1:48 Lockheed SR-71 Blackboard engines

The real subject

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is an American two-seat reconnaissance aircraft for flight at great altitude and high speed. You know it at first glance: a slender fuselage with long side chines, two massive engine nacelles set in the middle of the wing and two canted vertical surfaces above them. It is the nacelles that are the place on the model a viewer looks at straight after the overall outline, because they are large and stand out on their own against the sky.

What the set contains

Photo-etched parts in 1:48 scale for the engine section. The items are etched from thin metal sheet, held on a carrier fret and cut away from it. Thin metal allows finer grilles and sheet-metal details than can be molded in plastic. The parts list and where they go is given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building and painting tips

• separate the parts with a sharp blade on a hard surface, not by snapping them off, or the edge will twist
• make the bends in a bending tool or over a sharp edge; metal bent twice in the same place cracks
• glued with cyanoacrylate glue; cement for plastic kits does not hold on metal
• degrease the parts before painting and lay down a primer made for metal
• try the fit dry first and thin the plastic under the part as needed

Check which kit the set belongs to against the manufacturer's instructions before buying.

Terms of supply

The aircraft kit, paints and glue are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.