[flyXwire]

The FM SR71 is 1:96th scale according to the ad I found:
http://forum.themodelhangar.com/atta...5&d=1166849327

Originally Posted by swoop

I have the Franklin Mint SR71. It was the first plane I ever purchased. It's one of my favourites, but somewhat out of place in my collection. It's 13" long tail to needle and 6.5" at its widest span. I would have to look it up in one of my books to calculate the scale,but not today. It would be a terrific model in anyones collection. I hope someone will do it. Owing to current ownership. I'll pass on this one. Swoop. n' out

[swoop]

Thanks for the info flyxwire, don't have the box anymore. Swoop.

[David Hingtgen]

I'm going to go hunt up some pics of all the possible paint schemes----both to show people here what options there are, and also as possible "ammo" to convince Hobby Master that there are this many options from a "single use" mold. If you've seen the Revell/Monogram 1/72 SR-71 kit (often at Wal-Mart for $10), the decals include several of the different tail markings. They could just scan them in and have artwork for half the options right there!

[Hornchurch]

Despite seeing 'em in the flesh numerous times (both flying & walking round them, live & active examples only - at USAF Mildenhall, over a fifteen year spell) strangely, they've never really held my interest.

Recently went through my old (& large) 35mm film collection, & came across a shot I'd taken, standing in front of the nose, from only a few feet away, with several Armed Guards with M.16's next to it, on a typical grey & overcast Bank Holiday week-end.

Fantastic a/c with performance to match, but not enough to make a purchase - strange that.

Feel pretty much the same about the F.117.

[skysurfer808]

Originally Posted by swoop

I have the Franklin Mint SR71. It was the first plane I ever purchased. It's one of my favourites, but somewhat out of place in my collection. It's 13" long tail to needle and 6.5" at its widest span. I would have to look it up in one of my books to calculate the scale,but not today. It would be a terrific model in anyones collection. I hope someone will do it. Owing to current ownership. I'll pass on this one. Swoop. n' out

Hey Swoop, love the way you live up to your name.

The Franklin Mint Blackbird is 1/96, which is close enough to Armour's 1/100 that mine isn't an orphan. I also have the autographed Memphis Belle, so I keep both surrounded by plenty of Armours to keep them from being lonely.
Only drawback to this scale is the lack of Japanese planes, but they have a lot of others and are available relatively cheaply.

I'll definately recommend buying one of these if they can be located at a decent price. As for one in 1/72 if it doesn't have the same features of the Franklin Mint I won't get one. However, if they came with a YF-12 then that'd be another story. I still have the Testor's kit in 1/48, and its Black and Silver livery is quite a winner.

Skysurfer808

[David Hingtgen]

Ok, here are the main, famous SR-71A paint schemes. There's dozens of short-lived one-offs, etc. The first two are the most common high-vis and low-vis schemes.

1: Standard high-vis white markings, the 'default' SR-71 scheme. Worn by all.

2: Low-vis all-red markings. Serial number on tail is quite small, and due to color and style (outlines instead of solid) most of the rescue arrows etc on the nose are hard to see. But it does carry nearly every marking the white ones do. Worn by any that hadn't crashed by the time they came into use.

3 and 4: Reactivation markings---the ones brought back to USAF service after being mothballed. Still all-red, but bolder and more visible. Nose and tail closeups. Probably the coolest but least-known of SR-71 standard markings. Worn by 17967 and 17971.

Now, famous individual markings:

5: 17974, "Ichiban". Carries a Habu (Japanese black snake, and the SR-71's official nickname) wrapped around a 1, standing for Det(atchment) 1 of the 9th Recon Wing, Kadena. Possibly the most-modeled SR-71.

6. 17978, "Rapid Rabbit". Self-explanatory, but the pic needs explanation. 17978 crashed, this was its right rudder. The rudder was recovered and installed on 19795 as the left rudder. This was unknown for many years, until they discovered 17978's markings on 17975 while restoring it for the museum. The "hairs" on top of the rudder seem to be exclusive to that plane at the museum and is on both rudders, so it has to be something related to preserving it or something.

7. 17955, Lockheed's own Skunk Works logo.

8. 17980/844. NASA markings with white and red tail stripe.

Finally, no model could make better use of moving rudders than an SR-71. And there's a pic of them moving them this far in flight in full burner---the afterburners tend not to light off simultaneously, and there can be several seconds when it needs FULL rudder authority to counteract the yaw caused by one engine in burner and one not.

[djjeffhall]

David,
Hey there sir.

Your research and dedication are above and beyond the call. Thanks for the deatisl and the posts. We might just get Hobby Master (Or someone?) talked into producing this bird yet!

[swoop]

ER! Skysurfer808, thanks I think. Looking over my SR71 I agree with your assessment.FM made a nice model. Dimensionally its Pretty and pretty perfect. Glad someone else has one. Swoop. n'out.

[JETFAN]

Well if we are going to have an SR-71, we might as well go for the U-2 as well. There are several different schemes plus the two-seater etc and think of the all the various humps and bumps etc that have been carried by them. It shouldn't be difficult to tool for the variations in configuration.

A good friend of mine here in RBG was skipper of the U-2s during Desert Storm. Today he flies corporate jets and has a Great Lakes bi-plane as his personal mount. I've flown with him several times in different types and had great conversations about his career. During Nam, he flew special Ops C-47s and survived a very bad crash at night when a number of the crew members were killed. Later, he flew T-38s as an instructor before going to the U-2.

[mhackl]

Oh yea! That's one bad bird. It would be cool if the A-12 could also be tooled.