B-36 Photo Scrapbook

By Dennis Jenkins, Mike Moore & Don Pyeatt
Specialty Press, 2003
ISBN 1-58007-075-2
108 Pages, Softbound
Available from Specialty Press for $16.95

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The B-36 was an unmistakable shape in the sky, with an equally unmistakable sound. While the B-36 formed the long arm of SAC, it is probably best known for starring in the movie Strategic Air Command alongside Jimmy Stewart. After fulfilling its strategic bombing role, the B-36 soldiered on in the reconnaissance role. In the last couple of years there have been several excellent books written on the B-36, including Magnesium Overcast, written by Dennis Jenkins. This book complements that earlier title, taking photos that could not fit into Magnesium Overcast as well as newly discovered images. The result is roughly 400 photos detailing the life of the B-36, including several interesting color photos.

Sections in this title include quite a few photos showing the devastation of Carswell AFB after the tornado hit on September 1, 1952. As impressive and huge as the B-36 is, this little tornado tossed them around like toys, damaging 82 aircraft and destroying one. This one incident dramatically reduced the SAC bomber force by two-thirds. Other interesting sections include the huge XC-99, the FICON project, and museum restorations.

While this book initially started as a companion piece to a larger book, it makes a decent stand-alone volume on this famous bomber. Many of the photos presented here have never been published before and include plenty of detail shots, making it an invaluable reference for modelers. With the Hobbycraft 1/144 kits readily available, and the Monogram 1/72 tucked away in many of our kit closets, this book will provide plenty of impetus to build a B-36 model.

Available from Specialty Press for $16.95. A $4.95 shipping & handling fee is applied per order, so pick up Magnesium Overcast at the same time and save on shipping!