SR-71 & XB-35
A friend of mine was given two old kits , he asked me to build them for him. One was a 1/72 Revell SR-71 with a drone mounted on top...
the other was an AMT/Ertl 1/72 XB-35 flying wing...
The SR-71 was simple to build. If it had been mine, I would have left the drone off.
The XB-35 wasn't real complex, but the parts didn't want to fit together very well and did an admirable job resisting my efforts. . Morné @mornem was my technical advisor on this project and gave me suggestions to improve the fit of the six major parts that comprise the wing/fuselage structure. He has been a great resource of tips and encouragement to me on this and many other model projects.
Overall , I'm pleased with how these turned out and am glad to have them done. Now I can get started on another one for my collection.
Excellent work on both builds Jay! The SR-71 and XB-35 both came out looking great! I really like the finish done to both kits. The XB-35 has the right amount of "dirt" streaks applied to make it look real.
Thank you, Bob @v1pro !
I didn’t want to get it too dirty looking... I don’t think these were neglected too much. I use my airline experience to judge dirt.
Two spectacular results, Jay!
Well done!
Thank you, Spiros @fiveten !
Good work on both kits. The XB-35 definitely was a predictor of things to come. Jack Northrop was a man ahead of his time when it came to aircraft design. Again Nice work on both kits.
Great work, Jay @ssgt
Your friend will be very proud to have them on his shelf.
Thank you, John @johnb !
Nice work on both, Jay. The owner will have two nice additions in their display.
Two nice builds, Jay, I like them both.
The flying wing concept has been around for a long time. Its a shame that none of these bombers where preserved given their shape and departure from the tube and wing planes that we see today. The Government went out of its way to destroy all of Jack Northrop's fruits and efforts. However, when they made the B-2, Northrop was still alive and got to see his modern version of the stealth bomber. He got the last laugh.
Interesting kits and presentation Jay. They both turned out well and should be a fine addition to your friends home.
Unusual build! Looks great!
Very cool and unique subjects Jay, especially the flying wing. Great work on both! I saw a really cool video about flying wings some months ago that you might find interesting- https://youtu.be/dByvPIyIbZE
Thank you for the comments @dbutlr, @lis , @stephen-w-towle , @chinesegeorge , @gwskat, @luftwaffe-birdman ! I appreciate your interest in my projects. It seems more difficult to build models for someone else.
Well done Jay! I'm sure your friend will be pleased!
Thanks Greg @gkittinger !
I sure hope he is happy with it. The XB-35 kit isn’t one I’d like to build again anytime soon .
Cool result on both builds but especially the flying wing. I like to give the wing a go sometime knowing that it will likely be a challenge to build.
Thanks Carlos @air2 ! It doesn’t have a lot of parts , but some of the ones it does have don’t fit together very well. Although I’ve built ( or tried to) some much more recent kits from Eastern Europe and they were as bad or worse.
Both builds look great!
Jay you did an AMAZING job on these two radical aircraft. Your friend will be very pleased to have these models in a display cabinet. You definitely achieved next level results with these builds. Well done my friend!
Thank you , Morné ... I appreciate your compliments !
Nicely done Jay.
Thank you , Alan @kalamazoo !
Nice builds mate, both turned out great.
I definitely need an SR-71 in my collection!
Thank you Richard ! After I finished the SR-71, I thought that I’d one day get one for my self.