SR-71 Blackbird

Cut them into managable sections and lay them down individually.

AFAIK, those are actual numbers. The rub is, did they stay on any one aircraft? I've read that numbers on aircraft at Beale were changed to confuse observers as to numbers of aircraft assigned to the base plus making it harder to tell when one was off 'at work'.

Are you needing 'NASA' bands? I may have some leftovers here but they'd be from a Microscale sheet.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Use a drop or two of hand dishwashing detergent in your decal water and keep the surface to be decaled wet so that you can adjust the decal easily. Slide just a little of one end off the paper, postion it, and pull the rest of the paper out from under it while holing the decal in place with a damp brush. Repostion as necessary before blotting it down, and apply solvent after an hour or so if required.

Fine Scale Modeler had an article on the NASA fonts and insignia a few years ago - someone local to you should have a copy you can borrow. Have a look at the FSM website to pinpoint the exact issue, then ask around. If you get really stuck, let me know off-group and I'll have a dig through my mag stash. In my book 'Lockheed Blackbirds' by Thornborough and Davies, there's a good colour pic of 06937 dated 1979 (a/c in storage) with the yellow NASA band on the tail. the serial above it and US Air Force lettering and stars and bars on the fuse.

As for the changing of serials on Habus, I don't know. U-2 serials were definately swapped around to confuse 'the enemy', so it's possible that -71s were too.

RobG

NASA had several SR-71s loaned to it over the years, plus the last two YF-12s until they were retired. They were also repainted many times because the markings burn off after several hours of Mach 3+ flight.

They often had different numbers painted on either side of the aircraft. Most markings only lasted for half a flight : )

the mother of all blackbird sites, should answer any questions

tail markings

the scale finish is flat rather than gloss

After looking closer at some of the pictures that I have d/led. I've found I was in error about what I thought was the inflight refueling port. But I think that it might either be in the wrong place or at the wrong angle. . .

Whichever kit you have, you will need to use filler (I've built most of them, and none fit better than average), so yes, painting is a must. Have you considered using gloss black as a base for the decals?

I don't know of any resin parts in 1/72. If you leave the canopies down (which I thing looks better) you can get away with using nothing but the kit bits.

forumula to be used?

They're probably adequate but not all decals react the same way to any given product. I keep various brands of solvent on hand for just that reason. Some don't react to *any* solvent at all - then it's time to resort to a hot rag or a hair blow dryer.

everything. . .

Yeah, but be sure to wash off any residual setting solution, solvent, or decal adhesive first. I also recommend using distilled water for decals to avoid possible contamination from any chemicals or other nasties that might be in your tap water.

Definitely. And don't use straight black - that makes a model look toylike. Use a very dark gray or tone down your black with a few drops of white.

No resin AFAIK. Microscale/Superscale did an SR-71 sheet but it's long been out-of-print.