesting, in that it covers the armament flown on the Deuce.  Everything is covered including the 2.75 inch rockets.  These were carried inside the inboard doors of the weapons bay.  Inside the doors?  That is very unique.  Even more unique was there were two rockets per rocket tube.  Amazing engineering. 

The AIM-4, or GAR-1, were carried for the primary mission of air to air interception of Soviet bombers.  This is possibly the best reference on the AIM-4 Falcon missile that I’ve ever seen.  It covers almost every version of the missile up to the AIM-4F. 

Also included is the development of the nuclear warheaded AIM-26B.  How cool is that?  A nuclear missile on a fighter aircraft.  This did necessitate the removal of the inner rocket tubes. 

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The variants are covered in detail with the third chapter.  Some great pictures are included during the developmental years.  The ungainly looking TF-102A is highlighted.  All the changes are presented and illustrated.  Side view and profile drawings are provided for each variant of the aircraft, including panel lines.  Invaluable information for the model builder or the model manufacturer. 

Flying the Deuce is the name of Chapter Four.  This is an updated section with more interviews that weren’t included in the original printed edition.  The recollections of seven pilots from throughout the Deuce’s career.

Also another new chapter is “The F-102 in Southeast Asia”.  The Deuce flew in the Vietnam theater for nearly ten years.  Flying in both the full color Air Defense colors and the Southeast Asia paint scheme the F-102 performed duties it was never intended to do.  It provided escort of B-52s, ground attack and its original air defense role.  The F-102 has the notoriety of being shot down on February 3, 1968 by a MiG-21F-13.

Chapter Six is the meat and potatoes for the model builder.  Detail photos, drawings and profiles of the aircraft.  This is definitely where the digital book comes into its own.  The photos, many in color, are invaluable to the modeler and the ability to ‘blow’ them up allows you to see things up close and personal.  There is more detail in this chapter than any other reference on the subject.  One of the really ‘neat’ things in this chapter is the field modified external refueling probe fitted to some aircraft in Vietnam.  Very strange looking to say the least.  The Case X and Case XX wings are shown in good detail. 

The drone program is the subject of Chapter Seven.  The changes are shown so that if you wanted to convert your Deuce to a Drone you could. 

The photo gallery is the focus of Chapter Eight.  Again this is where a digital format book comes into its own.  This chapter covers a few of the units that flew the Duece, such as ADC, Alaskan Air Command, USAFE, PACAF and the ANG. There is a lot of motivation in this chapter for the model builder. 

Speaking of model builders, Klaus Haagen, has compiled a list of all the aftermarket items available.  Bert reviews every scale of this aircraft in plastic for.  This is a much different section than previously printed.  This is very extensive and exhaustive.  A huge amount of work went into this section alone.  The amount of information in this section alone would make the purchase of the digital book worth the price of admission.  Also because of the digital format, as new models or accessories are released they can be added and updated in this chapter.  There are a surprising number of scales that the F-102 has been released in.  Also surprisingly is that no kit manufacturer has ever released the TF-102 in any scale. 

The coming soon provides an insight of what is to come.  The F-102 will be featured in another release in the Colors & Markings Series.  There are a lot of other interesting titles coming from Detail & Scale.

This is without a doubt THE premier ‘book’ on the F-102.  Everything you would ever need or want to know about the F-102 is included in this release.  The modelers section is absolutely fabulous and exhaustively researched.  The profile drawings are beautifully drawn by Rock Roszak.  Again this is the only book you need for the F-102, well there is a Colors & Markings book on the horizon.  Another impressive release from Detail & Scale.  All you need is an iPad or a computer with the Kindle app on it and you’ll be seeing what is possible with a digital format.

Highly Recommended

Thanks to Detail & Scale or the sample.

Review Copyright © 2016 by Floyd S. Werner Jr.
This Page Created on 8 June, 2017
Last updated 8 June, 2017

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