This was the 80th publication I have purchased from Mr. Ginter and found it somewhat disappointing.
With the first 22 pages dedicated to development and testing the aircraft there is a fair amount of development history, but nothing on the derivatives yet, it mysteriously includes the cockpit for the two-seater 98J-7 without any explanation.
There are some interesting paragraphs on flutter testing and some a few paragraphs relating to the problems that arise when testing the combination of a new engine in new airframe. But overall, the effort feels rather weaksauce in comparison to the typical Ginter publication.
The balance of the book (Aside from a few brief sentences on the zero-length launch proposal) covers the Grumman attempts at foreign sales with the effort mostly focusing on the competition with the Lockheed F-104. (To his credit, Mr. Corwin does not
mention the bribery scandal which probably helped Lockheed get the sale.)
An explanation of the a few of the odd features such as the tandem dorsal carriage of the AIM-9 would have been appreciated.
Aside from a Japanese model in 1:138 released 60 years ago, this volume probably not be interest to modelers. While the development and sales anecdotes were entertaining to read, this monograph will probably only be of interest to the most die-hard fans of mid-50’s BuAer history or those fans of the Ironworks. ( )