Duke Hawkins

We are currently working on the 40th book in our Duke Hawkins series. Considering that we started just a few years ago, this 40th book represents how passionate we are about aviation history. It has been an adventure so far and one that we hope will continue for a long time! With this new book, we have totalled over 5,200 pages of reference material for the aircraft enthusiast and scale modeler !

DH-040 is a 140 page book on the English Electric Lightning, the last British-built supersonic interceptor. A jet flown by only the 1% best fighter pilots at its time, the Lightning is an icon. It was the only aircraft that was able to intercept Concorde during a test flight in April of 1985. Considering that the passenger jet flew at a speed of Mach 2.2 and an altitude of 57,000 feet, it was quite an accomplishment. Even more so when you know that many other jets tried the same and failed: legendary aircraft such as the F-104 Starfighter, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, Mirage III and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

This book is filled with action ànd detail, from fuselage, cockpit, landing gear, wings and tail section. An extensive maintenance section is included, of course.

Revell announces limited edition 1/32 scale Meteor F.8/FR9 & book

For some time, Revell has been working on a new tool 1/32nd Gloster Meteor F.8/FR.9 kit, which will have 405 highly detailed parts, including a pair of engines. By the end of the year, the company will release a limited first edition which will not only include the new kit, but also a brand new Duke Hawkins book on the Gloster Meteor F.8 and FR.9. Also in this gift set are decorations for 5 aircraft, one of which is a Belgian Target Tow aircraft, a precision-cut mask set, a cockpit etch set and an A3 size poster.

The book will have 84 pages, some 200 photos of the Gloster Meteor F.8/F.9 and T.7 and some spectacular photos of the sole surviving airworthy F.8 in the world, which is also featured on the cover of the book. The book will be available seperately early in 2026.

Making books on aircraft carriers presents an incredible opportunity but also a big challenge. When you finally get the green light to visit an aircraft, you only get limited time aboard. This can be from 1 to 4 days – if you get lucky. And you aren’t probably the only photo journalist invited, so you have to take that into account. Basically, you try to take as many photos of as many different parts of the aircraft, helicopters and of course the ship itself. The first book in this series was on the Spanish assault ship Juan Carlos I. We show you the harrier IIs on the ship, a series of helicopters – like the Sea King, Bell 212 and Cougar  – and the military vehicles that are brought to shore by the landing craft. Discover the details of the ship’s interior, defence systems and super structure!