Peters PIB (Paint it Black) GB - SR-71 Blackbird

[pjgtech]

So this is my entry..... a Blackbird SR71 - by Revell.
A bit predictable maybe?
I don't really have that many in the current stash that I could use, so....
The old and original "Stealth" bomber/surveillance plane.
I intend to do this in a flat black to try to simulate the flat/satin type black that was used on this plane.
Not sure whether to go wheels down, and canopy open mode, or in wheels up and canopy closed flight mode yet, we'll see.
Obligatory photos of box, sprues, decals, etc.
Even though its small scale,(1:72 scale), its still a fairly big ole beast!

[HAWKERHUNTER]

In my humble opinion Peter the lines of this iconic aircraft dictate that it should be wheels up and displayed in flight. JMO

[PaulTRose]

What an aircraft!

I remember the first year they came to RIAT.......over shot the UK.....had to turn over paris! Lol

have you heard the famous speed check story?......you can find this guys story on youtube......crashed in viet nam.....massive burns all over his body......told he would never fly military aircraft again......found a loop hole in the rules and ended up flying the sr71.....now an aviation and nature photographer

https://youtu.be/8AyHH9G9et0?si=c9W_MC_r9oYmB1Hm

[pjgtech]

Lol, great YT vid, I like him, a yank with a proper sense of humour, very cool.....

[Jim R]

Maybe predictable but a great choice for all that. Not many parts so it will go together without problems.

[papa 695]

Looking forward to seeing you build this one.

[yak face]

Nice one Peter , a legend of an aircraft . Who doesnt love the blackbird , cheers tony

[pjgtech]

Was out all morning, then watched F1 quali when I got back home, then had a look at the SR-71....
Seems good quality kit, nice mouldings, etc.
I have decided to scribe the main airframe build / panel lines, so hopefully once painted they will stand out a bit more, bearing in mind it will be mostly black, so not much contrast, etc...
So got out my Revell scribe and started scraping away.
Took me about an hour or so, but looks ok, then went over the airframe with a very light 1200 grade sanding pad to get rid of couple of small scratches where I slipped (Doh!) and to smooth out rough edges, etc.
This one is therefore officially started..... 8-)

[Richard48]

Nice choice Peter.I got into aircraft spotting in 1990 onwards but sadly never got to see the Sr at Raf Mildenhall even tho we had an aunty who lived nearby.

[Geoffers]

Nice one Peter, good luck with it 👍

Geoff.

[Mickc1440]

Good luck with the build Peter

[pjgtech]

Made a little bit of progress on this one, as posted above scribed out some of the panel lines, so hopefully will get better definition when completed.


Made up the cockpit sub assembly, seats, instrument panels, etc and then primed it, along with the two very small figures (pilot and flight engineer).
NB: this was a prime opportunity to try out my new Dspiae desk vice and it works great, holding the small cockpit assembly making priming, painting, etc very easy.






Then painted the cockpit, photos seems to show some black, some grey, some silver/chrome, with a mix of black, red, chrome instruments, so I just tried to show some highlights on the instrument panels, etc. In the photos I've seen t he seat assemblies are black or grey, so stuck with grey and the seat cushioning is a Nato type green and a red/brown leather type top section, cushion, so I went with that too, just for a bit of detail.
I have not highlighted seat belts, although I might give that a try....



Likewise with the figures I have seen photos of various flight suit colours, black, orange, grey, white, etc, so I went with a sort of orange/brown with green and white highlights. Helmet visors seem to be black in the photos rather than chrome, so went with that too.



So a bit of progress made.... 8-)

[papa 695]

A cracking start

[Geoffers]

Good start Peter, cockpit and pilots look good 👍

Geoff.

[pjgtech]

Pilots are now in the cockpit, and a few sub assemblies completed, next step is more assembly of the main fuselage, etc, then see if any filling is required....

[pjgtech]

Today was fuselage day, getting the two halves together.
Bit of filing down, couple of test fits, working out where adhesive and clamps need to be, etc, then its bite the bullet time.
Fit was ok, will need a bit of fettling, but mostly straight with just a few minor gaps.
Used lots of clamps though to keep it all snugly fitted together.

Then left it for a good few hours....
Checked on the few sub assemblies I did yesterday, they needed a tiny bit of sanding and tidying up.

Came back to the fuselage and it all seems to have stuck nicely.
So added a few of the sub assemblies, the jet cones, the two rear fins, the engine cowlings, etc.
Its now looking like a plane not an assortment of bits.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, for a Braille scale (1:72) plane, its flippin big!

Tomorrow will probably be filling the gaps and sanding back, not a huge amount, but there are deffo some areas that need work.
Onwards.... 8-)

[Nicko]

Really puts the size into perspective when you see those little blokes stuck up the front there, doesn't it! Seems to be coming together quite speedily...

Nick

[colin m]

This looks very nice Peter. I built the Italeri version a couple of years ago and the thing I find funny is, how most model manufacturers, mold the model in the same way. Which means, not many parts.