Herpa USAF Lockheed SR-71B Blackbird 61-7956 1:200 Diecast Model

1:200 Diecast: USAF Lockheed SR-71B Blackbird 61-7956 (Herpa 573290)

61-7956 is one of only two SR-71B dual-cockpit trainer variants ever built. The other, 61-7957, was destroyed in a landing accident at Beale AFB on 11 January 1968 — leaving 61-7956 as the sole surviving SR-71B airframe. Built circa 1965 and assigned to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California, 61-7956 accumulated thousands of flight hours training the reconnaissance crews who flew the operational SR-71A at altitudes exceeding 85,000 feet and speeds above Mach 3. On 25 July 1991, the airframe was officially transferred to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, where it served as a high-speed research platform designated NASA 831. Its final flight was 19 October 1997 at the Edwards AFB Open House. 61-7956 is now preserved at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Livery & Visual Details

Uniform matte black finish, accurate to the SR-71's radar-absorbing, heat-resistant paint — the source of the "Blackbird" name. Fine red panel lines trace structural seams across the fuselage, delta wing, and engine nacelles. "U.S. AIR FORCE" is stencilled in white block letters on the upper forward fuselage, followed by the USAF roundel. The serial "17956" appears in white on the outboard faces of both canted vertical stabilisers, with abbreviated "956" on the engine nacelles. The SR-71B's defining characteristic — a raised rear cockpit canopy sitting distinctly above and behind the forward canopy — is clearly reproduced. Twin J58 engine nacelles integrated into the delta wing, twin outward-canted tails. Silver pitot nose tip.

Model Craftsmanship & Collectibility

Herpa 573290 at 1:200 scale is a substantial model of one of aviation's most iconic shapes. The mould captures the SR-71's extreme needle nose, chined fuselage profile, and blended nacelle-wing junction. At this scale, the raised instructor cockpit of the B-model is a tangible detail. The sole surviving SR-71B trainer is a compelling subject for cold-war aviation and reconnaissance aircraft collectors.

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