**** DONE: 1/72 Revell SR-71 Blackbird 17978, Playboy Bunny

[Wayne Little]

I could use a nice quick build but I'm not so sure it will be. The one common thing I hear from people that do this kit is lots and lots and lots of filling and sanding.

Then you should have plenty of fun..... Let the building begin!

[dirkpitt289]

..... Let the building begin!

It has. Photos will be up later today or tomorrow.

[Matt308]

Thanks guys



I kinda hope so. I could use a nice quick build but I'm not so sure it will be. The one common thing I hear from people that do this kit is lots and lots and lots of filling and sanding.

You got that right.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/sta...one-15403.html (Revell 1/72nd SR-71 w/D-21 Drone)

[bemay]

good choice dirk !

[dirkpitt289]

Here I go again! My latest project is now underway.



Blackbird Specifications

Primary Function: Strategic Reconnaissance
Contractor: Lockheed-Martin Skunkworks
Crew: Two
Unit Cost: $34 Million per Airframe
Powerplant: Two Pratt and Whitney J-58 axial-flow turbojets with afterburners, each producing 32,500 pounds of thrust
Speed: over Mach 3.2 / 2,000 mph (3,200 kph)
Ceiling: over 85,000 feet (26,000 m)
Range: over 2000 miles (3200 km) unrefueled
Armament: NONE
Number of SR-71's built:50 Blackbird airframes of various designations

SR-71 Fun Fact

The Blackbird is painted with a black paint that consists of a pigmentation containing minute iron balls. These dissipate electro-magnetically-generated energy and effectively lower the chances of the plane being picked up by radar. The special black finish also wards off heat caused by high speeds and actually radiates significantly more friction-generated heat than it absorbs at cruising speeds of Mach 3

The Model
Going through the parts some things stand out.









David Clark S1030 Suit

A fully enclosed suit with a double zippered rear entry, it had enclosed feet at the bottom of the legs, full-length sleeves with metallic rings and a locking mechanism that acted as a connecting point for the gloves. The head opening had another metallic ring with a locking mechanism that served as a connecting point for the helmet. The second component was the helmet, the third were the gloves and the final component was the torso harness, which was part of the egress and survival systems that was worn over the suit itself. Standard flight boots were worn with the ensemble, the only difference being that the boots were a full 2 – 2.5 sizes larger to accommodate the feet of the suit when inflated.





SR-71 Ejection Seats



This photo doesn't do justice to the panels. The cockpit was painted ghost gray, the instruments and panels were painted black and then dry-brushed with aluminum.

[T Bolt]

Great start Dirk! Doesn’t that lettering just annoy the p**s out of you!!

[A4K]

Atleast it dosen't say 'Made in China'...

Nice work on the consoles too Dirk!

[Wurger]

With all here.

[tonyb]

Cool project Dirk,looking good mate.
Cheers,
Tony.

[vikingBerserker]

Nice work so far. Interesting verbage they added to the model.

[dirkpitt289]

The plan is to build this model with the cockpit open allowing people to view the interior. To liven things up a bit I choose to dress the crew in two different color flight suits. While the gold suits (Almost looks Orange in most photos) were the primary color suits there were others such as white brown and blue. The blue suit was and still is the primary color suit for U2 Pilots.



Pilots assigned their seats and strapped in using Tamiya tape









Thanks for looking

[Crimea_River]

Looking good Dirk

[Vic Balshaw]

Hey Dirk, that's a blo*dy good start, I like the captions as well and with the boys sitting in the office it's looking pretty good.

[A4K]

With vic!

[Wayne Little]

Nice start Dirk!