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Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird with D-21B Drone Hasegawa 1:72 Rather than repeat the great review done by our very own Paul AH HERE this review will concentrate on the drone as the SR-71 is exactly the same. The kit does come in a very attractive open top box with an artists impression of the aircraft, complete with drone, at speed climbing through the clouds. Inside you get the upper and lower halves of the fuselage/wings plus two sprues of black styrene and one small sprue of clear styrene. The plastic is really quite hard and brittle which doesn’t bode well for cutting out. Being the same kit as the Gravestone version the build of the parent aircraft is exactly the same. The only difference in this version is the inclusion of the D-21B drone. Which is assembled from upper and lower fuselage sections with the wings pre-moulded just like the SR-71. To this assembly the exhaust nozzle is fitted aft along with the fin, whilst at the front the two piece nose section with pre-moulded pitot probe is fitted at the front. The pylon on which the drone is mounted is a two piece affair which went assembled is fitted to the parent aircraft through two slots that need to be opened up before the main fuselage pieces are glued together. The slots are well marked on the inside so shouldn’t prove too much of a problem to open and clean up. With the pylon in place and both aircraft and drone painted up the drone can be fitted in position. Decals The decal sheet not only provides the cockpit instrument panels and side consoles, but also a complete set of wing walk stripes, stencils and insignia. The choice of two aircraft can be built these are:- • US Air Force Test Aircraft 17950 with D-21B Drone 507 based at Area 51with both aircraft in overall black scheme • US Air Force Test Aircraft 06940 with D-21 Drone based at Area 51 in silver and black scheme with the drone overall silver with the nose and wing leading edges in black. Conclusion This is not the most complex kit in the world to build but it will require a good paint job to bring out the interesting nature of the beasts. I personally prefer the silver scheme as it contrasts nicely with the all black model normally seen. I’m not sure of the plastic Hasegawa use in this kit as it does seem extraordinarily hard compared with their other kits and I’m not sure how well it will react with normal liquid poly that I use. Still, it’s an interesting subject and will look good in any collection. Walkround photos available HERE Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for