Monogram SR-71

[MiG31]

With much thought and delay I finally started working on a 1:72 Blackbird this month. The Monogram kit is probably the best available SR-71 kit in 1:72, though it isn't without its problems. The cockpit/canopy cross-section is far too wide, resulting in an off-putting frontal aspect (making the plane look more like Dark Helmet as opposed to Darth Vader).

To correct this I've decided to use parts from a donor Italeri YF-12. Mods include replacing the whole cockpit/canopy section, scratchbuilding an open refueling port, deepening the main wheel wells with new tire cans, and correcting the exhausts, using the petals from the Italeri kit and some aluminum pipe.

So without delay, here's what I've got so far:

Comments and suggestions welcome.

[hkshooter]

Looks like you are off to a solid start. I've never seen the Mono kit but it looks like you made the best decision to replace the cockpit. Is that all scratch in the main wheel bays?

Post more pics!

[Aggressor Supporter]

Interesting work so far.

[agelos2005]

excellent work mate!

[Netz]

If you need any detail shots of the gearwell let me know.

Curt

[MiG31]

Wheel well photos would be most appreciated, along with anything you have on the refueling port. The latter's been giving me headaches. I might have to make another trip to Hutch and examine the port on 961.

Otherwise, not much progress at this point. I'm fairing in the cockpit section with CA glue and epoxy putty. I'll post photos once I've smoothed out everything.

[MiG31]

Since my last reply was lost from the reboot here are the latest photos:

All the main wheel well details are scratchbuilt. This will include the tire cans. The exhausts are a combination of scratch, Monogram and Italeri parts. The J58 afterburner can is a 3/4" aluminum tube with an inner sleeve of .010 sheet, with the nozzle petals scribed. The collar is from a 1:48 aircraft wheel. I used floral wire bent around tubing to form the flame holders, and attached them to the Italeri burner parts.

Edited March 11, 2009 by MiG31

[hkshooter]

Nice work, I like it. What's up with the kit nose? I've never seen that shape along the chines up front before.

[MiG31]

Those are indents for the forward ECM kit. They're not present on all Blackbirds, but they seem to be unique to one set of interchangeable noses. Speaking of, I'm trying to find out if 961 ever wore them.

[hkshooter]

I have a link on my home PC that I'll post tonight. It may provide some info on that nose.

[hkshooter]

There are pics here of 961 but it's not wearing the funky nose.

http://www.sr-71.org/photogallery/blackbird/17961/

There a few pics here in flight but it's got the smooth chine nose.

http://www.habu.org/sr-71/17961.html

[Jay Chladek]

I remember you were talking about this at KC. Ambitious project to be sure, but it is looking good so far. I am amazed at how well you managed to blend the YF-12 cockpit canopy section into the Monogram fuselage.

[Jack-Swiss]

Very nice work!

can't wait to see it done...love all this blackbird!!!

Cheers

[MiG31]

It's been a while since the last update. The following additions have been made:

-Exhausts, fully painted and integrated, with .005 plasticard used to plate the ventral afterburner blow-in doors.

-Added refueling port after much examination of photos and the real thing (61-7964).

-120 triangular panels applied to the wing edges, top and bottom.

Anyway:

I'm still trying to decide if I want to add the ECM antennae to the underside of the nose.

By the way, I saw your STS-117 stack, Jay. Astonishing work, especially the ET and tiles.

[MiG31]

Now I'm approaching paint time. Canopies are ready for installation and cockpits are painted. I decided to add the ECM antennae under the nose, along with the rebates in the lower skin in front of them. Tail fins are in place and things are about as square as I can get them at this point.

Now:

The cockpit is a mix of Monogram and Italeri parts. The overall cockpit is from the Italeri 1:72 YF-12. Seats are Monogram with the Italeri YF-12 grab handles installed. Control stick is Monogram, as is the large display unit in the RSO cockpit. Other details like the throttle quadrant and other bits on the consoles are from scratch. I've painted details on the inside of the canopies (not pictured), to approximate the details seen therein.

At this point I plan to finish it as 61-7964, the Blackbird on display at the SAS Museum in Ashland, NE. I was going to do 961, but decided to depict 964 as it has more accumulated flight hours, and has details that further distinguish it from the A-12 and other prior Blackbirds.

[Ivan T.]

Can't wait to see it finish! ;)

Ivan

[Uncle Uncool]

Very, very nice work with the cockpit area you've done there, MiG31 mate; really! Correcting the nose would be like a walk in the park for your great skills, wouldn't it? I've been intending to build the Italeri 1/48 SR-71 kit, but every time I stare at the kit's "A-12-like" strange nose I keep on looking for excuses in order to call off build until I come across some reliable blueprints of the SR-71's nose.

Here are a couple of examples I've come across lately:

This is a comparison showing the A-12's nose (in grey) against that of a SR-71. The Monogram model you're building seems to be a mix of the SR-71's nose with the tip of that on a A-12, which is almost the same as with Italeri's kit.

Then this diagram shows the difference in length and width between the two types of aircraft (A-11/12 vs SR-71). Would this be something hard to correct?

There are pics here of 961 but it's not wearing the funky nose. There a few pics here in flight but it's got the smooth chine nose.

How's that, hkshooter? What do you mean by "funky nose" and "smooth chine nose?" Would you please elaborate on that?

[MiG31]

As noted earlier the "funky nose" refers to the ECM indents added to either side of the nose chine, less than a foot aft of where the pitot attaches. These are features found only on the SR-71, and seem to have been added in the mid or late '70s. There are photos of Blackbirds at later points where they are wearing the blended chine without the indents, so they may be mission-specific, depending on requirements.

As for the Monogram nose, it seems close enough to the SR-71 nose, in profile and planform, to be a straightforward process. The Italeri/Testors kit, both in 1:72 and 1:48, has the nose that seems more in line with the A-12 shape, though it isn't quite short enough. It also has, curiously, two blisters that protrude outward where the indents should be. This could be misinterpretation of photos.

Perhaps what is needed to get the 1:48 kit to work is to use the Italeri cockpit section, similar to how I've used it, and graft it onto the SR-71 nose. The chines would also have to be made wider at the nose, so it isn't as pointy in plan view. Another big problem is with the profile of the ventral fuselage. There is an undesirable kink where it raises up slightly at the main wheel wells, then sags back down rather pronouncedly. I don't know how to fix it in 1:48, but it is a reason I chose the Monogram in 1:72 -- it lacks that kink altogether.

Edited May 14, 2009 by MiG31

[Jinxter13]

............ frontal aspect (making the plane look more like Dark Helmet as opposed to Darth Vader).

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Looking at this it easy to see the analogy between helmet and Vader......Your ambition is paying off too bad ya had to kit bash to get an accurate representation.....good luck and Model on Dude!!!!...

Edited May 14, 2009 by Angels49

[Uncle Uncool]

Awlright, thanks for the explanation. Now, let me just get a couple of things straight.

The Italeri/Testors kit, both in 1:72 and 1:48, has the nose that seems more in line with the A-12 shape, though it isn't quite short enough.

Yep, the Italeri/Testors kit's nose looks nothing like a SR-71. It does look like an A-12's, but what do you mean it isn't quite short enough? To the nose on an A-12 or comparing the Italeri 1/72 kit to the Monogram kit you're building now in that same scale?

Perhaps what is needed to get the 1:48 kit to work is to use the Italeri cockpit section, similar to how I've used it, and graft it onto the SR-71 nose. The chines would also have to be made wider at the nose, so it isn't as pointy in plan view.

Hmph... yeh, but the Italeri cockpit section grafted onto what SR-71 nose? As far as I know, there is still no kit around in 1/48 which had the SR-71's correct shape of nose. Or did you mean some resin/vacuform correction kit for the Italeri/Testors kits in 1/48...?

Another big problem is with the profile of the ventral fuselage. There is an undesirable kink where it raises up slightly at the main wheel wells, then sags back down rather pronouncedly.

Oh? I didn't really know about that. As I said, my kit is still in the box and I began examining the ventral fuselage after reading what you said. If you've got the time to do it, would you please show me where this kink you mention is exactly at in a picture of your model? Thanks, MiG31, mate.

[MiG31]

Yep, the Italeri/Testors kit's nose looks nothing like a SR-71. It does look like an A-12's, but what do you mean it isn't quite short enough? To the nose on an A-12 or comparing the Italeri 1/72 kit to the Monogram kit you're building now in that same scale?

Meaning the nose of the Italeri SR-71 isn't short enough for the A-12. It may more closely resemble the A-12 than SR in overall shape, but it's still too long for the former.

Hmph... yeh, but the Italeri cockpit section grafted onto what SR-71 nose? As far as I know, there is still no kit around in 1/48 which had the SR-71's correct shape of nose. Or did you mean some resin/vacuform correction kit for the Italeri/Testors kits in 1/48...?

Hence why I said you'd have to expand the chines. That's really the only way to make it work in 1:48 that I'm aware of.

Oh? I didn't really know about that. As I said, my kit is still in the box and I began examining the ventral fuselage after reading what you said. If you've got the time to do it, would you please show me where this kink you mention is exactly at in a picture of your model?

These are pictures of the Italeri 1:72 YF-12, but the issue is roughly the same on the 1:48 iteration:

Note the kink where the main landing gear doors are located.

[Uncle Uncool]

Hence why I said you'd have to expand the chines. That's really the only way to make it work in 1:48 that I'm aware of.

Aw, aw-kaye, MiG31, mate. I guess the nose of the Italeri SR-71 not being short enough for an A-12 is better than what the other way around would be if you were trying to modify it to resemble that on a SR-71, huh? Were I allowed to make just one final question; how would this chine expansion be done?

These are pictures of the Italeri 1:72 YF-12, but the issue is roughly the same on the 1:48 iteration: Note the kink where the main landing gear doors are located.

Crikey! That kink is a helluva lot noticeable while looking at it from the side than the front! That's yet another big nail on my SR-71 project's casket... ;) I infer the kink ain't less noticeable when the main landing gear is down, is it?

I really appreciate all your help and patience, MiG31 bloke. Thank you very much, mate!

[MiG31]

Were I allowed to make just one final question; how would this chine expansion be done?

My best guess would be to remove part of the chine's edge along a straight line from nose tip to where the taper ends, then graft plastic card to the flat edge with the correct SR-71 chine outline. You could use milliput or something similar to blend it in. The nose blisters should be removed as well.

EDIT: Here's what I mean, graphically:

This shows the SR-71 chine outline, but it should give you an idea of what to do.

I infer the kink ain't less noticeable when the main landing gear is down, is it?

It might be, but I don't know for certain. You may have to dry-fit to find out. With the 1:48 Italeri I would probably plate the ventral spine until it's straight, with cutouts for the main wheel wells (which will have to be scratch-built anyway). There's no reason it couldn't be built into a more accurate representation, but it'd be nice if it didn't require as much time and energy.

I hope this helps.

Edited May 16, 2009 by MiG31

[Uncle Uncool]

My best guess would be to remove part of the chine's edge along a straight line from nose tip to where the taper ends, then graft plastic card to the flat edge with the correct SR-71 chine outline. You could use milliput or something similar to blend it in. The nose blisters should be removed as well.

EDIT: Here's what I mean, graphically:

This shows the SR-71 chine outline, but it should give you an idea of what to do.

Yeh, I'd thought of having to do something like that in the event that there weren't any correction kits available. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the correction of the chine should start a little bit ahead of the windshield, doesn't it? Thank you very much again, MiG31 mate! Your tips are a lot helpful, indeed.

It might be, but I don't know for certain. You may have to dry-fit to find out. With the 1:48 Italeri I would probably plate the ventral spine until it's straight, with cutouts for the main wheel wells (which will have to be scratch-built anyway). There's no reason it couldn't be built into a more accurate representation, but it'd be nice if it didn't require as much time and energy.

Uh-huh, that's right; and I thought just the nose was the main problem with the Italeri 1/48 SR-71... :D I appreciate your help.

How's your model progressing so far?

[MiG31]

Apologies for the lack of updates. Right now it's sitting under a few coats of future. I'm using Reaper2006's method of pre-shading, with a slight tweak. Instead of red and brown, I've chosen rust as the final "pre-black" color. Then I went over with interior black, a 50:50 mix of bright blue and flat black, then straight flat black. Each is heavily thinned, of course, to cut down on opacity.

I still need to wet sand the future layer since it's pretty rough from the underlying paint coats. Once that's done and another layer of future is applied, I'll add the decals. For the "4" in 17964 I'll use a 7 and a 1 from the same (Monogram) decal set. The Italeri digits are the wrong font, and the three-digit buzz numbers on the nacelles are smaller than the tail code (both should be 12" high on the real aircraft).