I was wondering if anyone else has done an SR-71 model?
Are you asking about what manufacturers make kits of them or what modelers on the forum here have built a kit of one?
[#ditto]
i did the monogram 72nd scale one. not a bad kit, but the decals on mine were out of register a little bit.
Ok. I built the same model (a while back), but I was wondering if there were any tips you could give?
I did the revell one. its a great model!
This looks like a job for…YARDBIRD… the resident SR-71 expert.
Kurt
well, first tip would be get a sheet of superscale decals. other than that, i really dont know what to tell ya. oh, you’ll need some black paint.
Thanks Kurt, I must be getting infamous in my old age. Anyway, back to the question.
As far as 1/48 scale kits are concerned, the Testor’s/Italeri is your ONLY choice. There are 7 or 8 1/72 scale kits on the market, several of which use the same mold. Academy and Trumpeter are the same, the new Revell/Monogram and the old Monogram are the same, AHM, Advent and the old Revell are the same and Testors and Italeri are the same. IMHO the quality would rank as follows.
- Testor’s or Italeri
- Revell/Monogram
- Hasegawa
- Academy or Trumpeter
- Original issue of Revell
Super Scale or Micro Scale decals are a small improvement over kit decals but are extremely hard to find. The kit decals are definately useable.
You can check out some of my Blackbird models at www.bellevillercflyers.com/gallery/album64 click on the thumbnails for more and/or larger photos
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
Inresting, SR-71 expert.
yup, yardbird is the resident expert. I’m pretty sure he’s the only one in here who has worked on the titanium wonderbird.
That would be better than myself. I was a photo interpreter and Intelligence Specialist in the Senior Crown (SR-71) program 1968-72.
Wow. My Civil Air Patrol unit is crazy about the SR-71.
Yardbird78 was the Hasagawa 1/72 Blackbird a good kit ? I’ve got a chance to get their SR71A with GTD - 21B , its an old kit but still in its original box. Was there such a drone launched from the SR71A to overfly USSR or other sensitive countrys ?
CFR [oX)]
The Hasegawa kit is pretty good. The fuselage cross section is a little too flat, especially in the cockpit area. The little triangle radar absorbent parts on wing leading edge do not go along the outer edge of the nacelle as depicted on the model.
NO SR-71 EVER carried a D-21 drone. Two of the A-12’s, the original version of the Blackbird, were modified on the assembly line to be M-12, later called M-21 drone carriers. These were 06940 and 06941. 940 made several captive test flights with a drone, but never actually launched one. 941 launched 4 of the drones at speed and altitude and the last one mid-aired with the M-21a couple of seconds after launch, destroying both machines. The pilot, Bill Park survived, but the Launch Control Officer, Ray Torick was killed. 940 is on display at the Seattle Museum of flight with a D-21 on her back.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
How about sending me an email at blkbrdvet@charter.net with your name. I, too was a PI with the 9 RTS Exploitation Section at Beale, 1965 to 1977. Many memories of that back corner of the 2nd floor of the SAGE building and TDY’s to Kadena.
Darwin Evelsizer
Interesting info Yardbird78, thank you for it , I’ll leave the drone off . Able ,I also built the Monogram kit years ago when it first came out and it was not a bad kit to put together . Dont remember any trouble with the decals .
CFR [oX)]
Not exactly.
I worked on the cameras on both the SR-71 and the U-2C & U-2R for three years. [:D]
Larry Engesath
I built the Italeri 1/48 Blackbird many years ago. Man, it covers some real estate on the bench! It does build into an eyecatching model for use at shows and exhibitions, though. I am no Blackbird expert and built it simply for shows. If it’s of any interest, the model was sprayed with matt black paint, polished to a slight sheen, and then overpolished with a little graphite dust all over. It is so difficult to capture the correct sheens and highlights of the originals, but I think the graphite dust does help to simulate the finish.
The model (currently in a box in the darkest recesses of my loft) sits on a hanger floor with a hanger wall along one side. Sorry, no photos.
I have seen several posts in this forum and in the ARC forum from people who were part of the Blackbird program, mostly after I had moved on to other assignments.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]