Customer Reviews

Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36(Specialty Press)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Already owning several books on the B-36, including Jacobsen's "Convair B-36", I almost passed on "Magnesium Overcast". I'm really glad I didn't. In addition to some very interesting historical background that I wasn't aware of, it has a lot of great photos and drawings I haven't seen in other publications. Some of them are a little small, but the paper quality is excellent so that isn't the problem it would be in with a lesser quality product. And the color section is just stunning, with quite a number of operational photos I haven't seen before. The weapon section defines the bomb bay modifications required to carry various weapons, when they were made, and to how many aircraft. It also covers various nuclear weapon tests and the B-36's participation in them. There is also extensive coverage on the defensive gun installations. The great thing is that it's highly readable and well organized, too. Highly recommended!

Finally! The B-36 book I've waited decades for. I liked the first-person accounts in Jacobsen's "Convair B-36" but was a little disappointed with the technical coverage. "Magnesium Overcast" tells the story of the aircraft with text and tremendous photo coverage. The photos of the 1952 tornado damage are especially interesting. I knew there had to be photos out there somewhere! This is a book I'll refer to many times. Thanks Mr. Jenkins!!

This is a great history of the Convair B-36 Peackmaker. By far the most complete book yet on this aircraft. The Book also covers the C-99, YB-60 and the NB-36H Nuclear Test aircraft. Many never seen pictures before. This book covers the scraping of these great aircraft in the late 1950's to the surviors and the accident of others. The Tornado accident at Carswell AFB is well covered in this book. This book is a must for any B-36 fan or the history of SAC.

An excellent and long overdue book. Covers all aspects of the B-36,except possibly the crews experiences,but that is for a different book. Many,many rare photos. Sections on the XC-99 and YB-60 are "bonuses".

Great book!! I have always wanted to see a detailed history book about the B-36, even since the 1960s when I first read detailed history books about the other heavy bombers (B-17, B-24, B-29, B-47, B-52). For some reason the B-36 never got covered in a detailed history book, but now we have one, and Dennis R. Jenkins is to be commended for preparing both this book and the complementary "Scrapbook" of B-36 photos. I bought both books several days ago.

Here are some of the things that I wanted information about with regard to the B-36, but never saw until I read _Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36_ ---
- Details of the Wasp Major piston engine design and installation.
- Details, diagrams and photos of the retractable eight turrets that each have two 20-mm cannon.
- Details, diagrams and photos of the crew compartments.
- Details, diagrams and photos of the 4 bomb bays.

"Magnesium Overcast" is just what an "airplane book" should be: large, attractive, detailed, with a wealth of superior illustrations, many in color. I'd hazard a guess that there are more than 300 high-quality photos and drawings, including a rare chart of the Convair production line.

In any case, it's all here: something for "rivet counters" and "number crunchers" alike. The authors deserve full credit for the thoroughness of their work and the obvious care they lavished on this project. Kudos also go to Specialty Press for producing this significant volume in such lavish style at a reasonable price.

After reading the many five star reviews for this book, I purchased it. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! A large portion of the pictures, drawings, and charts are too small to see in detail - many of the pictures are 2" x 2" - being very difficult see. It appears that most, if not all of the reviews are for the hardbound version of the book, not the paperback version - which seems to be a fraudulent practice.

There are many books out there on this impressive machine but this is one of the best. Highly recommended for it's coverage and production value.

Excellent book on the B-36, great photos, info. A must buy for any B-36 fan.

If there is more information available on the B-36, I'm not sure where you would find it. From layouts of the production floor to unit assignments to serial numbers to the NB-36 nuclear airplane development and experiments I had never heard of, this is THE definitive work on the B-36. The only thing I would like would be more color photos, if only because the ones already printed are fantastic!!