Chris Derks
Alexandria, Virginia
Determined to build a Testors 1/48 scale SR-71 Blackbird, Chris decided to experiment with an experiment and scratchbuild a model of a model: He wanted to see if he could replicate the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment by scratchbuilding the “20%” (1/5 scale) model linear aerospike rocket engine (LASRE) and lifting body that was mounted on the Blackbird to collect in-flight data. He found schematic drawings on the web and scaled them to 1/48, then built the LASRE from styrene stock. Custom-made markings came from Red Pegasus Decals and others, including an Afterburner sheet and rivet decals from Mike Grant.