Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Lifting bodies'.
Found 4 results
-
This is my 3rd in a series of lifting bodies, the Northrop M2-F3. As many of you are probably aware the M2-F2 famously crashed after 16 flights as seen in the intro to the "Six Million Dollar Man". After the crash, using some creative accounting, they were able to rebuild it as the M2-F3 which went on to 27 more successful flight. Differences in appearance between to 2 are; a third vertical fin added, The main gear reversed so the wheels face outward rather then inward, a bigger engine, and a re-enforced nose which split the front window in to 2 pieces. There were also internal changes. These changes turned what R. Dale Reed called an "angry" machine into a much more pleasant one to fly. More information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_M2-F3, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_M2-F2, and in Reed's book "Wingless Flight" https://www.amazon.com/Wingless-Flight-Lifting-Story-2002-06-28/dp/B01MT30UGD/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502472205&sr=1-5&keywords=wingless+flight The Anigrand kit is of the M2-F2, but they give instructions on how to modify it to the M2-F3. I chose to make the -F3 because it was more successful and made more flights. I am not inclined to also make the M2-F2, but never say never. Like my previous Anigrand kit, with the exception of the "transperancies" the casting were excellent with no visible pin holes, short shots and crisp edges. It did have an issue with the fuselage top being slightly shorter than the bottom, but this was fairly easy to the. The transparencies were translucent at best with internal air bubbles. The decals were a bit stiff, but worked. So on to the pictures; Next up is the Mach 2 X-24B which will be my last lifting body, at least for a while.
- 1 reply
-
- 12
-
-
- Lifting bodies
- anigrand
- (and 1 more)
-
This is my Muroc Models M2-F1 lifting body. The M2-F1 was the prototype for all the following lifting bodies. It was a wooden unpowered, (except for a small engine to be used for landings if needed) , and was towed aloft either by a ground vehicle or later a C-47. This was an excellent kit by Muroc Models and while not perfect it was a pleasure to build, unlike my last few builds. The resin was beautifully cast with no pinholes, even after sanding. The only exception was the wheels which had some bubbles and I ended up replacing. The decals look to be printed on an ALPS printer on high quality decal paper. They did tend to scratch for no apparent reason so they should be coated with something to seal them. The kit also came with real, detailed, instruction and not just the usual exploded diagram. My only complaint would be that it came with vacuformed transparencies and while most of you love these because of their thinness I hate them because I can never cut them out right and they are too thin and flexible to allow for a solid attachment. Finally it is definitely a tail sitter and I was only able to get it to sit on the front wheel by tilting the surface it was sitting on. So on to the pictures; And here is the whole set From left to right the M2-F1, M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, C-24A and X24B. As an historical note such a picture would be impossible in real life sins the M2-F3 was the M2-F2 rebuilt after the crash and the X-24B was the X-24A with a new body. Next up is the MPM X-15A-2 Enjoy.- 5 replies
-
- 20
-
-
- M2-F1
- Lifting Bodies
- (and 1 more)
-
This is the second in a series of NASA lifting bodies. The first was my X-24A that I posted a few weeks ago. This is an Anigrand kit and while I see a lot of complaints about pin holes, and short shots with Anigrand kits, this one must have been cast on one of there good days. With the exception of the "transparencies" all the parts were clean and crisply molded with no pin holes or voids and the fit was very good. The exceptions were the "clear" parts that were translucent at best and in the case of the main canopy was way too small for the opening, but nothing some super glue, styrene strips, sanding and polishing couldn't fix. The decals were OK being a bit thick and stiff. Paint was Alclad II Aluminum. This was a very quick build taking less then a week to complete. On to the the pictures; Note that this was designed to fly at a high angle of attack, imagine the pitot tube horizontal and the pilot spent most of his time looking between his legs out the front glazing. More information about HL-10 can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_HL-10
- 10 replies
-
- 15
-
-
This is my Mach 2 X-24A kit. This is part of a double kit that includes all the parts and decals for the X-24A and X-24B. I am really not interested in building the "B" so I will probably bring it to my next club meeting as a freeby give-away. I am not going to knock Mach 2. The one time I needed to contact them for a missing part they were very helpful and sent me a new one right away. You just have to look on them as a good quality resin kit that is made in plastic so you can use your favorite plastic cement. The fit was good in some places, not so good in others. The canopy is more translucent then clear, so I did not spend a lot of time on the interior. Their decals were excellent; thin went down easy and the film just disappears, but I do think they are a tad larger then the should be. Paint was Alclad II Aluminum with a darker mix for the engines. All the pictures I have seen of the prototype show it a uniform finish, so I did not use multiple shades. Just 7 days from start to finish so a nice quick build. Next up is the Unicraft YO-3A, arg.