Hasegawa

1/72 SR-71A Blackbird 'Skull and Crossbones'

Kit Number: 00983

Reviewed by  Dave Koukol, IPMS# 46287

MSRP: $49.99 Website: Hasegawa Available from: Dragon USA Background Conceived originally as a high-altitude and high-speed interceptor to counter an anticipated Soviet strategic bomber threat (YF-12) and a strategic reconnaissance platform replacement for the U-2 (SR-71) in 1959, Lockheed’s “A-11” platform has become one of the most recognizable and awe-inspiring aircraft designs of all time. Setting and holding world speed and altitude records for decades, the SR-71 variant came to symbolize America’s manned strategic reconnaissance program from the mid 1960’s until it’s retirement in the mid 1990’s – when, ironically, it was retired in favor of the more cost-effective U-2. The Kit Another recent 1990’s re-release from Hasegawa, this Blackbird seems a bit “old school” by modern standards. Although molding of the 42 parts is crisp and detail is fine, all panel lines are of raised variety. Canopies are crystal clear and fit perfectly to the top half of the fuselage. Cockpit console and control panel detail is portrayed by decals, which work okay in this scale. Seats, as in nearly all Hasegawa kits, are basic and lacking in detail -- disappointing, compared to the attention to detail demonstrated elsewhere in the kit. Markings are provided for 3 aircraft. The Build Shake the box, out it comes. Well…almost. With such a small parts count and outstanding engineering, the kit flies together and is paint ready with only a handful of hours invested in construction. No notable faults or gripes…not even a speck of putty…just an easy build. Finishing Gloss Black…from a Testors spray can. Yes…a Testors spray can. Again, an easy, basic build with a monochromatic finish. Testors Gloss Black provided the perfect, glass-smooth surface needed for decal application. After the black had cured for a couple of days, carful masking with Tamiya and blue painter’s tape paved the way for airbrushed Floquil Old Silver in the wheel wells and inside the gear doors. Decals laid down well over the gloss black, but did leave a matte appearance relative to the gloss. This was remedied later with application of the clear coat. Only challenge with decals was the long red walkway strips running the chord of each wing. Although the markings slid easily from the backing paper, the broke easily during application and repositioning. In hindsight, an extra layer of Microscale decal film applied beforehand would have reduced that risk. Once positioned, the decals responded well to the Microscale system and snuggled right down with the surface detail. Leery of applying straight flat finishes to black surfaces for fear of “frosting” effect, I decided to mix Model Master Acryl Flat and Future in a 1:1 ratio. A few misted coats yielded a convincing flat black finish without the dreaded frosting effect. Conclusion/Recommendation Hasegawa’s SR-71A is an easy and delightful build for all aircraft modelers having graduated the snap-together ranks. Only barrier to some may be the hefty $50 price tag. I’ll leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions regarding the overall value of the kit. Thanks to Dragon USA for the review sample.