Jay Chladek Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Another project I finished at the beginning of 2020. This was my last build of that year before Covid locked everything down. This is an out of the box build of Dragon's 1/144 SR-71 kit. All things considered, it is an excellent kit and I was able to finish it in under 10 hours. Some people knock the shape of this kit, but overall, I think it is a better representation of the SR-71 in this scale than the LS/Arii kit. Shape-wise, I believe Dragon copied and pantagraphed down the Hasegawa kit while adding some minor panel line detail as the two kits are eerily similar, down to the rudimentary cockpits with ejection seats. This model represents 61-7980 around the time it flew three successful Bomb Damage Assessment flights over Libya in support of Operation "El Dorado Canyon", the F-111 strike. Kit decals were used for the "No Step" markings on the tail. The red "rescue" markings on the nose are mostly kit decals that I coated with Tamiya clear red spray and a couple warning triangles scrounged from an Arii kit sheet. The tail numbers came from a Scale-Master insignia red stencil letters and numbers decal sheet. The main paint color used was Tamiya Rubber Black spray, which is a good approximation for SR-71 black with it's slight bluish tint. Part of the reason I am posting this now is because it appears that Platz in Japan has just reissued the Dragon kit. It is a little on the pricey side, but worth the purchase IMHO. I have one more Dragon kit in my stash that I may attempt to convert into a YF-12 if I am crazy enough. This picture done with a flash helps showcase the blue/gray tint of Tamiya Rubber Black. It is available in bottle and spray can forms. The Mach 3+ patch is an official one. It was given to me by a friend (Chuck Holte) who helped plan the El Dorado Canyon BDA missions at SAC Headquarters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Oh! Very nice! I have two of the LS kits, so I will do some comparison with your photos! And appreciate the tip on using Rubber Black. K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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