fastwillie

From evilbay: Anigrand 1/72 XF-108 kit and Fox One 1/72 B-58 decals. Nice stuff!

Welcome to the ARC from a fellow (recent) newbie and Blackbird family enthusiast. You will find plenty of good company here. Never a shortage of ARC members who are willing and able to answer your questions and help with your requests. I'm glad I joined and you will be too. Cheers, Bill

Hypothetical question. Would the F-108 have flown in ADC units? Gray paint or white? If it was meant to escort the B-70, then where would they have been based? Possible squadron tail markings? Just wondering. Bill

Yeah, I'm on the teeter-totter with this one. The XF-108 really does look great. And now you guys tell me there is a 1/72 version available. Never heard of Anigrand before today. Are the XF-108 kits hard to find? What's a fair price for one? Bill

Hi Erik, As far as the SR-71 goes, Cutting Edge released an exhaust upgrade set in 1/48 scale. They also released tail art decal sets in both 1/48 and 1/72. I have the 1/72 set here in front of me. Nice stuff. Another forum featured a recent review of that product. PM me and I'll send you a link. Regards, Bill

F4DPhantomII: email (three parts) coming to your yahoo addy. I want to mention another very good reference book. Squadron Signal Walk Around No 32: SR-71 Blackbird. Lots of clear, detailed color and black & white photos with informative captions. Minimum history (already covered in other books). I've always like the Squadron books. They seem to know what the modelers want for reference material. Bill

Looking at my reference material, I found a good diagram in "Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird Family" from Aerofax. At the top of page 33, there is an A-12 side profile showing fuselage internal details. The camera system was in the Q-bay, just ahead of the nose gear wheel well (where the 2nd cockpit was eventually located for YF-12 and SR-71). Now, looking at the Italeri 1/72 SR-71 lower front fuselage half, I'd say that none of the windows on the kit piece would be used for the A-12 conversion. If anything, a new window (probably a little larger than one of the existing aft openings) needs

I will probably use a combination of the current Revell-Germany release and the re-issued Italeri kit. I'd like to build an A-12, a YF-12A and an SR-71A. Sure is easier to plan these than it is to build them (I'm slow to complete models). Oh, and your idea of a group buy is a good one. Check with the other guys and see who would get the ball rolling. Bill

Hi F4DPhantomII, ipms33206 and Alternative 4, Thanks for your replies. I finally did find something else to order to meet the minimum. So I'm good to go. How about you three get together on an order? The 1/48th scale SR-71 sets are available. CED48292 and CED48293 are $17.99 each. The five 1/72 BUFF decal sets run from $14.99 to $18.99. Probably should not wait too long to order these (even tho they are recently released). "Shop early for best selection!" Cheers, Bill P.S. Are there more Blackbird fans in this forum?

Hello fellow Blackbird enthusiasts, Is anyone going to/want to order the new Cutting Edge decal #CED72214? This is the 1/72 set for the SR-71 and YF-12A. I want only one decal set, but I don't meet minimum dollar amount to order. The website list them $18.99 per set. And, there just is not anything else I want to buy at Meteor at this time. Would appreciate any assistance coming my way. Cheers, Bill

Yeah. I've visited the used book stores in my metro area in hopes of finding one languishing on the shelf. As we use to say in the SONAR world of Soviet sub hunting: no joy. So if any of you happen to come across one (and don't need a second copy) for something less than a hundred, please grab it and let me know. I'll make sure a finder's fee comes your way. Bill (former pingjockey)

Ok B-58 Hustler fans. Are there any big differences between the 1985 Aerograph 4 edition and the 1998 Aerofax edition? What would I get from the 1998 version that the 1985 version does not have? Any must haves. Or just nice to haves? Thanks, Bill

I agree with Julien. The Special Hobby 1/72 U-2S kit I purchased from Larry arrived promptly and in great condition. Good price, good service, good new ARC friend. Bill

Disappointing. I won't prolong the assumed question. The only one I found on the shopping list was the Fox One 48-022, 1/48 Marine Skyhawks in Viet Nam. That's it. What else can I say? Tomcat Tweeker, I'll PM you with the details. I spent two hours sorting thru all their 1/48 and 1/72. Separated everything by Mfr. Set aside all the prop stuff, cuz this was a jets shopping trip. There were some Fox One decals, but not what most of you asked for. In 1/72 there were two #72-015 B-1B Lancers. In 1/48 there were two #48-009 US Navy Mig-Killing Phantoms, two #48-022 Skyhawks, one #48-024 US

Good question. Assuming I'm coming back with something for someone, payment options will be Paypal, money orders or personal checks (I hold shipments 10 days while checks clear). Sending cash is risky...I don't encourage it. This is also what I do over at evilbay (as a seller) and have had no problems. And just FYI, I'm in the Minneapolis area.