Need interior/exterior closeups of an Sr-71 Blackbird

kealii21 · March 25, 2004, 4:51pm

Anyone know of a site where I can view some photos of an SR-71?
I was given the Testors kit by a friend(?).
There are no pictures in the box, the instructions are very poor, the quality of the plastic is terrible, and the fit of the parts is lacking to say the least.
Before I try to bend, twist, sand, etc. things into shape and start painting, I’d like to see some closeup views which may help.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Anonymous · March 26, 2004, 1:30am

Hey Kealii, do you have the 1/48 kit? If so, I have the same and am actally very much looking forward to building it. My sample has great instructions with pics and info how to replicate wear on the paintjob… Guess it’s a different issue. As for the kit, I think it’s great except for the lack of detail in the cockpit. At the time they made the molds, this area was still classified (acc. to the instructions), so detail is very sparse. I got the True Details cockpit detail set (# 48478) to remedy the situation. It is not too expensive and I would definitely recommend you get one if you can. You should then be able to produce a real jaw-dropper [8D].
Follow this link and you’ll see how it’s done:

http://m2reviews.cnsi.net/reviews/mod/kusterssr71.htm

The reference links you need for the cockpit etc are at the bottom of the page. Have fun!

Anonymous · March 26, 2004, 1:36am

www.sr-71.org

kealii21 · March 26, 2004, 12:53pm

Yes, I have the 1/48 kit, and I was very much looking forward to building it until I opened the box. I found the black plastic to be very soft, with lots of bumps and nicks. When I tried to dry fit the 1st two parts, it was clear that they were warped, so I glued them together, and I’ve spent 2 nights filling and sanding the gaps, which is scratching the hell out of the plastic, but I’ll sand that further with a finer grit later. From what I can see, I’m going to be doing a lot of that as this kit progresses.
My instructions aren’t all that bad, and yes there are a bunch of black and white pics. However, I am not an engineer. The other kits I’ve built have always pointed to the portions to be painted, and shaded the areas to be painted if the whole part is not going to be one color. Simply telling me, as this kit does, to paint a portion of a part a certain color using a techincal term for the part to be painted is not all that helpful, hence my request for color photos.
I agree about the lack of detail in the cockpit, but as you say, this area was still classified when they made the molds.
I want to thank your for the link, and I will see if can get the True Details cockpit detail set (# 48478) or its equivilent her in the US as I really believe that the most impressive part of most plane models is the cockpit.
Thanks again for all your help, and good luck with your Sr-71!