DH.89 Dragon Rapide and Dominie Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | March 2023 | Title | DH.89 Dragon Rapide and Dominie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Adrian M. Balch | Publisher | Guideline Publications |
| Published | 2023 | ISBN | n/a |
| Format | 44 pages, softbound | MSRP (GBP) | £17.00 |
Review
De Havilland’s d.H.89 Dragon Rapide & Dominie – one of aviation’s oddly intriguing, but relentlessly appealing interbellum airliners – enjoys full “Warpaint” treatment in the 135th installment in the popular range.
And author Adrian Balch shoehorns the whole fascinating tale – d.H.89 transports, trainers, and bombers – into just 48 pithy, picture-packed pages.
Contents commence with design, development, production, and variant notes. Coverage then alphabetically segues to a country-by-country service summary – both civil and military. And three pages of “in detail” images also augment the account.
Building Heller’s classic 1:72-scale kit? How about Aeroclub’s 1:48 mixed-media rarity? Let this lavishly illustrated effort inspire your subject choice.
Over 70 color plates – profiles, plan views, and unit art – survey the stunning swath of Dragon Rapide and Dominie schemes. Well over 100 color and B&W shots further trace the vibrant, decades-long d.H.89 tale. And extended, explanatory captions accompany all.
But note that, if you’re building Spanish Nationalist 40-2 “Capitán Vela” – the only Dragon Rapide known to have served, amazingly, as a fighter [!] – the mottled, starboard-side camouflage treatment is distinctly different from the port-side pattern. Photos also suggest that the profile’s demarcation between dorsal and ventral colors on the port wheel pants is incorrect.
Nitpicks. This is a cool, colorful addition to the “Warpaint” series.
Recommended!
My sincere thanks to Guideline Publications for this review sample!