billn53 Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Thanks David for the suggestions, especially for how to avoid the problem in the future. For this build, I've mostly fixed the issue by carefully applying a small drop of black panel line wash and letting capillary action cover the white edges. Fortunately this is a black aircraft, it wouldn't have worked on something like your E-2C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanthony Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 You've done an incredible job so far on this bird, especially all the detail work! About the red stripes, perhaps not using the white undercoat would have been better? That way you would have avoided the bleeding and the red would have been duller. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 58 minutes ago, wanthony said: You've done an incredible job so far on this bird, especially all the detail work! About the red stripes, perhaps not using the white undercoat would have been better? That way you would have avoided the bleeding and the red would have been duller. I do believe you could be right. I used the white because my experience with red is it can take many coats to cover a dark surface. But in this case it may have been the better approach. That's what I like about this hobby -- there's always an opportunity to learn from one's mistakes LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 (edited) It's a holiday weekend here in the States and I've been able to get some good time in on the Blackbird. First thing up is a little detailing on the engine exhaust nozzles. Pics show that, while the nozzles are flat black just like the aircraft, the gap between the nozzle leaves appears to be bare metal. So a little masking and handbrushing with gun metal put everything in order. With that done, I turned my attention to the vertical stabilizers. Each stab has a tab that fits into a slot on the top of the engine. The fit here is pretty poor, as the slot is much wider than the tab, so I added plastic shims to tighten up the fit. There is also a gap beneath the fin where it fits over the resin afterburner, which might be because the aftermarket kit is slightly smaller diameter than the kit pieces it replaces. So I added shims here, as well. About this time I discovered that the bottom front corner of the starboard stab had somehow broken off! so I glued a piece of scrap plastic and, when the glue is dry, I'll sand it to shape. While waiting for the glue to dry, I decided the best use of my time was to begin the decal process. In addition to Academy's kit decals, I also have a set of Cutting Edge decals and another set from Rocketeer. The Cutting Edge has the markings for the SR-71 I have selected, and the Rocketeer decals have some excellent stenciling. As I mentioned previously, the kit's decals have received some bad reviews, so I'll be avoiding them wherever possible. I started with stenciling around the cockpit area, using the Rocketeer items. Very nice! Then I moved on to the standard USAF markings, using the Cutting Edge set. The 'stars & bars' are provided in two parts -- a white background and the S&B themselves. The white background went on with no problems, but when I tried to add the S&B, disaster stuck! The decal broke into many small pieces while trying to move it in place. I applied Microscale decal film to the remaining decals, and those went on a-ok. Unfortunately, I am now short one S&B insignia, and I may need to resort to the kit's offerings. As an experiment, I tried one of the kit's decals (a red rectangle around the A2A refueling port) and it broke apart as soon as I tried to use it. I managed to piece it back together, but I'll probably strip it off and paint the rectangle instead. Here's where things stand currently: That's all for today, I'll be back at it tomorrow. Edited November 26, 2017 by billn53 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurrantBunbury Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Sorry about your self-destructing decal. I swear it's decaling that's given me all the grey hair I've acquired over the last year or two. I love the effect, but hate the process. I hope the kit one goes on OK - your results so far are just lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 29, 2017 Author Share Posted November 29, 2017 Like CurrantBunbury, I never look forward to decaling. Kits with more decals than parts threaten to sap my mojo big time! Nonetheless, I presevered and have finally made it past the decal stage. I even made good use of the kit's decals, although not without much cursing and temptation to throw things against the wall LOL! Here's the final result of many, many hours effort: and the bottom side: With exception of the 'USAF' marking, everything on the bottom are original kit decals. I only succeeded after giving them all a generous coat of Microscale decal film. Even so, not a few of these decals broke apart and required much care to put back together. Closeup of the forward fuselage's many warning placards: This is also a good time to show my underside panel weathering: Up above, I placed a total of 22 individual "NO STEP" markings, all from the kit decals. I would not be surprised if I am permanently cross-eyed as a result. Last, but not least, the vertical stabs are now installed, and you now can see which aircraft I chose to represent. I just couldn't resist "Charlie's Problem" when I found it on the Cutting Edge decal sheet :-)) This build is very nearly complete. If I can finish in the next couple of days, it will have been a two-month effort. Much longer than I originally thought, but it's been a very rewarding experience so far. What I still have to do are: Putty and paint the tail fin joints Add the final clear coat (flat and/or semi-flat, still to be decided) Finish off the cockpit (including the little guys to fly this beast!) Add anti-collision strobes top and bottom Install landing gear & doors Paint, detail, and install canopies Add the nose probe/pitot Final detail painting as required 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurrantBunbury Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 16 hours ago, billn53 said: Up above, I placed a total of 22 individual "NO STEP" markings, all from the kit decals. I would not be surprised if I am permanently cross-eyed as a result. That's the stuff of nightmares! You've done a cracking job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted December 9, 2017 Author Share Posted December 9, 2017 (edited) After two-plus months I have finally finished with my Blackbird. Thanks so much to everyone who gave me encouragement, answered my questions, and volunteered info and tips. Here's a final pic taken this morning, there will be many more soon in the RFI area: Here's the RFI link: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235030457-gentlemen-start-your-engines-academy-sr-71a-blackbird-172/ Edited December 9, 2017 by billn53 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurrantBunbury Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Mate, that is a stunner. All the work you put into this has most definitely paid off. The weathering looks spot on now it's all settled down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted December 9, 2017 Author Share Posted December 9, 2017 Thanks! I am really quite pleased with how the black-basing came out. I'm definitely keeping that in my evolving bag of tricks. :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry_the_Spider Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Excellent. There is something special about the SR71. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serkan Sen Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 On 10/2/2017 at 3:45 AM, billn53 said: Wish me luck! Great project with a great introduction... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serkan Sen Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 On 12/9/2017 at 6:42 PM, billn53 said: After two-plus months I have finally finished with my Blackbird. Thanks so much to everyone who gave me encouragement, answered my questions, and volunteered info and tips. A stunning finish!.. I will feel myself successful when I achieve half of your modeling level. Serkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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