STAR TREK "WRAITH" Class stealth craft from Traitor Winds book.

[seadude]

Gondor & Rick:
I have a ton of SR-71 books at home. I'll do some checking, but I'm pretty sure the Blackbirds were painted black. 
Frankly, I think it makes perfect sense to paint the Wraith black as it would be difficult to detect visually against a night/space background. Remember, this craft is designed/used to survey pre-warp primitive civilizations. If somebody is on the ground and looking up at the sky/space, do you really want them to see the Wraith or not?

[perttime]

... I'm pretty sure the Blackbirds were painted black. 
...

Apparently, it is supposed to be a VERY dark version of blue. So dark, that it is mostly perceived as black.

[kerick]

What did I say about painting it the "right" color? Granted I was talking about white or light grey but still....

[seadude]

Since my model is supposed to be a "spacecraft" and not an actual "aircraft", the whole issue of whether it should be painted black or an extremely dark blue is moot. It's pointless.
I posted yesterday to a Facebook group about the actual Blackbird color. Most of the answers I got back were like 50/50 or like 60% black and 40% dark blue. And there were some people who said the "blue color" could simply have been from the lighting, angle of the craft, camera film/device, etc. And then there were other people who actually worked on the SR-71 Blackbirds when they were in the service or when they restored them for museums who swore the aircraft were painted black.
Outer space is black. And since my model is a Starfleet vessel designed to fly and function in outer space, it just makes sense to paint it black to match the background. 
As far as the story author and/or cover artist who selected an SR-71 Blackbird shape for the craft, perhaps they thought, Well, if you're Starfleet, and you wanted to survey a primitive pre-warp/pre-First contact planet, what type of stealthy spacecraft would you need? Satellites and unmanned probes might be good for some things. But what if you needed a manned craft? Might it be possible to look back through Earth's history and see what types of stealthy craft and technologies were invented and what worked and what didn't? Seems as good of an explanation to me.

[kerick]

Sounds like the start of a backstory to me. Go for it!

[Rick Lowe]

Sounds like the start of a backstory to me. Go for it!

Indeed!
And maybe, if the planet is just advanced enough, anyone who actually sees one will assume it's one of their own Secret Stealth Aircraft being tested.
Which could be another reason for using an older design.

And as for colour, yes - you can't go too far wrong with Basic Black. 

[seadude]

And a few more in progress pics. Cockpit canopy pieces are pretty much done except for one part which I'll work on tomorrow if I can. Engine exhaust pieces will be added tomorrow. Bussard collectors (the red parts) will be added tomorrow. Vertical stabilizers will also be added tomorrow. Decals won't be added till late next week or weekend sometime. The whole craft was hand brushed and turned out very well.
Oh, and if you don't know what a bussard collector is, check here: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Bussard_collector

[Rick Lowe]

 

[seadude]

I said everything was going to be installed tomorrow. I was mistaken.     

[Rick Lowe]

"Oh, great - what are we supposed to use, Harsh Language?"

[kerick]

We'll be here and looking for the pics!

I wonder if this sort of build could be done with a B-58 Hustler.

[seadude]

"Chief Engineer's Log, Stardate 2408.19. Construction work and painting has now been 100% completed on the new WRAITH class stealth surveillance shuttlecraft. Though I'd hardly call this odd craft a "shuttle". Anyway, Starfleet First Contact office as well as Starfleet Intelligence wanted a sleek and fast craft to survey pre-warp civilizations as well as a potential secondary mission of recon of Klingon and Romulan border regions. The only way to give Starfleet what they wanted was to research old Earth history and find out what stealthy vehicles and technologies were constructed back then and see what could possibly be rebuilt using newer 23rd century technology. All I can say is that I hope this retro SR-71 Blackbird type design works well for them and provides Starfleet with the intelligence they need. There's still some final details to add like various markings. What those will be and how much, I don't know yet. After that, it's then off to the flight test range where the craft will be put through it's paces and find out if all systems work as designed, especially the captured Romulan cloaking device which we plan to put inside the craft. Once all the details are done, then it's in the FCO's hands.

[kerick]

Looks cool to me!!

[Rick Lowe]

 

[kerick]

Needs some Star Fleet markings. I'm sure you are working on that.