I began building Dragon Model kits when they first became available back in the 1970’s. Even back then they were a breath of fresh air on the modeling scene. They offered fascinating subjects never seen before and although sometimes a bit simplified, I liked them a great and built numerous models from their catalog, enjoying them all. My, how they have evolved over time.

The Aircraft

The E-4B is obviously a modified Boeing 747, or VC-25. It started out as a 747-200, but has had equipment added to make it an airborne command post. There was an E-4A, but these have been modified to B standard. The big visual difference between an A and a B is the fairly large hump on the top near the front. This houses the SHF SATCOM antenna.

The E-4B has a crew of 48 to 112, depending on mission needs. It can stay aloft for a week if necessary, the limiting factor being engine lubricants. In case of national emergency, the President, the cabinet, and whoever else is deemed necessary would be aboard.

The E-4B has not been upgraded to a glass cockpit, as the analog instruments are less susceptible to EMP (electromagnetic pulse) damage from a nuclear event.

DXM, or Double Excellent Model, is relatively new to the world of decals. The company is from Taiwan and is offering a growing line of decals for the aircraft modeler. Take a few minutes and check out their website as they offer a wide range of modern aircraft schemes and different markings, including many JASDF schemes.

Today’s review covers their excellent 1/48 scale F-14B Tomcat sheet for VF-103 Jolly Rogers.

The decal sheet comes in a sealed plastic sleeve and includes a large decal sheet, along with a smaller one for the US star-and-bars roundels, and a second smaller sheet for formation lights. The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf and are of their usual excellent quality. All decals are in excellent register, and there is no extra film to trim.

Markings are included for four aircraft:

From the dust cover -

“Shot Down” is no ordinary memoir of World War II. It reveals the hopes, dreams and fears of a remarkable group of men and people that loved, cared and hid them after their plane was knocked out of the sky over French/Belgian boarder.

Review

WOW what a read! I highly recommend this book to broaden your knowledge of air missions over Europe during WWII!

This book is a memoir of Steve Snyder’s father, Howard Snyder. Howard was the pilot in command of the B-17 Susan Ruthand along with the nine other members of his crew flew missions over Europe while attached to 306th Bomb Group.

The twin-engine Avro Manchester was used heavily during the first months of World War II. However, it was underpowered and not very reliable, and it fell short of the RAF’s expectation. The Avro engineers got busy and replaced the Manchester’s two 24-cylinder X-block Vultures with four V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. To accommodate the two extra engines, the Manchester’s wing span was increased. In turn, this caused problems with the airframe, so they enlarged the fuselage and redesigned the tail. Thus was born the Lancaster. It became an instant success, even though its defensive armament was somewhat light, consisting of eight .303 Browning machine guns.