Weathering an SR-71 Blackbird
ra...@intouch.ca
Can anyone give me any suggestions on weathering an SR-71? How do you weather
a plane that is all black? What colors should I use and what techniques would
make it look real?
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ray
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
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Albatrosdv
Essentially, from what I know from people who have been around those things
(which admittedly isn't much, since they didn't used to talk very much) the
airplanes were very well-maintained.
That doesn't do much for a model of an all-black airplane, and here I will
agree with people who make changes along the panel lines. At Las Vegas IPMS'
show, I saw a very nice SR-71, where the modeler had masked along panel lines
and taken pastels in various dark grey shades and put it along the line, then
blown it lightly away from the line. This was very subtle, but gave some color
differentiation sufficient to bring out highlights of the model, without being
extreme in it. BTW, he said that the way he fixed the pastel was to spray from
a distance of several feet (4-5' away) so that the power of the air supply
didn't blow the pastels around. It sure seemed to work looking at it.
Hope this helps.
Tom Cleaver
Albat...@aol.com
Aviation Editor
Navismagazine.com
Jonathan G. Bryon
I'm know where near an expert on the SR-71, but when I built mine in 1/48
I noticed that photos of the real thing showed the plane's surface to be
'streaky', particulary in low light. I tried to replicate this by
airbrushing differing amounts of Klear (Future) across the fuselage (not
down it's length). This gives a finish of semi-gloss to matt steaks
across the fuselage. As I say, I don't know how correct this is, but done
subtley I was very pleased with the finish.
Jon B
F. X. Kranick, Jr.
ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
>
> Can anyone give me any suggestions on weathering an SR-71? How do you weather
> a plane that is all black? What colors should I use and what techniques would
> make it look real?
>
> Any comments would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Ray
Ray -
I've got one of these birds as well and the TR-1 from Italeri (or was
it ESCI?) which is also black. I've seen several posts here suggesting
NOT to paint the models pure black and it seems a good way to go.
Lighten the black with some white, not too much, just enough to allow
the surface details to show up with a wash - I'd think about 10 to 15
percent white to 90 to 85 percent black would suffice. If anyone else
wants to junp in here, please do so....
My thoughts are to paint it as I describe and then accent the panel
lines with black as you might with another aircraft, say, a USN grey
over white airplane. The key is to tone down the base color as black
will be too overpowering on a model. Any way you do it, good luck!
--
Frank
IPMS/USA 20352
"I'm a real boy!"
- Pinocchio
*****************************
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
CAD Drafter/CAFM Administrator
University of Scranton
Scranton, PA USA
kran...@uofs.edu
(717) 941-6267 - voice
(717) 941-6220 - facsimile
LYRAD108
you probably won't believe me, but the Blackbird is actually a very,very dark
blue.
Doug Devers
LYRAD108 wrote in message
<199806102136...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>you probably won't believe me, but the Blackbird is actually a very,very
dark
>blue.
>
me-and you can get right up to it-it's outside on static display. The
finish looks like that flat black paint used on charcoal grills.
Just my 2¢ worth.
--
-Doug
IPMS 36997
-Relative to the technology of the time, the Great Pyramid
is the most ambitious project of man with the possible exception
of the Great Wall of China; and it is certainly the most useless,
without exception.
-Isaac Asimov
MilSpec132
I don't believe you;^)
I've only seen one, at WPAFB, and it looked as black as black gets.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
" I Thought I Was Wrong Once, But I Was Mistaken..."
-Unknown
Lee White
Colorado Springs
JMChladek
There is one on display at the SAC museum and it is indeed black. It was black
before they refinished it in the white USAF logos. The pastel application that
somebody else mentioned seems to be the best way to achieve a subtle
weathering. Another thing you can do is to simulate the wet spots on the
bottoms of the wing and the fuselage where the fuel leaks out when the aircraft
is cool. A blackbird's fuel tanks seal at high temperatures and when the
airplane is cold, it leaks like crazy. Even as the aircraft is in flight to
top off with fuel from a KC-135 before accelerating to mach 3, it still showns
wet spots along the edges of the wings, where fuel continues to weep out until
it reaches its operating temperature.
Future could probably be used to simulate this, but I am not exactly sure as to
what the best way is to apply it for the proper effect. But, it would
certainly make for a different style of weathering.
Jay Chladek
Phil Brandt
On 10 Jun 1998 22:12:31 GMT, milsp...@aol.com (MilSpec132) wrote:
>
> I've only seen one, at WPAFB, and it looked as black as black gets.
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been on an 'aircrew member only' tour under one that had just
landed ('78) at MUO (we were an SR-71 emergency recovery base) while
it was still "tink...tink...tinking" as it cooled. it sure looked
black, with some lighter streaking, to this modeler. I'd try varying
the sheen of panels, as well.
Bondo Phil
IPMS 14091
Phil Brandt
>LYRAD108 wrote in message
><199806102136...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>>you probably won't believe me, but the Blackbird is actually a very,very
>dark
>>blue.
>>
>Well...the one at the museum in Warner Robbins, GA sure looks black to
>me-and you can get right up to it-it's outside on static display.
They used to say that about the X-15 also...that it was a very, very
deep blue black. The last two that we carried to the Smithsonian and
Wright-Patt in '69 were solid black Inconel, fer sure. If there was
any blue, it would have had to have been the same very slight blue
cast that AB sections sometimes take on, ala the F-100, or Harley
headers.
Bondo Phil
IPMS 14091
Phil Brandt
On 10 Jun 1998 22:44:42 GMT, jmch...@aol.com (JMChladek) wrote:
Another thing you can do is to simulate the wet spots on the
>bottoms of the wing and the fuselage where the fuel leaks out when the aircraft
>is cool.
I guess drip pans under the model would make it a diorama.............
Bondo Phil
IPMS 14091
Jbm007
I went to california to pick up our Blackbird for the display here in
Minnesota.....I see it every first Saturday as I go to the club
meeting.......trust me, it's very black, not blue!
Jack Mugan
Jbm007
Part of the fuel leakage is attributed to the fact the aircraft actually
stretches (grows in length) during flight which tightens up the seams, and when
on the ground the metal is relaxed resulting in the leakage.
Jack Mugan
Dominique Durocher
I intend to slightly lighten the black and add a little blue, as in some
pictures it does seem to have blue highlights This may well be an optical
illusion, but I think it looks good. The idea of varying the sheen of
different panels i also like.
As for the plane being a dark blue, the FS number says so, but this blue
looks as black as any I've seen, and I've now seen a Blackbird, at the Air
Force Museum (open cockpit!)
Dom
--
Dominique Durocher | Lair of the Draken
dra...@odyssee.net | http://www.odyssee.net/~draken/index.html
SF Model Builders Assn | SF Model Builder's Association
Montreal, Canada | http://www.newfrontier.on.ca
Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.
Bochra
the official color is "Indigo Blue"
--
Peace and long life
Bochra
Mark_...@vapower.com
In article <199806102212...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -Unknown
> Lee White
> Colorado Springs
>
>
it
Azzz1588
To get a good color for it, try
MM Interior black
Seems to be a good color for a base coat.
And yes the one I was ALL over at the SAC museum
(including being in the cockpit !!) looked
as black as can be to me...
Allan
http://members.aol.com/azzz1588/azpage1.html
"Only a Gentleman can insult me, and a true Gentleman never will..."
LYRAD108
Maybe the one Blackbird I saw in the picture was very,very dark blue, okay?!
Mike Kopack
One thing that I do recall from seeing several SR-71's while in the AF was a
million, brownish grey dusty footprints. Perhaps a bit tough to model, but imagine
the looks it will get. Actually no AF acft are really correct without a good
number of footprints.
Mike Kopack
ex F-16A/B/C/D Crew Chief
current KC-10 A&P
ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
> Can anyone give me any suggestions on weathering an SR-71? How do you weather
> a plane that is all black? What colors should I use and what techniques would
> make it look real?
>
> Any comments would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Ray
>
Nanayeye
To me, the SR71 is without a doubt black, black, black. I live in NYC where
the A-12 is displayed on the Intrepid Museum. Been there countless of times.
It is black. The optical illusion of a dark blue may come when pictures of
the plane is taken after high Mack speed runs. The skin somewhat "whitens"
during high speeds caused by friction and this may give the illusion of being
lighter than the matt black of the skin surface. Remember charcol is as black
as black can be, but when heated it begins to gray or whiten. When I built the
SR-71 in 1/48 scale, I air brushed the model matt black then weathered with
very dark shades of gray pastel chalk. The results were great. I would not
recommend
painting the model whatever official blue its called then trying to weather it.
It just won't sit right. I'll make it seem like it was pick right out of a mid
Mack 3 flight (with landing gears down !!) and put on display. If on the other
hand you plan to display the plane in Mach flight... hey, you never know? That
dark blue may pull it off, but NOT when modeled on the ground with gears down!
SteveEP
ra...@intouch.ca
Do you happen to know what causes those streak? And regarding the streaks
themselves, were they just differences in gloss vs matte or is there really a
color difference?
Thanks,
Ray
>
>
> I'm know where near an expert on the SR-71, but when I built mine in 1/48
> I noticed that photos of the real thing showed the plane's surface to be
> 'streaky', particulary in low light. I tried to replicate this by
> airbrushing differing amounts of Klear (Future) across the fuselage (not
> down it's length). This gives a finish of semi-gloss to matt steaks
> across the fuselage. As I say, I don't know how correct this is, but done
> subtley I was very pleased with the finish.
>
> Jon B
>
ra...@intouch.ca
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the suggestiong. Very interesting. This sounds pretty promising.
Did you notice the shading difference right away or did you have to look at it
from various angles? Have you ever done this before?
Thanks,
Ray
Mike Kopack
Believe it or not, as black as the SR really appears (and let's face it - it's
black) the FS number for the paint actually is dark blue.
Mike Kopack
Mark_...@vapower.com wrote:
> In article <199806102212...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
> milsp...@aol.com (MilSpec132) wrote:
> >
> > I don't believe you;^)
> >
> > I've only seen one, at WPAFB, and it looked as black as black gets.
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > " I Thought I Was Wrong Once, But I Was Mistaken..."
> > -Unknown
> > Lee White
> > Colorado Springs
> >
> >
> The one I saw at the Smithsonian is definitly black. Have the photos to prove
> it
>
S E Smith
After a close (hands on) examination of the SR-71 at the Warner
Robbins Air Museum I did confirm what I had heard about the body
panels actually being plastic, which did not seem to show much
weathering except at the edges of panels. The edges seemed to be a
bit duller than the rest of the panel, I guess due to air friction.
These things got pretty hot when flying. The flat texture of the
surface did give a hint to its color not being truly black so I would
agree that dark blue is appropriate for this plane. If the kits only
had recessed panel lines to reflect the true details of this plane
Political correctness is just another way to kill your
right to free speech and personal opinion. Speak Your Mind.
pauldort
Reference material I have has the following to say about the SR-71 color;
"The black paint is highly sophisticated and specially formulated to radiate
excess heat while at the same time disrupting incoming radar energy. At
operating tempatures and altitudes, it changes color to blue."
Seems like evrybody is right. I've seen the one at Dayton and it is
definetly black.
>> I've only seen one, at WPAFB, and it looked as black as black gets.
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>The one I saw at the Smithsonian is definitly black. Have the photos to
prove
>it
ra...@intouch.ca
Hi Dominique,
When you saw the plane, did it have blue highlights in real life vs. photos?
I've got an old Monogram kit and it didn't have any FS numbers. If it did, I
wouldn't be in this quandry.
Thanks,
Ray
ra...@intouch.ca
Thanks for the suggestion Francis.
Right now, the plane has a light coating of black on it. It's one of these
kits that I started building way back in 1986-87, but I never completed (not
enough time and resources). Now ten years later I'm coming back to the hobby
and I'm trying to learn and experience as much as possible (and to finish some
of the model kits I have sitting around at home). I'm currently leaning
towards the use of pastels. Do you have any suggestions on that topic?
Thanks,
Ray
ra...@intouch.ca
Hi Phil,
Might the blue idea come from problems or artifacts due to the photography? I
believe some pictures I've seen of the X-15 made it look kinda bluish when
sunlight reflected off the fuselage.
Ray
>
> They used to say that about the X-15 also...that it was a very, very
> deep blue black. The last two that we carried to the Smithsonian and
> Wright-Patt in '69 were solid black Inconel, fer sure. If there was
> any blue, it would have had to have been the same very slight blue
> cast that AB sections sometimes take on, ala the F-100, or Harley
> headers.
>
> Bondo Phil
> IPMS 14091
>
ra...@intouch.ca
Hi,
Where did you get this information? This is the first time anyone has
mentioned an official color for the SR-71.
Ray
ra...@intouch.ca
Hi Phil,
Do you remember which panels had the "lighter streaking"? And how light does
light get? I've found that pictures of the SR-71 are deceiving due to the
lighting, film, etc. From an eye witness, did every panel seem to have it's
own hue of black or did there appear to be weather just due to flight?
Thanks,
Ray
>
> On 10 Jun 1998 22:12:31 GMT, milsp...@aol.com (MilSpec132) wrote:
>
> >
> > I've only seen one, at WPAFB, and it looked as black as black gets.
> >-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I've been on an 'aircrew member only' tour under one that had just
> landed ('78) at MUO (we were an SR-71 emergency recovery base) while
> it was still "tink...tink...tinking" as it cooled. it sure looked
> black, with some lighter streaking, to this modeler. I'd try varying
> the sheen of panels, as well.
>
> Bondo Phil
> IPMS 14091
>
R. Michael Tugwell
The information I have (which is pretty old) says that they were painted
a dark blue, but that the heat scorched the paint and turned it black.
The birds I have seen were both black.
Mike
F. X. Kranick, Jr.
ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
> (snip) I'm currently leaning
> towards the use of pastels. Do you have any suggestions on that topic?
>
> Thanks,
> Ray
I've tried and liked the effects pastels offer but my models get
groped too much for me to use pastels regularly, so, not surprisingly, I
don't use 'em. I've used them on armor mostly with good results.
Pasteling aircraft is a whole 'nother realm, so I'll defer to anyone who
has more experience than I.
Okay, everyone else in RMS, take one giant step forward...
Phil Brandt
On Thu, 11 Jun 1998 17:22:06 GMT, ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
>Hi Phil,
>
>Do you remember which panels had the "lighter streaking"? And how light does
>light get?
Ray,
I'm sorry, but after 20+ years I don't have a clue in the old memory
bank. But what I have seen are a great variety of good aviation books
which have excellent pix for color reference. Check out Borders,
Bookstop, Barnes&Noble etc. The A-12/SR-71 is a well-covered airplane.
Phil Brandt
IPMS 14091
Birgit & Burkhard Domke
>Reference material I have has the following to say about the SR-71 color;
>
>"The black paint is highly sophisticated and specially formulated to radiate
>excess heat while at the same time disrupting incoming radar energy. At
>operating tempatures and altitudes, it changes color to blue."
>
>Seems like evrybody is right. I've seen the one at Dayton and it is
>definetly black.
It's a matter of UV reflectivity and ambient UV radiation level, the
latter increasing with altitude considerably (we talk 80.000+ feet
here). Color films are somewhat sensible to UV radiation (hence
"skylight" UV filters). Black may be reproduced as dark blue on film
under these circumstances.
Ever noticed how US Army helo drab changes its perceived hue (to the
naked eye, let alone on film) under different lighting conditions?
Same with F-117s.
at least that's what I think...
regards,
Burkhard
JMChladek
>
>Any suggestions how to convincingly put these footprints on a 1/72
>Blackbird? ;-)
>
>Eric
Here's a thought. Since the maitenance guys on top of the blackbirds were what
look like whitish socks over the shoes (or in place of shoes) to prevent
scuffing of the airframe, why not cut a couple Q-tip swabs down to the size and
shape of a 1/72 foot. Or put cotton pads on the feet of a 1/72 ground crew
member and press him along the surface of the painted model with diluted semi
gloss or gloss on the cotton pads to leave footprint outlines on the model. It
just came to me upon reading this and I think it is at least worth checking
out. :)
Jay Chladek
Jonathan O'Connor
In charcoal, the stuff that makes it gray comes from the chemical decomposition of
the stuff that makes it black, that plus some of what makes it gray is also already
there, just hidden.
Ever heard of potash? as in pot-asium?
Which by the way, don't throw that stuff away when you BBQ, throw the ashes on your
lawn.
But the paint on the SR-71 does not break down like that.
The "streaks" are actually FUEL leaking from the wing tanks. The tanks do not
fully seal until the wing skin heats up.
JO'C
JO'C
YEEELiotta
b.d...@coruscant.b.shuttle.de wrote:
>On Thu, 11Jun 1998 05:35:16
>-700."pauldort"
><paul...@email.msn.com>wrote:
>>"The black paint is highly sophisticated and specially formulated to radiate
>>excess heat while at the same time disrupting incoming radar energy. At
>>operating tempatures and altitudes, it changes color to blue."
>It's a matter of UV reflectivity and ambient UV radiation level, the
>latter increasing with altitude considerably (we talk 80.000+ feet
>here). Color films are somewhat sensible to UV radiation (hence
>"skylight" UV filters). Black may be reproduced as dark blue on film
>under these circumstances.
What everyone who has "SEEN" a Blackbird on display some where seems to
have failed to grasp is that in all likelyhood thes display aircraft have be
repainted in some highly weather proof version of "Krylon" flat black since the
special FS blue paint isn' t nessisary or affordable and looks "close enough
for goverment work" pun intended! All respect to Bondo Phil, being under a
Blackbird wouldn't allow him the apportunity to see the blue hue. Having
personaly been at an Edwards AFB open house where an opperational SR was on
display, in bright sun light in the heat of the day, the SR-71 does if fact
take on a very dark blueish black hue. As for replicating this I would
recommend using a mix of Humbrol Metacote Gunmetal mixed with a flat black of
choice and then weathered following other suggestions found here. Just
remember, the real thing is the only way to tell, displays are only that ,
someone elses representation of what it should look like.
Cheers, Keith
Plastics Manager, Hobbies-N-Stuff, Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque Scale Modelers IPMS #26175
It's still just plastic!
"The model doesn't make the modeler, the modeler makes the model."
Frank C. Crenshaw
Along time ago, I was in the USAF.. I had nothing to do with Blackbirds,
and I only saw one upclose once (it had engine trouble and landed at Hill
AFB-I happened to be working on the PA system in the hangar they towed
the thing into). BUT -I had a roomate who worked on airframes (depot
level stuff). He was stationed in Okinawa at one point.. Working on- of
course SR-71s. He told me they were not actually painted (or perhaps
parts of the plane were not painted), more like stained. He said the
planes skin was largely composed of asbesdos (sp??) with a thin sheeting
of titanium. One thing I can say, I heard alot of things that just were
not true while I was in but I think this was no bull story.
During one of the great airshows they used to hold at RAF Greenham
Common (my next assignment, working with navy missles, and an army
mentality), a CND protestor painted a piece symbol on a blackbird that
was on display. They canceled all further airshows at Greenham because of
this.. Anyways one thing I heard was that you simply cannot PAINT a
blackbird and it was going to cost a tremendous amount of money to redo.
Perhaps it is a process similar to blueing a gun? A blued gun looks
pretty black, but is actually a very dark blue?? Seems resonable, but I
am sure there is more to it.
--Frank
In article <199806112201...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
yeeel...@aol.com says...
-------------------------------------------------------
Frank Crenshaw fccr...@usgs.gov
Computer Specalist
USGS Grand Junction, CO (970) 245-5257 ext. 3018
"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you"
Dave Stein
ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Where did you get this information? This is the first time anyone has
> mentioned an official color for the SR-71.
>
> Ray
> >
> > the official color is "Indigo Blue"
> >
> > --
> >
> > Peace and long life
> > Bochra
> >
> >
>
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Yes, official color is Indigo Blue, nicknamed 'Iron Ball' (rumor has it
it has some metal mixed in and has slight radar absorbing qualities)
what I've read of it's history, pilot interviews and what I've seen live
with my Mk one eyeball is...its STRAIGHT FLAT BLACK
--
Nothing spoils fun
like finding out
it builds character.
-Calvin
Dave Stein
You may also want to shade panels with flat black, satin black and
semi-gloss black.
Jonathan G. Bryon
Sorry - I'm not sure what causes the streaks - possibly fuel? I meant a
difference in terms of gloss vs. matt, not a difference in colour.
Jon B
On Thu, 11 Jun 1998 ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
> Do you happen to know what causes those streak? And regarding the streaks
> themselves, were they just differences in gloss vs matte or is there really a
> color difference?
>
> Thanks,
> Ray
>
>
> >
> >
> > I'm know where near an expert on the SR-71, but when I built mine in 1/48
> > I noticed that photos of the real thing showed the plane's surface to be
> > 'streaky', particulary in low light. I tried to replicate this by
> > airbrushing differing amounts of Klear (Future) across the fuselage (not
> > down it's length). This gives a finish of semi-gloss to matt steaks
> > across the fuselage. As I say, I don't know how correct this is, but done
> > subtley I was very pleased with the finish.
> >
> > Jon B
> >
> > On Wed, 10 Jun 1998 ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
> >
> > > Can anyone give me any suggestions on weathering an SR-71? How do you
> weather
> > > a plane that is all black? What colors should I use and what techniques
> would
> > > make it look real?
> > >
> > > Any comments would be appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Ray
> > >
Kurt Plummer
LYRAD108 wrote:
>
> you probably won't believe me, but the Blackbird is actually a very,very dark
> blue.
'I believe ya'!:)
At least I've read that statement before, in the Squadron IA I believe.
I've also heard that 'Iron Ball' paint /rusts/. Assuming Titanium is
non-ferrous, -something else- must be happening with the surface-coat
and it may argue a bit against the 'blueing' idea (I would think the
abrasive slipstream at 1,200` wouldn't help this either?).
Maybe the other guy is right and JP-7 is the source of the 'streaking'?
I've seen two pics of unpainted SR's on the assembly line: one a bunch
of forebodies missing noses and some chine sections, the other a
tilted-up shot looking up at the outer wing and into the engine bays.
They looked yellowy-tan (primer?) like RLM-02 around the edges with
silvery spine/centerbodies and chocolate brown-black RAM triangles.
If you took a combination of clear and midnight or extra dark sea blue
(acrudic only for the clear I think) and sprayed these over the top
surface, you /might/ get a nice multi-tone panel shape underneath though
the blue would have to be /very dark/ tinted without being applied too
opaque-heavily.
What I'd like to ask is which kit is being built?
AFAIK, don't all of'em have raised lines (maybe not the HA reissue?)?
If so are you going to rescribe all those triangle and body joints
etc.? So many of them also seem to have such an obvious seamline on the
underbelly that redoing it seems the only option.
This is especially so on the Testors 1/48th which also 'seems' (in the
latest 'brown box' issue) to have inherited some nasty mold scrugglies;
right over the wing expansion slots and trailing edge controls...
pauldort
The streaking you see is probably from fuel. Because of the need to allow
for heat induced expansion, when the plane was sitting on the ground and
fueled, it leaked. When the skin expanded from friction the leaks would
stop.
Dominique Durocher
> Hi Dominique,
>
> When you saw the plane, did it have blue highlights in real life vs. photos?
> I've got an old Monogram kit and it didn't have any FS numbers. If it did, I
> wouldn't be in this quandry.
The one I saw was indoors, so there were no highlights. I do believe
sunlight is necessary for this effect.
Bochra
listen folks... the "blue idea" comes from Lockheed. The Official Color is
Indigo Blue. I don't have the FS number here at this time, but it is listed
in the service records. Now it seems to the "Mk I Eyeball" that Indigo Blue
is, actually Jet black, but the color is listed as blue none the less. For
purposes of scale modeling, a coat of flat or satin black, and some
weathering with very dark greys is acceptable. But the "Official" color is
Indigo Blue.
And for the record I held a Class A Crypto security clearance.
Jonathan O'Connor
Does this mean that now that we've read this there is a high voltage charge back
feeding into our computers? - Because surely you will have to kill us all now
that you have told us.
JO'C
Harald Rotter
>Any suggestions how to convincingly put these footprints on a 1/72
>Blackbird? ;-)
>
it sand or whatever and "step" on the aircraft.
By the way, Ray, which SR-71 are you building? What scale?
Harald Rotter
Tirol isch lei oans
thei...@flash.net
Hey Ray:
You might want to keep in mind the "scale effect", which makes the right
color in 1:1 scale look entirely too dark in small scale. Maybe pure black
would be too dark to achieve realism in scale. I know I just did two F-16's
(one 1:48 and one 1:72)in the same USAF FS standard grey scheme, with the
dark FS Gunship Gray for the upper fuselage. It looked reasonable for the
1:48, but the 1:72 turned out looking entirely too dark. I guess it has to
do with the way the eye uses haze to percieve distance; a small-scale plane
will be more realistic if it has the visual cues of being a full-size plane
that is off in the distance, i.e., appears lighter in shade than one right up
close. Am I making any sense here, y'all?
Just my 0.02.
Regards,
Jim Theisen
"I also make the 1:1 kind..." ;-)
In article <6lml9u$7uf$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
Mike
Jbm007 wrote:
>
> Part of the fuel leakage is attributed to the fact the aircraft actually
> stretches (grows in length) during flight which tightens up the seams, and when
> on the ground the metal is relaxed resulting in the leakage.
>
> Jack Mugan
I don't think it stretches I think that the fuselage material expands
from the heat and causes the seams to seal shut. I'm no expert but
that's what I've heard.
ssrat
On Fri, 12 Jun 1998 05:46:57 -0400, Mike <gre...@lunaticfringe.org>
wrote:
My favorite plane (apart from the A-10 {love that brute force})
Anyway the heat sealing would be right since it leaks like a sieve on
the ground.
Just read that it has almost no G-force tolerance, some pilot
at an air show (early in its career) pulled hard out of a loop no
prob, but when the did the maintinence they could see sky in places!
DManton300
>Just read that it has almost no G-force tolerance, some pilot
>at an air show (early in its career) pulled hard out of a loop no
>prob, but when the did the maintinence they could see sky in places!
>
You're actually telling us someone looped an SR-71????? I would think the
pilot who did that would be spending the rest of his career flying a desk....
regards
Drewe
"folks are basically decent,conventional wisdom would say,
well we read about the exceptions
in the papers every day"
bknjlell
Jack is correct. The SR-71 actually does stretch several inches and Mike
is correct in that it is due to the metal expansion.
Jim E (ex USAF zoomie)
Mike <gre...@lunaticfringe.org> wrote in article
<3580F9...@lunaticfringe.org>...
Jbm007
Thank you Jim....I got my information from Jim Goodall who wrote the Squadron
Book on the Blackbird, and was most responsible in our getting our own
Blackbird for the Air guard Museum here in Minnesota.
Jack Mugan
Grnbe21505
There's a shot of a YF-12A in the April 1998 "Code One" published by lockheed
Martin. It shows two panels forward of the nose gear and port of the
centerline which are definitely lighter in color. It's not a trick of the
light. So I'd say varying panels shdes would be prototypical.
Also, while I would not have imagined fuel would be stored that far forward,
(hey, I build mainly armor) you can clearly see where it's leaking along all of
the seams around and in those panels.
As for the black/blue question, on the next page there's a photo of one in
flight, looking for all the world to me like it's a VERY dark blue. I think
the point about museums using cheaper panit has merit. I can believe that the
blue could be dark enough to appear black. Anyone who paints in oils can tell
you what happens when you lighten certain blacks with white--you get blue, not
gray. And then there are ship guys painting the Titanic black, when it was
also a very dark blue.
I'm curious: If you can't use paint on them, what technique do they use for the
national insignia and registration numbers?
Robert
It's better to have entered a model contest and lost, than to have collected
stamps.
Suvoroff
"I'm curious: If you can't use paint on them, what technique do they use for
the national insignia and registration numbers?"
Really big decals.
Yours,
A.V. Suvoroff
Frank C. Crenshaw
I am sure that parts are painted.. I mean the cockpit LOOKS like its
painted in the Wings episode on it. My roomie did not elaborate on which
parts where or where not painted (I never asked, its not like I really
cared back then), he just told me something to the effect of -its not
painted black. Anyone know any facts on this? What they color the
blackbird with is not going to be classified... The missions flown are
about all they won't discuss. Maybe there is an aviation newsgroup that
might be a better place to ask this? And for all you bandwith fanatics
out there -I realize that this has very little to do with modeling, I am
always interested in things like this though, research can be as much, if
not more fun than building for me.
--Frank
In article <199806140348...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
suvo...@aol.com says...
--
Ric...@my-dejanews.com
In article <199806111529...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
nana...@aol.com (Nanayeye) wrote:
>
> To me, the SR71 is without a doubt black, black, black. I live in NYC where
> the A-12 is displayed on the Intrepid Museum. Been there countless of times.
> It is black. The optical illusion of a dark blue may come when pictures of
> the plane is taken after high Mack speed runs.
<snip>
I think that the blue highlights others have been referring to may be blue
sky reflecting of the upper surfaces of the aircraft. I haven't seen this in
any aircraft pictures, but I have noticed in on a lot of color photographs of
steam locomotives taken on sunny days, including when they were dirty (i.e.
not strictly glossy). I know for a fact in many cases that these where
painted black, but the aformentioned blue highlights clearly show.
Rick Vera-Burgos
john seay
On 11 Jun 1998 12:19:13 GMT, lyra...@aol.com (LYRAD108) wrote:
I work on the SR-71 at Roewell AFB NM. years ago and there was no
weathing, If it was not flying it was being repair and buff up.It was
like a fire truck it look new all the time...John
>Maybe the one Blackbird I saw in the picture was very,very dark blue, okay?!
>
Jim Harris
I work for Lockheed Skunkworks. All the SR's here are in various states of
weathering, including those at NASA and Edwards AFB. We even have a promo
picture up in the hallway in the recce building that shows a Blackbird with mop
marks and footprints all over the wings. Black shows everything. I guess us
lying-cheating-contractors just don't have time to polish our old hardware...
Jim
Chris Douglas
In article <35901a77...@news.mindspring.com>, cjs...@mindspring.com wrote:
>On 11 Jun 1998 12:19:13 GMT, lyra...@aol.com (LYRAD108) wrote:
>
>
>I work on the SR-71 at Roewell AFB NM. years ago and there was no
>weathing, If it was not flying it was being repair and buff up.It was
>like a fire truck it look new all the time...John
How about right after it landed? I'd expect there to be some fuel streaking
and panel fading here and there, no? I'd be interested in hearing details.
--Chris Douglas
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished
at the cheap price of rhetoric."
-Thomas Sowell
-------------------------------------------------------------
Phil Brandt
On Wed, 24 Jun 1998 00:19:53 GMT, cdou...@io.com (Chris Douglas)
wrote:
>In article <35901a77...@news.mindspring.com>, cjs...@mindspring.com wrote:
>>On 11 Jun 1998 12:19:13 GMT, lyra...@aol.com (LYRAD108) wrote:
>>
.It was
>>like a fire truck it look new all the time...
>How about right after it landed? I'd expect there to be some fuel streaking
>and panel fading here and there, no?
Still looked pretty clean, Chris, but the one I was under in '78 had
just landed and was still "tink, tink, tinking" as the airframe cooled
and shrank.
Phil
tgne...@my-dejanews.com
In article <357FB6...@oakweb.com>,
ave...@oakweb.com wrote:
>
> ra...@intouch.ca wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Where did you get this information? This is the first time anyone has
> > mentioned an official color for the SR-71.
> >
> > Ray
> > >
> > > the official color is "Indigo Blue"
> > >
> > >
> > > Peace and long life
> > > Bochra
> > >
> > >
> >
> > http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
>
> it has some metal mixed in and has slight radar absorbing qualities)
> what I've read of it's history, pilot interviews and what I've seen live
> with my Mk one eyeball is...its STRAIGHT FLAT BLACK
> --
The "official" color has been quoted by at least one source (Lou Drendel's
"SR-71 Blackbird in Action") as being FS 35402 Indigo Blue. The Iron Ball
paint is said to have iron ferrites mixed in for radar-absorbing qualities.
I've built three 1/72 Blackbird models, and I usually mix in some blue to the
black paint; it makes it look less harsh, since colors seem look better in
small scale if they are lighter. I use grey pastels to highlight individual
panels. One interesting note is that the early A-12's and YF-12's were left
in natural titanium metal, with only the chines and wing leading edges
painted black. Of course, natural metal brings up a whole new host of
problems. . .
Toby Nelson
IPMS # 33535
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