The thermal protection requirement depends a lot on the landing method. If we are trying for a high-lift runway landing, then the aerodynamics are going to be a lot like an oversized Shuttle orbiter with a lower mass-to-surface ratio. We might be able to get away with using mostly thermal blankets on upper surfaces other than the wings/tail, and with using the white tiles instead of the black ones on the underside except for the tip of the nose and the leading edge of the wings.
On the other hand, if we are going for a propulsive tail landing (like the DC-X was attempting) or a parachute/water landing, then it can probably be all white material except for the tip of the nose (assuming a nose-first reentry).