Blackbird Questions

[bar side]

Hi, have started work on an Italeri 1/48 SR-71 kit and hit a couple of questions, so thought it best to seek advice.

 

Question 1 Top & bottom anti collision light location.  I plan to build the kit in pre flight pre start up.  Obviously being a low viz spy plane there are not a lot of lights!  Nose wheel light & a bit of instrument glow with the canopies open maybe.  But the anti collision beacons look to extend out from the body along the top of the spine behind the in flight refuelling receptacle and directly below it from the centre line of the underside.   Well slightly off centre line from the look of this lower light picture from google

 

 

My plan is to install popped out lights with flashing leds behind to simulate the strobes.

 

Question 2 Nose camera.  The kit comes with a large glazed panel in the nose underside that seems to be missing on many preserved Blackbirds

 

 

Maybe a later service change of configuration?

 

 

Fuselage work has started around the cockpit & the kit came second hand with various bits from an older presumably Testors kit | so I have 2 noses!

 

Question 3 Ventral fins.  The kit has them, but I haven’t seen them on a Blackbird.  In fact the instructions show the fins on the page to the left and a Blackbird with no fins on the right!

 

Hope that picture loads!

 

Anyway, any help gratefully received!

Edited November 6, 2021 by bar side

[71chally]

Re the camera window and the nose, there were three different nose designs that could be swapped over, dependant on mission.

In your head on shot the radar warning/ECM style nose is fitted.

 

SR-71B trainers had ventral fins.

[bar side]

5 minutes ago, 71chally said:

Re the camera window and the nose, there were three different nose designs that could be swapped over, dependant on mission.

In your head on shot the radar warning/ECM style nose is fitted.

 

SR-71B trainers had ventral fins.

That makes so much sense!  The ventral fins stay off.  I was wondering about putting the nose with a camera aperture on a stand in the shed & build the kit with the radar warning/ECM nose.  Maybe even scratch a nose camera on a stand.  Suggesting they could be swapped out.  Could probably only happen in the US but makes the scene more interesting.  Cheers James

[LorenSharp]

That particular camera window wasn't used much as I recall  But here are some builds done by Don Fogel over on Hyperscale  He went and did a decent step by step build of all the variants.

 

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_1.htm

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_2.htm

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_3.htm

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_4.htm

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_5.htm

http://hyperscale.com/2009/features/sr71df_6.htm

 I may still have some info in my reference books. I'll see if I can dig up more info for you.

[71chally]

On t'net there are some good images of nose sections on trolleys, might help for a diorama.

 

Some good info here, the Optical Bar Camera and its window section is near the bottom of the page,

www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/sr_sensors_pg1.htm

 

edit, for some reason links don't always work here, so copy and paste the above address into your search bar

 

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by 71chally

[bar side]

Thanks @LorenSharp useful references.  Looks like he built the stand black A model with the nose camera window and the 2 seater without.  I think I will go with the window removed on a standard A model.  I was luck enough to see the Det 4 Mildenhall Blackbirds fly a couple of times including that legendary takeoff at Airfete with the exhaust diamonds - can’t find the picture but will have a look for it.

 

Spotted the pictures of the noses on display trolleys & the camera on a external trolley @71chally and that is what got me thinking.  I was going to scratch build a start cart (yes I know you can get one on line for about £30 but I am a bit tight like that!) so a trolley to support a spare nose could work

[e8n2]

Which ever version you do, be sure to flatten the area around the small circular opening aft of the rear seat.  The is the window for the star tracker and it is a flat window.  The star tracker wouldn't work too good with a curved window.

Later,

Dave

[bar side]

4 hours ago, e8n2 said:

Which ever version you do, be sure to flatten the area around the small circular opening aft of the rear seat.  The is the window for the star tracker and it is a flat window.  The star tracker wouldn't work too good with a curved window.

Later,

Dave

Great tip Dave - thank you.  You don’t have any pictures showing the anti collision light behind the refuelling recess do you?

[Antti_K]

Hello bar side & Co.,

 

I built one of these a couple of years ago and there was one major problem with my kit: the belly "rises" towards the main landing gear bay making it look more like "Star Destroyer" of some Scifi film. I used styrene strips and lots of Milliput the straighten the area. This is a "must" fix.

 

The astro tracker is an excellent piece of advice. At the same time check the cockpit area from the side. Italeri's kit looks more like an A-12 with second seat when viewed from the side and with the canopies closed. An SR-71 has "straight" canopy top all the way down to the astro tracker window.

 

Panel lines are far from accurate and for example those four camera windows are in the wrong positions because the measurements of the equipment bay doors are wrong.

 

If you wish to build a plane from the -80s, it most likely carried a Synthetic Aperture Radar in the nose (like those SR-71s on detachment at Mildenhall). Milliput is needed to create an accurate SAR nose as it was deeper and had small bulges on both sides. Photos show that SR-71s carried two Optical Bar Cameras in fuselage bays when they were based in UK.

 

Cheers,

Antti

[bar side]

Thanks for that @Antti_K some useful points that you have raised.  I was going to start by plating over the nose camera aperture but I will have a look at building up the nose.  I plan to position the finished jet with canopies open so I will have a look at the straight canopy tops.

 

I need to check out references for the two optical bar cameras then.  
 

As for the Astro tracker, I have filed down to a flat window aperture @e8n2

 

 

and these are the canopies in closed position - I suspect the top of the front canopy could be shaved down a little 

 

[71chally]

13 hours ago, bar side said:

I need to check out references for the two optical bar cameras then.  

 

Do check out that link that I posted previously, to check for various camera and sensor fits, also using that address with variations should find other pages, link http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/sr_sensors_pg1.htm

The crew notes are online somewhere aswel and I think they might cover the sensors positions.

 

edit, here

https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/4/

https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/4/4-93.php

 

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by 71chally

[JeffreyK]

From my previously posted CAD renders of my SR-71 in development (so I'm not giving away any critical new info):

Showing the top and bottom panel lines. You can see the anti collision lights on the centre fuselage. They are both in exactly the same longitudinal position, the top light is offset to starboard, the bottom light is offset to port, by the same distance to centre.

The nose in the bottom view is the ASARS II nose so don't use it as reference for your build.

The only time SR-71's were carrying two Optical Bar Cameras (OBC) was the "Big Tail" modified #959, which could carry an OBC in the nose and in the large tail. Cameras in the chine bays were either Operational Objective Cameras (OOC) and Technical Objective Cameras (TEOC). OOC's were retired quite early on in the program while the TEOC's were in use pretty much until the end. Note that the same bays in the chines were also used for ELINT equipment and in that case there were solid panels instead of the  camera windows.

Cheers,

J

[e8n2]

20 hours ago, bar side said:

Great tip Dave - thank you.  You don’t have any pictures showing the anti collision light behind the refuelling recess do you?

Sorry, I don't.  Over at Cybermodeler they have a number of reference pictures to include the tail art that adorned some of the aircraft in the spring and summer of 1987 here:

 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/sr-71/sr-71_artgallery.shtml

 

Some of the other reference pictures may have the info you are looking for.

Later,

Dave

[bar side]

Thanks @JeffreyK that’s the best view I have seen of the anti collision lights location I have seen.  Most useful.  I also would guess that the lack I of any panels lines under the nose suggests it was pretty smooth.  I also assume that as noses were interchangeable then the point they join the main fuselage is fixed.  So any re profile of the nose will be to make it more rounded and less v-shaped, but not necessarily much deeper.

 

Thanks for the link @e8n2 the tail art looks good.  Going to have to look at the kit decals & see what can work.  No idea if the serials deployed on Det 4 or even if certain airframes were assigned for any period of time.  I will have a dig through the rest of the links.

[bar side]

I have been having a look at the raised belly ahead of the main undercarriage @Antti_K.  I can’t see any raise & looks fairly flare to me.  The temptation will be to join up the two lower half sections before joining top & bottom so hopefully avoid any issues and make sure the section between the wells joins flush.  There is a prominent bulge behind the main undercarriage though.I might be tempted to run a strip of plasticard or balsa along though to keep everything flat & level

 

 

 

[JeffreyK]

7 hours ago, bar side said:

I also would guess that the lack I of any panels lines under the nose suggests it was pretty smooth.  

 

Sorry, that's just on this particular CAD render. I simply hadn't included (activated) the lower nose lines in this view. There definitely are lines and vents on the ASARS nose.

J

[e8n2]

10 hours ago, bar side said:

Thanks @JeffreyK that’s the best view I have seen of the anti collision lights location I have seen.  Most useful.  I also would guess that the lack I of any panels lines under the nose suggests it was pretty smooth.  I also assume that as noses were interchangeable then the point they join the main fuselage is fixed.  So any re profile of the nose will be to make it more rounded and less v-shaped, but not necessarily much deeper.

 

Thanks for the link @e8n2 the tail art looks good.  Going to have to look at the kit decals & see what can work.  No idea if the serials deployed on Det 4 or even if certain airframes were assigned for any period of time.  I will have a dig through the rest of the links.

At one time or another nearly every SR-71 flying made a trip through to Mildenhall.  As to whether or not any of them had the tail art on when they were there is another question.  Caracal Decals has sheets in 1/48th and 72dn scale covering the SR to include some of the artwork on the tails.  Both scales are currently sold out, but the 48th scale sheet will be re-issued sometime soon per the last e-mail from them.  In 72nd, only Printscale currently has a sheet for the SR-71 and it only has the Nighthawk artwork included on the sheet.

Later,

Dave

[Alan P]

20 hours ago, bar side said:

Thanks for the link @e8n2 the tail art looks good.  Going to have to look at the kit decals & see what can work.  No idea if the serials deployed on Det 4 or even if certain airframes were assigned for any period of time.

Another option for decals is Warbird Decals, they offer an extensive set of stencils in hi vis (some in low vis) with tail art for the more popular aircraft. They are in stock because I just got some this week!

 

Edit: correct 1/48 scale decals in the link!

[bar side]

17 hours ago, JeffreyK said:

 

Sorry, that's just on this particular CAD render. I simply hadn't included (activated) the lower nose lines in this view. There definitely are lines and vents on the ASARS nose.

J

No problem!  Going to have to have a closer look.  I am tempted to pose the second camera nose on a stand.  There are photos of a few preserved ones on line

[bar side]

Cheers Dave @e8n2 I was checking out the decals today.  They are old & they are breaking up a bit.  But worse still the two A model decals are for 17955 - a test airframe that never flew operationally - and 17974 - Ichiban that operated mainly from Kadena and crashed there shortly after takeoff in 1989.  The third set is for the B version as 17956.  Now I know I could rearrange these numbers but an increasing temptation is an aftermarket set.  If I can find one.  I guess they will be appearing as the Revell kit comes out.  Thanks for the link @Alan P the site is down at the moment but I will check back 

[bar side]

Been hunting decals and I think @Alan P is right with the Warbirds set.  I really fancied the Caracal set 48101 but they are rare.  Might try wanted on here.  I Wally fancy one of those late Blackbirds with a small red tailcode but no fuselage white lettering

 

 

There is something menacing about the all black and lack of markings.  And very cool

[Antti_K]

On 11/9/2021 at 12:06 AM, bar side said:

I have been having a look at the raised belly ahead of the main undercarriage @Antti_K.  I can’t see any raise & looks fairly flare to me. 

 

Hello bar side, your kit certainly looks much better than mine at that stage. In my kit the surface looked similar in front of the main gear well than it is in yours behind the wheel well.

I took a second look at the head on photo in your first post. It looks like that this plane is carrying the SAR nose (note those large panels under the chins).

Cheers,

Antti

On 11/9/2021 at 12:06 AM, bar side said:

 

 

[Alan P]

42 minutes ago, bar side said:

I fancy one of those late Blackbirds with a small red tailcode but no fuselage white lettering

 

 

There is something menacing about the all black and lack of markings.  And very cool

Everything you've said about that low-vis appearance is true. And you're making me very jealous as I wait for the Revell kit to be released  not to mention the Gaspatch/Hypersonic one which will shoot to the top of the shopping list the second it's available! Would very much like to build an early 80s hi-vis from the Revell and the 'red meanie' from the Hypersonic.

[CaracalModels]

1 hour ago, bar side said:

I really fancied the Caracal set 48101 but they are rare.

 

 

In a couple of weeks they will not be so rare anymore 🙂

[bar side]

Just now, CaracalModels said:

 

In a couple of weeks they will not be so rare anymore 🙂

Sounds like good timing with the Revell one coming out too.  Great news for me though!