Legendary Blackbird - Part 6: YF-12A "Project Kedlock" (3D printing in 1:32 scale)

[Serkan Sen]

During my five weeks long summer vacation the only progress I have done was drawing the decal artwork. Here is the draft version of the artwork:

 

I need to modify few of them but in overall they look to me good.

 

The fit test will be done when I will back at home (on Sunday).

 

Serkan

[Neffan]

20 minutes ago, Serkan Sen said:

During my five weeks long summer vacation the only progress I have done was drawing the decal artwork. Here is the draft version of the artwork:

 

I need to modify few of them but in overall they look to me good.

 

The fit test will be done when I will back at home (on Sunday).

 

Serkan

Hi Serkan, great work ! 

[Scratcher]

This is superb. How do you print your decals, if you don't mind my asking?

[Serkan Sen]

3 hours ago, Scratcher said:

This is superb. How do you print your decals, if you don't mind my asking?

Many thanks. Normally I use my MD-5500 to print the decals using multilayer printing feature. If the decal sheet is thin enough for separated white background and the rest of the decal artwork, I use my HP 242 laser printer with Ghost white toner cartridge replacement.

Serkan

 

[Scratcher]

Cheers, much appreciated. - I may  ask more questions about those last steps in the process when my new printer (Saturn 3 Ultra 'cos it was just big enough for my ambitions) has spent a few hundred hours making a set of parts,  I've watched you sharing  progress with the Blackbird and it really helps to see what others can achieve, especially for  newbie questions.

 

 

 

 

[Ed McCauley]

Serkan Sen said:

Since couple of months I have received many questions whether there is going to be any fully 3d printed Blackbird in 1:32 scale.

Hello Serkan,

You are doing a fantastic job on the many, many, many scales and versions you are printing. I can't wait to purchase several. Just a suggestion, but rather than preparing every possible scale and variant first, is there any chance of you releasing *just* the section from the wing leading edge forward in 1/48 and 1/72 scales? Size determines Cost. I know some people are asking for an immense 1/32 scale, but how many will actually purchase these? On the other hand, anyone who wants an A-12 in 1/48 or 1/72 scale (me, for example!) is more than ready to buy today. Most, if not all of us "A-12 and its variants lovers" already have multiple built/unbuilt kits. I for one would certainly prefer to replace the "front half" instead of tossing multiple fully built models and unopened kits into the nearest trash can.

[Alan P]

How did I miss this?! Astonishing project, the model will be gigantic...where will it live 😲

 

Great to see the sum of all your previous research coming into focus with a massive effort like this. Will be a masterpiece, I'm sure. 

 

Alan

[Serkan Sen]

On 8/28/2024 at 11:13 PM, Ed McCauley said:

You are doing a fantastic job on the many, many, many scales and versions you are printing. I can't wait to purchase several. Just a suggestion, but rather than preparing every possible scale and variant first, is there any chance of you releasing *just* the section from the wing leading edge forward in 1/48 and 1/72 scales?

First of all my apologies for not being able to reply before  and many thanks for your kind words Ed.

In the beginning I thought that I can build acceptable A-12 family planes (and even correctly shaped SR-71s) only by changing the front fuselage but once I went deeper into the details I saw that this is not possible to build an acceptable model (of coarse depends on your acceptance criteria) using upgrade parts from any of kits available in the market.

The printed fuselage parts fit relatively well to both 1:72 Revell/Monogram and Italeri/Testors kits. But they require significant modifications especially at tail cone and mlg assemblies:

 

It is even worser on 1:48 scale. Neither old Italeri/Testors nor new Revell kits have the right fuselage diameter:

 

I had to do serious surgical operation to fit printed parts to my old Italeri/Testors kit:

 

My personal advice would be to build a fully 3d printed model. In total all upgrade parts and kit itself will cost more or less same with a fully 3d printed one (plus time and effort needed to fit everything together).

 

Serkan

[Serkan Sen]

10 minutes ago, Alan P said:

How did I miss this?! Astonishing project, the model will be gigantic...where will it live 😲

 

Great to see the sum of all your previous research coming into focus with a massive effort like this. Will be a masterpiece, I'm sure. 

 

Alan

Most probably you were busy with many other important projects Alan. 😁

My entire Blackbird/Oxcart builds became a living project which is evolving everyday. Now I am close to finish missing cockpit details and ejection seat  of SR-71 which will complete entire family (except SR-71B/C which will be added later).

Serkan

 

[Screech]

Serkan,

 

 

😧😧😧  OMG!

[Hoops]

Amazing work as always Serkan!

 

Even though I'm not personally interested in the A-12/SR-71 Series, it is always great to see the work of someone dedicated to their craft,

 

Cheers,

Hoops

[TheBaron]

That's a very impressive array of aircraft in that last image Serkan.

[Serkan Sen]

On 9/19/2024 at 4:48 PM, Screech said:

Serkan

😧😧😧  OMG!

🥰☺️

On 9/19/2024 at 10:18 PM, Hoops said:

Amazing work as always Serkan!

Even though I'm not personally interested in the A-12/SR-71 Series, it is always great to see the work of someone dedicated to their craft,

Cheers,

Hoops

Many thanks, I hope your AFTI project is going well and you will post your build progress soon. 😉

On 9/19/2024 at 10:58 PM, TheBaron said:

That's a very impressive array of aircraft in that last image Serkan.

Not comparable with your mighty Wasp project Tony!

 

During few weeks I was working on detailing SR-71A model cockpit and also adding long tail option. In parallel I started to build forward fuselage and cockpit area of YF-12A. I started with the cockpit frame preparation:

 

To remove the print support I use mainly a fine side cutter (nipper), 0.5mm razor saw blade and mini razor saw set from Trumpeter:

 

Now the parts ready to build the front fuselage. The long support base of missile bay doors were removed by using panel scriber. After several passes along the junction of part and support the print base can be cleanly removed.

 

The dry fit test shows that all parts are aligning well:

 

Next step is to start cockpit detailing.

Serkan

 

[heloman1]

A lot of research and detail work going into this project. I'm liking what I see.

 

Colin

[TheBaron]

Immaculate Serkan. Very admiring of your support structures!

[Serkan Sen]

I’m back with an update on my ongoing YF-12A. Before starting cockpit detailing, the nose wheel bay was needed to place in:

 

Next step was to join fuselage front and mid sections:

 

To bond resin parts and fill gaps and seams, I always use UV resin, applied with a syringe fitted with a rounded-tip needle. For larger gaps (such as imperfections from the printing process), pieces from the print base are placed into the gaps and glued using UV resin, which is then cured with a 405nm LED flashlight:

 

To effectively fill large gaps, apply the UV resin in several thin layers (less than 1mm thick) and cure each layer with a handheld torch. The curing process takes just a few seconds, allowing the filled area to be sanded - either wet or dry - immediately afterward. Since the printed parts, filler material, and resin are all made from the same product, the sanded surface will have a seamless finish with no visible traces of the joint areas:

 

Next step is to start painting the cockpit details.

Serkan

[Screech]

Absolutely incredible update!  Wishing I had one of these to build myself Serkan!

 

Exciting!!!!!

[Serkan Sen]

Before starting the cockpit paintwork, I decided to revise the design of the rear cockpit instrument panel. The panel has a central black frame with white aluminum-colored sections on both sides. Painting the black areas with a brush without spilling onto the adjacent panels is a tricky task. To simplify this, I split the panel into four sections: the center part, which is mostly black; the main panel and left side panel, which are white aluminum; and a small right-side equipment box, which is black as well.  Here are the single and multi-piece panels, presented as 3D models and printed parts:

 

Now all cockpit parts are ready to paint.

Serkan

[Serkan Sen]

The cockpit parts were primed and painted to grey:

 

 

Next day, masking both cockpit tubs took around an hour. Then the black paint was applied on control panels. The rear cockpit has some panels in white aluminium color. To mask this area 0.2mm thick Evergreen card pieces were used.

Before doing dry brushing I decided to experiment this technique on other cockpit tubs printed for test purposes in the past. It was a wise decision because first few trials ended with horrible results. But after several attempts I was confident to go with YF-12A cockpit tubs. The result was not too bad although few touches were needed to fix unwanted dry brush traces:

 

 

Next step is to apply gloss coat and to do weathering and panel wash.

 

Serkan

[Back in the Saddle]

Seriously impressive work Serkan, I’m not sure how I missed the beginning of this thread!

 

Its great to see all your previous work on these designs is starting to pay off handsomely - this will be a stunning model when it’s finished.👍

[Serkan Sen]

Just a quick update on my YF-12A build. I've made some good progress on the forward fuselage. The cockpit tub and instrument panel details are now complete.

 

The nose landing gear bay has been assembled before assembling the cockpit details:

 

But during the dry fit test of the entire fuselage, the front section fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. I was in complete shock and sat on the floor for about 10 minutes, unable to move. Once I gathered myself, I collected all the broken parts and placed them in a box before spending the rest of the night playing computer game help calm down. 

 

Tuesday morning, I carefully reassembled the broken pieces using CA glue and filled the gaps with UV resin, using a hand torch to cure it. After about three hours of work, I successfully restored the front fuselage.

 

I then attached the nose cone to the front section and painted everything with Tamiya Black to assess the surface quality and check for any remaining cracks. The painted parts are now curing alongside my 1:48 A-12 and TA-12 projects.

 

Serkan

[LorenSharp]

NIce save Serkan! I've been there and well and truly know your pain.. Keep up the great work.This build will get knocked right out of the park when finished!

[Serkan Sen]

23 hours ago, LorenSharp said:

NIce save Serkan! I've been there and well and truly know your pain.. Keep up the great work.This build will get knocked right out of the park when finished!

Many thanks Loren. My progress is very slow compared to your build. But hopefully one day in this year I will finish at least one of my builds...

The intake spikes have been assembled and the gaps were filled with UV resin and cured with hand torch:

 

Next step is to finish wheels.

 

Serkan

[LorenSharp]

Yeah but for the most part mine was pre-made. I only printed those parts that needed correcting. Yours on the other hand is totally from scratch.So taking a while to finish is to be expected. Plus I'm retired and have all kinds of time on my hands, so of course it got done faster.

[LorenSharp]

I have the feeling when the time comes and I'm doing the same, building a model printed from scratch, it will take as long if not longer.