Revell 1/72 SR-71 Blackbird [Full Build Review]

[@danfreeman9079]

After working for years in the SR-71 program as a Code 42 Metals Technology Section Chief, part of the Fabrication Branch of the 9th Maintenance Squadron, 9th SRW. I worked closely with the SR-71 Corrosion Control Shop (PAINT SHOP) so I know the various stages the the RCS coatings (Paint) go through in their appearance. Some say the SR-71's appear to look blue, but that is really just a result of the refraction properties of light. Other factors have been described as Red/Blue Phase shift, which is depending on if the aircraft is flying away or towards the viewer. Under microscopical examination of the freshly painted Blackbird, you can see faceted black oxide crystals embedded within the paint. The texture is somewhat like velvet. As the paint wears down after use (The high temperature of flight, fuel and oil saturation, walking on it, and handling during maintenance), it becomes smoother and somewhat greyer in appearance. I have provided samples of SR-71 Titanium to professional model builders that have various conditions of the original paint on them so the builders can make an exact match. This is done for modeling competition purposes. I have found that Blackboard or (Chalkboard Paint) looks very close to a newly freshly painted SR-71.

[@e.briggs5044]

My father was an aeronautics engineer and I believe worked on the turbine engines when he was in the Air Force. Just recently bought this model for him and he was thoroughly impressed with the realistic nature of it. Cheers.

[@captainmctavish141]

I JUST finished building this kit and I wish I watched this first because I would've saved a ton of time on some of the extra steps I took. Your model turned out fantastic! Good work! I especially liked how you took advantage of those raised panel lines...

[@AirForceBuilder]

I was really scratching my head when you started the gray highlighting...but WOW! It turned out awesome!

[@nilz5909]

Oh wow I didn't expect that ingenious move with the sandpaper on the control panels

[@tsman2709]

Love that sanding raised panel likes technique!

[@nicolascofre2325]

Te quedó increíble la pintura 🎨. Felicidades

[@chrisdimis91]

I'm ready to start building my Lockheed TR1. Thanks for the tips brother

[@planejanemodeling]

Man this brings back a lot of memories. Thanks for the build!

[@moixmodels]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@robertshorthill6836]

Beall AFB. 1967. Flight line weather station. 16mm camera motion pix camera filming take-off and landings in case of mishaps. A waste of film ($$$) and an E-3's time. A TDY for 2 weeks and tons of still photos from a crash site in Las Vegas, New Mexico. All part of this E-3's AF career. Captains are just like enlisted dudes -- we all like to PARTY AT TAX PAYER'S EXPENCE!!!

[@russellstone9056]

@@robertshorthill6836 Glad I'm not a "taxpayer"

[@tonkpb]

Great kit - such a realistic finish. Doesn't need the music though...

[@FrederikEngelmand]

i did this model as one of my first, so its quite rough, didnt have airbrush only cans. used heavy glue no putty, and was impatient. after many models im thinking of buying the revell version just to make a milestone model :). so im gonna try and follow this video! looks great!

[@fishnchips5826]

Man… i hope one day my build will look as good as your 🔥🔥🔥

[@56Gumball]

Excellent build of a very old kit! Good weathering techniques too. Well done! 👏🏼

[@jayanthrangan7281]

Amazing build and very interesting technique for the cockpit and instrument panels. Congratulations

[@IndianScaleModeler]

Beautiful build there! I can’t wait to work on mine. I think now that I’m older I see why some companies go with a grey or white plastic molds part on cheaper then another color. But I think people want to paint them and like in some kits if they made it blue and someday like I’m going to make mine white it be harder to cover the blue. But yeah this is going to be a beast to build and paint. Thanks for sharing the build process.

[@Johnny-tt8zc]

I just bought this kit. I like how you gave it some definition.

[@robertnorth7609]

You did a fantastic job on that poor thing.

[@BillHalliwell]

G'day Moix, I really appreciate this excellent build. I have this kit in my stash and my biggest worry was how to delineate the panels and weathering. I have lots of colour film and pictures of the SR-71 and, up close, it really does not look good, except for the ones in museums. The panelling gaps were always large and the parts of the aircraft's surface that were the outside walls of the fuel tanks used to leak badly when on the ground. This is the best, most accurately weathered SR-71 I've seen to date. Now, thanks to you I can build my kit with a lot more confidence. My reference pics show that most of the roundels and painted lines on the aircraft were badly stained with fuel residue and the effects of the aircraft travelling so fast and high. I think I'll distress my decals a little bit as well. Those extra coats of paint you laid down before the top coats are a great idea. If my model is as half as good as yours then I'll be very happy. Thanks again. Cheers, and all the best. I've subscribed and 'rang' the bell. BH

[@moixmodels]

Thanks for the kind words! I actually had planned on doing some fuel leaks but my client wanted it clean, I read that the panels are quite loose because once they get at high altitudes, the change in pressure makes everything on the fuselage very tight and snug. Glad you enjoyed the video, I'm very happy to hear it was useful, I wish you the best on your build.

[@williamhood9893]

they didn't leak fuel, it just, dripped. consequence of supersonic speed of that caliber

[@BillHalliwell]

@@williamhood9893 G'day William, when you're talking about fuel exiting a aircraft, even a drip is a 'leak'. The info I have is that this on-ground 'dripping' to the extent that it happened, was unforeseen, however, it was built into the design of the SR-71 for the reason you mention. That is, the outer panels of the aircraft that constituted one or more surfaces of the internal fuel tanks, had to be spaced, minutely, to accommodate the expansion of the aircraft's 'skin' while at altitude and at nominal speeds both of which causes high temperatures. This is a similar effect that occurred on the Concorde aircraft that expanded several inches at altitude over speeds of Mach 1.5 The 'dripping leaking' was no great problem apart from a mess on the tarmac and a slightly elevated spark/fire risk. It did, however, leave parts of the aircraft's skin wet and dirty. This is what I was discussing with the model builder. The owner of the model, apparently, didn't want his model to show accurate 'weathering' or the 'dripping' effects shown on his model. That was all. When I've modelled the SR-71 I've recreated the residue of 'dripping' fuel on the model's surface, as it would be in reality. I have also read that this was a slight problem with the early U-2s but, I suspect, it was solved in the latest models that still operate today. Cheers, BH

[@romansthirteen-four8626]

I have three of these (different scales) waiting to hit the bench. You’ve definitely done some great work that DOES indeed help your fellow modelers - keep it up. Good work & narration. Thank . FYI - the audio cuts out for a time in the middle of the video.

[@joeshmoe9978]

Nice build 🏆

[@dimitrisblackbird]

Nice painting techniques. Congrats!

[@criadusmodeler]

Wow… wonderful Job!!!!!!

[@mauriciocastro6363]

I would paint the canopy frame before putting the transparencies.

[@myles_bennett77]

Wow, excellent build. You have inspired me to take out my kit that I started about 10 years ago and has been sitting in the box half finished ever since. I quit at the stage of filling the gaps on the bottom fuselage. I used the exact same putty as you but not with the tape technique, which would’ve saved me a ton of sanding. Thanks for the inspiration 👍

[@moixmodels]

Thank you very much! Glad these videos can help more people, good luck with your kit ;)

[@sci-fimodeler1701]

Nice vid. Now i am happy with this kit that I have and do not feel the need to purchase an updated tooling. This came out fantastic!.

[@jesseortega8598]

Awesome Job. I bought the one from ITALERI! I'm going to keep watching your video follow your methods. Again! Awesome job.

[@JanSchneidereit]

A stunning model! I like your paint job very much!

[@AnimaDweller]

Wow! this was a great build! i'm working on a SR-71 myself, i'll probably be following your buiuld quite closely!

[@dekon70]

Looks fantastic!

[@VC27]

I don't like building wheels up models, but your build is tempting me! Very nice job done on the detailing using the raised panels.

[@bugler75]

Go for it, this one bird that needs wheels up! 😊👍🏼

[@VC27]

@@bugler75 - True that!

[@goforitpainting]

It's really cool. Thank you for sharing.

[@eddiecollins6258]

It's a shame that the cockpit controls aren't visible! It would have been nice to have an option to open the canopies, I have the model and am trying to figure out how to rig the canopies to open instead of just gluing them shut. One option is simply to "not glue" them and let gravity hold them in place for closed position? Any thoughts?

[@VC27]

I was thinking the same. Just let the canopies sit in place, so that I can admire the details(If I can get them as well as he has) later on.

[@hozongxi]

Well done! Beautifully weathered to perfection!

[@fabiosilva3799]

Very good! Please,1/48 Kinetic Mirage IIIE. Thank you.

[@nicolascofre2325]

Tremendo resultado 🎉

[@giorgosgr2]

Nice build and very helpful 👍 your tips mate 👍

[@petrkral9804]

My favourite plane

[@frostyace5909]

Awesome build this is amazing 👌😄😄

[@fubarmodelyard1392]

Excellent job

[@papermodelss]

Wow!👍

[@frankwhaley8410]

Great job

[@DavidRLentz]

How does this kit compare with the Hasegawa 1:72nd-scale kit of the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" USAF Surveillance Reconnaissance Aircraft, please?

[@gustavoantonelli]

One of the best details of this model are the wheel wells, among the cockpit (that are impossible to see if you close it). BTW, the Blackbird was not black... But if you like it and you are happy it's everything OK.

[@wilson561]

I read that the paint used was dark blue, but not sure if that info is accurate. I've seen (in person) the SR-71 displayed at the Udvar-Hazy museum in VA and it looks black. For all purposes of representing this airplane the model shown here is spot on.Great job Rene!

[@JugHeadJonesNyc]

Do you need glue for this kit i just got this

[@hangerbird]

So you prime, then spray black, then do the grey to accent the panels... "and then go over all of that with the black" and lightly sand it to bring the grey back? Is that what I am seeing?

[@moixmodels]

exactly, the light sanding is to show the primer underneath the paint

[@DanakarEndeel]

Question: why did you use Pledge Floor Polish? That's the only thing I found very peculiar as I never saw anyone use that before. What purpose does this Pledge Floor Polish serve? Apart from that this is an awesome model and I'm also looking for a 1/72 scale kit for the SR-71. Currently I can't decide if I should go with Revell, Italeri, or the Academy "Limited Edition". EDIT: I'm also planning on having mine in flight-mode and plan to use small orange LEDs in the thrusters with a tiny "Lilypad CR2032 Battery Mount Module" that I found over on Amazon. It has a little on/off switch and runs off a single 3V CR2032 button cell. I think that should power 2 small orange LEDs without the need for resistors or anything. I just need to make sure to mount it in a display base so I can swap out the battery once it's empty. I will likely try your idea for a mounting rod but may choose a smaller hollow metal tube to run the wires through. Unless that Lilypad is small enough to fit in the cockpit area. Then I might check if I can mount it there. That way I can use a clear acrylic rod instead (I still have some from a leftover project)

[@jacquesdemolay2699]

the crew pressure suit should be painted orange rather than brown. otherwise --- good job.

[@saabrulz]

Looks great! The Matt finish top coat you used. Did you use that straight from the bottle or did you thin in?

[@moixmodels]

Thank you! I used it straight from the bottle

[@vladancovic5574]

@@moixmodels how resilient is this Windsor matt varnish on enamel thinner and enamel weathering products??

[@moixmodels]

@@vladancovic5574 well, I don't know over enamel paint, but Tamiya washes are enamel based and I haven't had any problem or unwanted reaction, the matt coat tends to give a very even surface and stick well too.

[@midnightmodeling1639]

Great work there, subbed your page.

[@allgood6760]

Nice!, 👍✈️

[@MetalboyRocks]

it's Jetfire!

[@MrBeuchet]

very nice

[@BIGM-gg9ln]

unbeleivable!!!

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Nice

[@gianluigimarino8264]

Great!!!!!

[@ОльгаОлексюк-х7ъ]

It's Jetfire from TF2 ROTF

[@robertnorth7609]

Actually, raised panel lines notwithstanding, yeah-- a halfway decent kit.

[@Αλιθεως3378]

Poli όμορφο αλλά μπωρουσε να ήταν ρωσικό και όχι αμερικάνικο!!!🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾😉😉😉💖💖💖💖🙏🙏

[@DIFowner]

Why ruin your video with the obnoxious (noise) music. Had to turn off video at 5 minute mark. Could listen to that crap a second longer!

[@miked3168]

music is too loud

[@thatifalover]

Any tips on how to get that grey stripe weathering method without an airbrush? I was thinking about trying to use smudgy graphite but i think there would be better ways.