Quote from: kerick on August 21, 2024, 01:41:18 PMNeeds some Star Fleet markings. I'm sure you are working on that.

Of course I still have to add markings...........on Tuesday. LOL!   

Quote from: seadude on August 21, 2024, 07:51:10 PM

Quote from: kerick on August 21, 2024, 01:41:18 PMNeeds some Star Fleet markings. I'm sure you are working on that.

Of course I still have to add markings...........on Tuesday. LOL!   

Sounds like a plan!

Quote from: kerick on August 21, 2024, 01:41:18 PMNeeds some Star Fleet markings. I'm sure you are working on that.

Yep, I'm going to get back to work on this model today. Gotta finish it up before a contest next weekend.
Anyway, the final chore will be adding decals. But, since the below picture from the book cover is the only image of this craft, it sure doesn't look like the craft has much, if any, markings.
I mean, after all, it is a covert surveillance craft. I suspect you wouldn't want many markings on it to identify where it's from or who operates it.
As far as original SR-71 markings go, I'll still use the Rescue warning markings usually found near the canopy area. As for anything else, I'm not sure yet.
If you look very closely on the wings on either side of the center fuselage bulge, you can barely see Starfleet emblem/stripe markings. I don't have a lot of spare Star Trek decals in my stash. All I've got is some spare leftover 1/1000 scale USS Excelsior decals which are pretty much unused.
As I said, this is a covert craft. It's black. I'm not sure what other markings, if any, to put on. The below picture is the only reference I've got. Nothing else.
Anybody have any other suggestions?

That red stripe on the engines might look good. Other than that 🤷🏼

Rescue stuff and maybe some walkway stripes too, but other than that I'd leave it pretty bland - as you said, if anyone spots it, no markings make it more confusing/deniable than recognizably strange ones.

Quote from: Rick Lowe on September 07, 2024, 02:26:45 PMRescue stuff and maybe some walkway stripes too, but other than that I'd leave it pretty bland - as you said, if anyone spots it, no markings make it more confusing/deniable than recognizably strange ones.

On a real SR-71 Blackbird, there are some red "NO STEP" walkway stripes on the thin corrugated portions of the airframe on either side of the center fuselage bulge. If I'm not too mistaken, this was to prevent people from walking on these corrugated sections as they were very thin and these sections also contained internal fuel tanks. There are plenty of pictures that show these stripes on the Blackbird.
But I don't think a Starfleet craft would need them since the Wraith is built differently with better and stronger materials, and does not have 20th century fuel tanks.
I've thought about adding the red walkway stripes, but the other half of me thinks they really won't be needed.

You could add a few but in a different pattern to break up a little of the SR-71 look.

Whenever I've told or shown people about my Wraith model, most people seem to think the big engines on either side of the main fuselage are warp nacelles for warp drive.
THEY AREN'T.
From what I remember reading the book, Traitor Winds, the Wraith only has impulse engines which are only for short range travel within planetary systems.. The Wraith is not warp capable. It must be transported aboard larger vessels to be used at other regions of space.
The first picture below is my interpretation of how the systems would be located on my model/the Wraith.
The second and third pictures show the inner workings of impulse engines as well as bussard collectors.






Different link for below picture:  https://imgur.com/MHjVO6N

i'M CALLING THIS DONE.     HERE'S THE FINAL PICTURES.
Probably the quickest and easiest model build I've ever done. Not much to it at all.

Now you have to build one with four wings and four engines, one wing and one engine, three wings and three engines plus whatever combo you can think of. That's how the Star Trek universe works you know.

 

I just remembered, Bussard collectors are red but (at least in Movie-era), the Impulse dome on the Primary hull is Blue...
Sorry to mention this at this stage, but that could be the reason for folk thinking it's Warp-capable.

Quote from: kerick on September 08, 2024, 09:17:18 PMNow you have to build one with four wings and four engines, one wing and one engine, three wings and three engines plus whatever combo you can think of. That's how the Star Trek universe works you know.

No thanks. That's just too much work. I'll leave that to you instead. 

Quote from: Rick Lowe on September 08, 2024, 10:01:30 PMI just remembered, Bussard collectors are red but (at least in Movie-era), the Impulse dome on the Primary hull is Blue...
Sorry to mention this at this stage, but that could be the reason for folk thinking it's Warp-capable.

I thought about making the model warp capable. But changed my mind as I read the book and discovered the craft was short-ranged only. Not warp capable. If you look very carefully slightly behind the red bussard collectors on the model, you'll see small rectangular sections. On a real SR-71, these were screens or "vents" for lack of a better word to let extra air into the engines to possibly help cool some systems. I thought about cutting these out and putting clear sheet in their place and then lighting it from behind with blue lights to give the engines that blue warp glow.

Not sure why, but I really like the angle of this pic. It shows off the outward canted angle of the vertical stabilisers very nicely. I almost wished Lockheed would have made the Blackbird with the stabilisers like this. It just looks so cool looking.