Stealth aircraft

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jvenables@iimetro.com.au - 12 Jun 2006 11:32 GMT

Having recently finished reading "Skunkworks", I feel inspired to
build models of the SR-71 and F-117. Because I am not usually a jet
aircraft modeller, my knowledge of the available model kits on these
subjects is quite limited.

Of the readily available 1:72 kits (my preferred scale), the SR-71 is
represented by Academy, Hasegawa, Italeri and Revell. The choices for
the F-117 are Academy, Hasegawa, Italeri, Revell and Tamiya.

I'm assuming there may be some cross-kitting between manufacturers
here, so the choice may not be as broad as it appears.

Would anyone like to give their comments on these choices? Please note
that value-for-money is my primary interest here. I am not a rivet
counter and I do not build for contests, so all I want is a nice
representation of these aircraft on my shelf for a modest cost and a
fairly hassle-free and enjoyable OOB build.

Thanks in advance.

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WmB - 12 Jun 2006 15:20 GMT

> Having recently finished reading "Skunkworks", I feel inspired to
> build models of the SR-71 and F-117. Because I am not usually a jet
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Thanks in advance.

For the sake of completeness add Monogram to the list of 1/72 Blackbirds.
Don't know how it stacks up quality wise or if it has cycled thru the Revell
catalog lately, but they made one and it is relatively easy to find online.

The Mono kit came with some sort of drone IIRC.

WmB

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Jessie C - 13 Jun 2006 00:16 GMT

> For the sake of completeness add Monogram to the list of 1/72 Blackbirds.
> Don't know how it stacks up quality wise or if it has cycled thru the Revell
> catalog lately, but they made one and it is relatively easy to find online.

The current-issue Revell kit is the old Monogram mould. It's good for OOB
building, certainly the best of the lot for fit and buildability.

> The Mono kit came with some sort of drone IIRC.

And the drone is wrong for an SR-71. You need to give it a nose job to
make it into an M-21 to make the drone accurate. Either that or get two
kits and hang the drones from a B-52.

Getting back to the F-117 question, the best kit is the Academy. The
Testors doesn't have the upturned exhaust and the weapons bay doors are
backwards.

Signature

Jessica

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Mad-Modeller - 13 Jun 2006 04:24 GMT

By all means avoid the ancient Revell SR-71 kits. Collectibles, yes;
builders, no. As WmB says, the new Revell kit is the old Monogram and I
liked building it. I also enjoyed Italeri's rendition of the YF-12.
They both seemed accurate but whether they were I can't testify.

I built the Testors F-117 but it wasn't overly complicated nor
apparently 100% accurate.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

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Ultan Rooney - 13 Jun 2006 06:22 GMT

> Of the readily available 1:72 kits (my preferred scale), the SR-71 is
> represented by Academy, Hasegawa, Italeri and Revell. The choices for
> the F-117 are Academy, Hasegawa, Italeri, Revell and Tamiya.

There is a very comprehensive review of the different SR-71 kits at
www.72scale.com. In summary, the recent Revell releases of the Monogram kit
is the way to go. I built a re-release of the Monogram kit and the only real
issue was the poor quality decals. The Revell releases have much better
decals.

Cheers
Ultan

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jvenables@iimetro.com.au - 14 Jun 2006 01:27 GMT

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

Sounds like the current Revell listing is the way to go for the SR-71.

I notice that it falls into about the middle of the price range -
around the same price as the Italeri, a little cheaper than Hasegawa
but about twice as expensive as Academy.

I see that Hasegawa have a "Skunkworks" boxing of their F-117.

Cheers all,
James.

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Model Forum / General / Models / June 2006

Stealth aircraft