It is great to see a new book arrive and on a subject that is a favorite of many enthusiasts, the deHavilland Sea Vixen. This 120 page book is published in landscape format and includes over 250 photos and line images. Most of the photos are in full color and show all the details one could hope for in a book of this type.

The Sea Vixen was the last of the twin boom fighters that made deHavilland famous after WWII. It was a culmination of all the work and research put into the previous Vampire and Venom fighters and one of the last British-designed, carrier borne, fixed wing jets. Most of them are now long gone, though there are several in museums and one is still air-worthy.

Author Roy Sutherland has developed the first in a series of detail books. By that, I mean that the book is aimed directly at modelers and enthusiasts. It begins with a history of the Sea Vixen then goes on to look more into detail on the airframe itself. The choice of landscape format is a very good one as it allows large images without having to be concerned about losing detail across 'the trench'; the fold in the middle of all books.

The book is indexed along the edges of the page so that if one wants information on, say, the cockpit, a quick thumbing of the edges will soon reveal that particular section. A very handy feature, especially for modelers. There are sections on all parts of the airframe using images taken of museum aircraft. These planes have not been fully restored and give us the best look at what this aircraft was like in service. Often restored aircraft are not fully accurate so doing these types is appreciated. In addition to the photographs, each section includes illustrations from the technical manuals on the aircraft, some thing that often helps to clear up what can be a cluttered area on the aircraft.

In addition to the museum planes, there is a short section on the only flying Sea Vixen, an ex-drone that has been lovingly restored to flying status.

Overall, it is a superlative first book and one that you can buy with confidence. Highly recommended. 

March 2010

Thanks to www.barracudacals.com for the review copy. You can get yours direct from the link.

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