TSR-2 reference books

[dromia]

I am planning a TSR-2 multiple 1/48 scale build having just found and Airfix example to build alongside my Sanger and Dynavector kits.

 

So I am looking for a good reference source, preferably not virtual but proper books or magazines, I have the excellent Wings of Fame volume 4 article as a starter but wondering if there is anything more out there of pertinence to modellers, good photos, technical details etc.

[Giorgio N]

A book aimed at modellers is CMK Photo Hobby Manual 1004, dedicated to the type. Plenty of detail pictures and drawings and a few profiles of real and what-if schemes. 

The only problem with this book may be finding a copy as seems to be unavailable everywhere. I found my copy at a model show 3-4 years ago and didn't even knew it existed

 

https://www.scalemates.com/de/books/bac-tsr2-photo-hobby-manual-1004-chris-hughes--102817

[dromia]

Thank you for that reference, unfortunately as you say it is somewhat scarce on the ground, with rarity no doubt attracting a premium price.

 

No doubt three will become available at bargain prices when I have completed the builds.

[Des]

These are the books I have on my bookcase , not all still in print but a brief precis of what they offer if they can be found.

 

Wings of Fame Volume 4 you are already aware of.

 

XPlanes No.5 TSR2 by Adrian Brookes , published by Osprey , 80 pages softback , history of the project with photographs and some detail shots including cockpits , cutaways from the time and some 'what-if' artwork.

 

TSR2 - Precision Attack To Tornado by John Forbat , published by Tempus , 192 pages softback , mainly covers the weapons system for the TSR2 and some other projects heavier on text than imagery but some period images and drawings and cutaways relating to the various components of the system and their location.

 

British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 by Anthony Thornborough , published as an Aeroguide Special by AdHoc Publications , 56 pages softback , covers the life and death of the project , heavily illustrated with images of manufacture including exposed  structural detail , completed aircraft including detail of cockpits , undercarriage etc. , 5-view 1/72 scale plan drawings.

 

TSR 2 - The Story Of Britain's Most Controversial Warplane by Tim McLelland , published in the  Aeroplane Icons Series by Key , 114 pages softback , again the life and death of the TSR2 , heavily illustrated , with images of structure during manufacture and detail shots of cockpit , undercarriage and airframe as well as cutaway and detail drawing of cockpits , various unique stores and a pull-out multi-view plan section with some detail added separately.

 

TSR2 - Lost Tomorrows Of An Eagle by Paul Lucas , published by SAM Publications , 128 pages softback , published in 2009 and memory seems to tell me that it was based on a combination of series of articles from either Model Aircraft Monthly / Scale Aircraft Modeling International around the time that SAM released various resin stores and weapons to be used with the 1/72 Airfix kit.     Rather than the history of the project it does as the title says and focuses on the 'Lost Tomorrows' - the operating squadrons , roles , weapons and colour schemes that might have been with artwork to represent these along with some detail images where relevant.

 

TSR2 - Britain's Last Cold War Strike Aircraft original by Tim McLelland published by Ian Allan / revised with chapter on F-111K by Tony Butler published by Crecy , 184 pages (revised) Hardback , history of the project , heavily illustrated with period images and factory/manual drawings of cockpits and various aspects of the structure , double page spreads of four-view overall white and green/grey over white colour schemes , two double page spreads of plan drawings.

 

Sticks in my mind that I did pick up something else recently which followed the same idea as the SAM material and considered operational use and colour schemes but cannot recall what it was , will post details if it reappears.

[dromia]

Thank you for taking the time to write that comprehensive list and descriptions.

 

How much visual overlap/repetition is their in the two McLelland volumes? Are they distinct in content bearing in mind that there is only so much that can be said about any subject.

 

What ifs don't really interest me, what was does.

[RichG]

Just to add to the comprehensive list @Des has presented (and it may have been the "something else" he picked up recently...) I would add:

 

BAC TSR2 - Famous Airplanes of the World a soft back book from Japan and number 164 in the prolific Bunrindo Famous Airplanes of the World series. Text and photo captions are in Japanese only but it is well illustrated with numerous high quality contemporary and more recent detailed photos in both black and white and in colour. There are also numerous diagrams, a cutaway and sketches illustrating weapons loads, components (such as the undercarriage) & systems etc; 3 way drawings with sections; and some very nice art-work illustrating the prototype markings, colour and the proposed camouflage scheme. Pity there is not an English language version but to my mind a worthwhile addition to a TSR.2 library if you can find a copy - I got mine from Japan but maybe available on ebay.

 

    

 

Hope this helps

 

Rich

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by RichG

[JasonC]

To the above I'd add:

 

TSR.2 : Britain's Lost Bomber by Damien Burke

351 pages in hardback published by Crowood. Lots of detail as you might expect from a book of that length, including chapters on airframe, engine, electronics & weapons. A nice addition is a colour profile of how it may have looked in service. There's also a chapter on proposed variants (swing wing, fighter, etc.). You can have a look inside on Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JD09P0Y/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

 

I seem to remember that this book and McClelland's came out at roughly the same time and that there was some tetchy online to-do between the authors,  the merits of which I'm not really qualified to judge. That said I'm more than happy in having this one as my sole TSR.2 reference (aside from that same Wings of Fame volume!).

 

J.

 

[Dave Swindell]

2 more to add to the list

TSR2 - Britains lost cold war strike aircraft - Tim McLelland 2010 (revised and expanded edition published 2018 with additional material by Tony Buttler)

TSR2 - Britains lost Bomber  - Damien Burke 2010

Both heavily illustrated with photo's and technical drawings covering projects through to cancellation. Burke is the weightier tome, and draws some conclusions that won't be popular with the What If brigade.

[darthspud]

Lost Tomorrows is the dogs working parts for reference on the TSR2 imho. Great for potential in service Sqn  placements too, as well as the changes required at specific airbase and support mainframes like Hunter t-birds

[RichG]

I would say that if I was limited to just one book on the subject, Damien Burke's TSR2 - Britain's Lost Bomber  would top my list every time. Its a magnus opus on the subject and has to be just about the ultimate book on this fascinating plane. Well researched and illustrated covering all aspects whether you're interested in the technical aspects of the aircraft and its systems, the testing, the politics of its cancellation or the posssibilities had the project gone forward. It's been published for a few years now so it should be reasonably priced and also available on the 2nd hand market if you don't fancy the full retail price. Its also a good read - you won't be disappointed.   

 

 

 

Incidently - and I know its not your primary interest - there were a couple of books published in the mid-sixties shortly after the aircraft's demise and that paint the picture of the debacle of cancellation. I'm not sure they have ever been republished: Phoenix into Ashes (Roland Beamont,TSR.2 Chief Test Pilot) and The Murder of TSR-2 (Stephen Hastings).

 

Rich

Edited August 7, 2021 by RichG

[dromia]

Thank you all for the recommendations, Burke, McLelland and Lucas's vade mecums are currently sitting in my abebooks shopping bag. I shall wait a tad longer in case further insights on choice are forthcoming.

 

I already have the Beaumont and the Hastings volumes, hence my focus on the aircraft rather than its political environment.

[Eric Mc]

Beamont - not "Beaumont".

 

As English Electric's/BAC's  chief test pilot, "Bee" was (understandably) very biased in favour of the project and was very angry over it's cancellation.

[Des]

On 8/7/2021 at 4:35 PM, dromia said:

How much visual overlap/repetition is their in the two McLelland volumes? Are they distinct in content bearing in mind that there is only so much that can be said about any subject.

Sorry for the delay , latest family visitors just gone , a 'bonus' of living by the seaside but needed time to remind myself of the contents before commenting.

 

I have the 184 page Crecy printing of the hardback book which I take from the introduction has added material without losing any of the original Ian Alan material.

 

You are right about the photographic coverage , there is only so much out there and much of it is similar although the hardback Ian Alan/Crecy volume perhaps gives slightly more coverage to weapon (nuclear) carriage although these are engineering models with areas rendered as framework rather than more representative inert training shapes.     It also has a double page spread with an annotated photograph of the pilot's instrument panel but while the navigator's is shown on the following page there is no information regarding the instrumentation.     

 

Both make heavy use of manufacturer's promotional material and manual drawings with the hardback perhaps again making more use of this although the relevance of some such as whole pages devoted to subjects such as tow-bar detail , jacks and jacking points , slinging procedures might be doubtful for your purposes.     The Aeroplane softback on the other hand includes contemporary manufacturers drawings relating to the single-piece bubble canopy trainer exterior and cockpit differences as well as to the proposed ventral tank and ventral AAR pod .

 

Regarding the scale plans , both have their merits although perhaps those in the Aeroplane offer more detail and as they are in 1/72 and you will be working in 1/48 are more user friendly being a 'fold-out' rather than having to contend with the spine of the Ian Alan/Crecy hardback if you intend scanning and enlarging.

 

Comparing them I would say that they complement rather than compete with each other and that while they do have a lot of the imagery in common each also has some material that the other does not.

[Des]

On 8/7/2021 at 5:02 PM, JasonC said:

To the above I'd add:

 

TSR.2 : Britain's Lost Bomber by Damien Burke

 I have quite a few of the Crowood Aviation Series in my book case and in general find them a nice enough addition to more in-depth material on the same subject and because of that had not bothered with the above until I read this and similar comments.

 

Acquired a second-hand copy which was delivered this morning and would suggest that after a quick look through that no-one be put off by any previous experiences of the series , this is in a completely different league and definately up there beside if not ahead of Tim McLelland's Ian Alan / Crecy volume in the quantity and quality of images and drawings provided.

[tempestfan]

Not having been mentioned so far as only of moderate-to-none modelling significance, there was an excellent (IMHO) article in Journal of Strategic Studies called " The Wilson government and the demise of TSR‐2, October 1964 – April 1965" in 2008 (there were and are more important things in life than law, aren't they :-)) . This is more about the reasons of "Project Cancelled" in this case, but makes some interesting alternative reading against the backdrop of the views of its proponents (Hastings, Beamont, Gunston etc. who usually get into some high-pitch whine) and I bet a Revell Gannet (née Frog) the UK got a very much  better deal with Tornado.

[Des]

19 hours ago, tempestfan said:

. . . . . and I bet a Revell Gannet (née Frog) the UK got a very much  better deal with Tornado.

 

The appeal of TSR2 was that beyond six months flight testing conducted on one airframe it never had to prove itself and during a period of time where everything like the television of the day was black & white it was therefore bound to be a certain winner.

 

It may well have proven to be or like many if not most British projects of the day the reality might have been more of an anti-climax as development proceeded.

 

Personally I have doubts if the undercarriage could ever have been reliable enough during everyday squadron service.

 

What however can be said is that the track taken after cancellation of TSR2 with the Phantom , Jaguar , Buccaneer and Tornado in the 'Strike' role instead the Cold War never went hot

[tempestfan]

Meanwhile, I have taken delivery of the 1st edition McLelland book, and I must say I am quite impressed. At less than 15 EUR delivered all-in, a real bargain. I have read "Cost Concerns" and am half way through "The Axe Falls", and he makes very good use IMHO of contemporary quotes. 

A correction re the Straw/Young article - it was of course published in 1997 when I was at University, the 2008 date relates to the online availability apparently. Must have been a(nother) brainfade on my part.

[tempestfan]

On 8/10/2021 at 1:45 PM, Des said:

Regarding the scale plans , both have their merits although perhaps those in the Aeroplane offer more detail and as they are in 1/72 and you will be working in 1/48 are more user friendly being a 'fold-out' rather than having to contend with the spine of the Ian Alan/Crecy hardback if you intend scanning and enlarging.

Cue some 14 months... I am really grateful you put me onto that McLelland track, as I was unaware of him and his books up to then (well, under that name...). In the meantime, I have two copies of the first edition (the original had rather bad transit damage to the spine, second is almost perfect) and one of the revised. I still have not read it cover to cover but keep being impressed by the abundance of quotes - which hopefully are original and correct, despite the lack of footnotes. Most likely I will have to get the Crowood title as well; however, the number of pages may well not be a real indication as to quantity of contents as the Classic/Crecy title is set in a rather user-unfriendly 8-point (I think) font, which saves a lot of space.

 

As regards the scale drawings (which is the point of the quote), it may be an idea to look either for a cheap copy of Barrie Hygate's "British Experimental Aircraft" or for the issue of SMI in which the drawings were printed (IIRC 1986 or 7). I'd bet a half-penny the drawings in the Classic/Crecy book very closely conform to the Hygate ones in the main aspects 😉 

 

After you set me on that McLelland trail, I bought a couple more of his books, and was really astonished why I had never come across that name before, given his track record. But sometimes google and wiki are your friend - I have a couple of photo softbacks written under his original name. RIP, Tim.