SR-71 Blackbird - request for help

[bigpetr]

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I am working on SR-71 Blackbird paper model and I am looking for help.

Is there someone who lives (or knows someone who live) near the places, where SR-71 planes are exhibited and would be so kind and willing to take pictures of the plane I can use for photogrametry (= process of obtaining 3d model from set of photos)?

Basicly it means to shoot row of photos with 60% overlap from nose to tail.

It will help me a lot with doing realy accurate paper model of the plane.
I will try to generate the 3d model from the photos and use it as a reference to corect basic shapes of my 3d model I have made so far. If it will be sucesfull I will produce very accurate model of the plane.
Final paper model will be free for download.

Thank you for your help.

This is my current WIP 3d model (top) compared to actual photo of the plane.

[airdave]

You could buy Ken West's extremely accurate SR-71 paper model, and build it,
...then photograph it to create the set of images you need.
It would be a lot easier than trying to photograph the real thing.
Just a suggestion.
Here it is, if you need it: https://www.ecardmodels.com/?s=sr-71

...
Don't misunderstand me.
I'm sure you will design a great kit.
But if you have the skills, there are a lot of other ideas people are asking for.

Do you realize there are already a number of very good SR-71 kits in various scales out there?
And some are VERY good, like Ken's, and the FLY and P-model versions.

I would hate to see you put a lot of time and effort into something that is already covered quite well
and has a limited market (not everyone is into paper models of these types of Military aircraft).

I'll admit, I also hate to see great work overshadowed by the flood of "free" models out there
but thats a different (personal) issue.

If you are designing this for yourself...because you want your own Blackbird kit, then I get it.
But if you are designing this for me, then you should know I am happy with whats already out there.
And, I enjoy paying for a kit and rewarding the designer for all the work put into it.

[Butelczynski]

I agree with Airdave-you are trying to break door already opened.

Can you try making model that doesn't exist yet?Lots of interesting subjects either not made in paper or can be made better . B-18 Bolo,Fairey Fulmar,AW Whitley come to mind.

[bigpetr]

Thank you for sugestions.

I have Ken West model, P-model, FLY and Betexa.

I wanted to build Ken West model. It is great model and looks realy good. I saw it beautifully assembled. But after some research I find out that it is not extremely accurate. I tried to correct it, but decided it will be probably easier for me to start from scratch. So I did. I have fairly accurate 3d model now. Because I want to make it extremely accurate I wrote this request for help with reference photos. Therefore to use Ken West model as reference has no point, and it would be unnecessary to make a copy of his model.

I do this kit mainly for myself. I know there are kits available, I paid for them and wanted to make them but they are not what I am looking for.

When I did scifi model (X-wing from star wars) I spent lots of time and effort to modify it to be as accurate as original model. It was just fictional scifi model where term "accurate" is relative. It is in my nature to do so. Now I am working on real plane, so I can not help myself to make it as accurate as I can. That is how I like to make my models. Informations are there (some of them difficult to obtain for me, that is the reason for this request), so I have no excuse to do my best. To have scifimodel accurate and not a real plane would be shame.

I know I could make other plane, that is not covered as paper model and not "25th" version of SR-71, but because it is one of my favourite plane plus the reasons I wrote, I choose to do so.

I do not want to compete with what is out there. As I know me, my version will be overcomplicated and with lots of parts to preserve complicated shapes of the plane and from my experience only a few likes that and wants to spend the time to complete such a model. That is why I think it is not direct competitor of available kits. But I could be wrong and in that case I have no problem to keep the model for myself and give the finished template only to the persons that will help me with references (or possibly build the model for him).

[mbauer]

What are you looking for? Have some photos of the M21 in Seattle. If you're looking for complete photo like you reference, might be more difficult. Hard to get a view of one not outside, making it possible to get everything with one photo.

Which areas are you looking for, might have some that will help.

Glad to see another SR71 in the making!

Mike

[bigpetr]

Hi Mike,
thank you for your offer.
I am looking for a set of photos I could use for photogrametry. It needs to be shoot in this way with lots of owerlay between photos.




If it is not possible due to limited space, it is not necessary to capture whole plane all at once. It can be shoot by parts (nose, tail, engine, etc)

[RyanShort1]

That's definitely the way to go, modern 3d modelling and photography has gotten pretty good. Looks like this is where they are all at: https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/locations.php
I would note that my guess is that you'd want to check around and see which static bird(s) are the most intact as some of them may be a bit "gutted" and also that static display life can be hard on them. I remember seeing one SR-71 the last time it flew before going onto static at Lackland AFB down in San Antonio and I'd suspect outdoor static has been rough on it.
You might ask this over at: Warbird Information Exchange • View forum - The WIX Hangar
Also, honestly, it looks like most of them (and I'm a photographer by trade right now) would be fairly difficult to get a good set of photos of the whole 360 - some look to be in very tight spaces, even hanging, etc... not to mention you'd need a ladder and such, too. May want to take a good look at the sets of photos online and pick the one that looks easiest to get. I'd say use a drone on one of the outdoors ones, but I think there will be legal issues getting a drone airborne on any of the military bases where they are outdoors. https://foursquare.com/aksahsalahs/l...ackbird-family

[bigpetr]

Hi Ryan,

planes displayed outdoor are better for photogramtery, because they are not so shiny and thanks to its wornout by the weather they have texture and artifacts on the surface good for photogrametry. There is also space to moove around them with camera. And there are not lights that reflects in the surface. Best to photograph on cloudy day so direct sun does not reflect from the surface.

Drone would be ideal . I do not need whole 360, one half of the plane is all I need.If it would be possible to make two passes around the plane in different height that would be also usefull.

[Petestein]

Perhaps Bigpetr doesn't want to sell his model, He might want to design it for his own pleasure. I have seen other card models designers preparing always the same model: P-51 Mustang, F-14, F-15. Airbus A320 etc. when there are several out there both free and not free. I have seen here several people repeating a model but as stated above it is for their personal pleasure and challenge, not for business. Good luck with your Blackbird!!

[Petestein]

And you forgot to mention the famous GELI SR.71 model in 1/33 scale. It is available from the printer in Germany.