I am (finally) building my 20-year old 1/48th SR-71 for a project my son is working on, and I would like to model the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, since his report is on the Smithsonian, but I have managed to lose my decal sheet. Does anyone know a.) where I might be able to get a replacement set? Or, b.) where I might be able to get an aftermarket set? I would like to model #61-7972, which is the lo-vis version now on display at the NASM. Thanks!
Currently there is nobody making decals for these planes. I searched and searched for just about anything I could find before a friend came to my rescue with a portion of a Cutting Edge sheet. To my knowledge Cutting Edge is the only company to ever make after market decals for the SR-71 in 1/48th. They made a whole range of sheets and I think one could model nearly every one of the planes currently in museums including the NASA birds and many other more obscure planes.
Testors has reissued the 48th kits in the past so you may want to give them a try for a replacement sheet though I’ve not heard of much luck there. Ebay will sometimes have a sheet of the cutting edge stuff show up though in my three weeks of looking I never came across a set. I’m still looking for the CE resin engine set for the kit to no avail. Even after installing the kit parts, if I came across the set I’d rip out the kit parts in a New York minute.
I just recently started my own 20 year old Testors kit and boy is she a peach.
Good luck with your search.
Just found out that Fightertown Decals is going to release a sheet of 48th scale SR-71 decals somewhere around the end of March. Keep checking there.
Thanks for the help guys; yeah, I knew about the Cutting Edge decals, but I believe they were a Meteor Product, and Meteor went out of business a few years ago, unfortunately. I think I’m stuck with trying to get Italeri and/or Testors to send me a replacement sheet.