1:72 Special Hobby Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

I'm normally a "serial" guy, but while I wait for the fairy dust to settle on my Avro Anson build I thought I'd put on my "parallel" hat and start another kit. I'm currently working my way through Martin's @occa stash, and the little Northrop XP-56 came to the top.

 

For those unfamiliar with this little guy, the US Army Air Corps released a specification in 1939 to encourage the development of unconventional technology. I think the reasoning was that a new, innovative design might emerge which would revolutionize air combat. Alas, that didn't happen but the three aircraft built to this specification were unconventional indeed. In addition to Jack Northrop's XP-56, there was the Vultee XP-54 "Swoose Goose" and the Curtiss XP-55 "Ascender." About the only thing the three had in common was that they were all pushers.

 

The XP-56, or Black Bullet as it was nicknamed, was a tailless design (of course, this is Northrop we're talking about) made of welded magnesium. The first prototype had a very small dorsal fin, more like a strake, but the second prototype that I'll be building had a larger dorsal fin. Both had a ventral fin with integral tail skid. Neither had any horizontal tailplanes. To build these guys, Northrop developed a new technique called TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, not knowing that GE had invented roughly the same thing. Today this is often referred to as Heliarc welding and is used to weld aluminum among other metals. Now, magnesium burns like crazy once it's ignited, and it's said that Northrop would throw sand onto the airframe if it caught fire during welding.

 

Only two aircraft were built - the first was destroyed in a crash and the second was deemed too unsafe to continue the testing. Today it lies in a warehouse somewhere, right next to the Ark of the Covenant. The Black Bullet, like a lot of Northrop's designs, was ahead of its time and would most likely not have been successful without the technology we use today to keep flying wings and other similar designs stable.

 

Special Hobby made a nice little kit of the XP-56, including short run injection moulded parts, cast resin parts, photoetched parts, and decals. Let's have a look - first the box, with a nice painting of the second prototype with the large dorsal fin:

 

 

Buried in that diminutive fuselage is a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. Right, I didn't believe it either. Next up are the styrene sprues:

 

 

The kit still has all the parts to build the first prototype with the much smaller dorsal fin. The resin parts are mainly for the cockpit, but also include the wing leading edge cooling inlets. Remember, the Double Wasp engine was air-cooled.

 

 

And, of course, the instructions in the older Special Hobby style, the small sheet of transfers, and the photoetch fret which is in the envelope underneath the transfers.

 

 

I believe the first version of this kit had a vacuform canopy, but that's been replaced by two injection moulded copies. As far as I can tell, these two canopies are identical - I can't see any differences. Not sure why we get two. Edit: Aha, those clever boys at Special Hobby. There is, in fact, a minor difference between the two canopies, and it relates to a small notch in the framework of the canopy right behind the pilot on the port side. I didn't see it at first. I checked photos, and this notch is only on the second prototype. Nice job, Special Hobby!

 

Here is a nice shot of the first prototype, with the diminutive dorsal fin:

 

 

And a not-so-nice shot of the first prototype's crash, the result of a blown tyre. The pilot, John Myers, survived his injuries. He's said to have credited his survival to the fact that he was wearing a polo helmet.

 

 

The second prototype had several modifications made as a result of testing with the first ship.

 

 

I found a web page with some nice photos of the second prototype in storage many years ago. Here is a link to that page.

 

And, of course, a short video from YouTube to prove that it really did fly:

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[VG 33]

Hi

This is an interesting subjet I have the box of it in my stash too.

I am following.

Patrick

[Hamden]

 

Unusual subject I'll take a seat in the corner if you don't mind?

 

   Roger

[CedB]

I'm in Bill, of course. 'Interesting' subject and a Navy Bird build... not to be missed

[giemme]

A parallel Navy Bird's build? I need to take some time off work!

 

Following ...

 

Ciao

[Andwil]

This should be good, I'll follow too.

 

Andrew

[Martian]

Delightfully bonkers! Unsurprisingly, I'm up for this one.

 

Martan

[Eric Mc]

A radical design and an interesting project.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Splendidly mad.  Having just read “A Very British Sound Barrier” (a detailed account of the DH108 Swallow programme - highly recommended [the book, not the DH108]), the tales of chronic stability issues seem very familiar.  The guys who test flew these things had serious, serious cojones.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[Terry1954]

3 hours ago, giemme said:

A parallel Navy Bird's build? I need to take some time off work!

Exactly my thoughts!

 

A nice and somewhat esoteric subject Bill, looking on with much interest!

 

Cheers

 

Terry

[Courageous]

I know very little about this subject but it looks interesting, besides it's a Navybird build...goto to follow .

[Old Viper Tester]

I'll be watching with interest as well. I have two different 1/72nd releases by MPM buried in the stash, I think the differences are the first and second prototypes and vac canopies. Will have to dig them out for a look.

 

Sven

Edited April 9, 2018 by Old Viper Tester

[RidgeRunner]

A very interesting and different type. :). Good luck.

 

Martin

[hacker]

Now what are you building! Geeze l see you start one thing then l turn around and see it is done . Next l know you're off doing another. Oh well l guess l have to follow this one too . The XP-55 ascender looks cool too. The one they have not done is the XP-67 moonbat. Now there is a futuristic looking plane. Almost the grandfather of the Blackbird

 

Hacker

[Navy Bird]

On 4/8/2018 at 03:42, CedB said:

I'm in Bill, of course. 'Interesting' subject and a Navy Bird build... not to be missed

 

"Interesting" is what Jack Northrop was all about.

 

On 4/8/2018 at 04:00, giemme said:

A parallel Navy Bird's build? I need to take some time off work!

 

I think I need a parallel universe to work on two models at once!  

 

On 4/8/2018 at 04:59, Martian Hale said:

Delightfully bonkers! Unsurprisingly, I'm up for this one.

 

Well, I mentioned Jack Northrop right?  

 

On 4/8/2018 at 05:17, Eric Mc said:

A radical design and an interesting project.

 

Jack Northrop. 'Nuff said.

 

On 4/8/2018 at 06:20, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Splendidly mad.  Having just read “A Very British Sound Barrier” (a detailed account of the DH108 Swallow programme - highly recommended [the book, not the DH108]), the tales of chronic stability issues seem very familiar.  The guys who test flew these things had serious, serious cojones.

 

Ain't that the truth! Those guys were amazing.

 

21 hours ago, hacker said:

The one they have not done is the XP-67 moonbat. Now there is a futuristic looking plane.

 

I have a Moonbat kit in the stash - it's resin and from Anigrand so there is probably more wrong than right with it. It looks particularly bad in the canopy. But I'll build it someday.

 

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[hacker]

Quote

I have a Moonbat kit in the stash - it's resin and from Anigrand so there is probably more wrong than right with it. It looks particularly bad in the canopy. But I'll build it someday.

 

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

l have a vac one in my stash somewhere. Comes with with metal parts

 

Hacker

Edited April 11, 2018 by hacker

[neil5208]

7 hours ago, hacker said:

 

l have a vac one in my stash somewhere. Comes with with metal parts

 

Hacker

interesting aircraft,  looks like a tigercat after a gym session 

[Vultures1]

That's an interesting video - thanks for posting.

 

8 x 37mm cannon would have made for some pretty punchy firepower!

[neil5208]

I believe it was 6x37mm or 8x20mm or 12.50cal mg's. Either way that's slot of effect on target!

[Navy Bird]

Yikes, have I really been away for two weeks? Sorry about that, but we went to Maryland to visit my son and grandkids. I'm finally back, though, and managed a little time at the workbench today both with the Annie and the Black Bullet. First, let's see if I've accomplished anything worthwhile on the stubby little fella...

 

I added the wheel wells to the bottom of each wing - this was interesting in one respect. You know how Special Hobby occasionally always have those tall ejection gates or whatever they're called? Well, they managed to put on right where one of the wheel wells had to go, so a bit of careful Dremel tooling was necessary. The resin inserts for the cooling intakes are also added at this stage. I've read a few articles, and seen some drawings, where these are labelled "radiators" - which I find somewhat unlikely as the engine was air cooled. But it does make me think how they could get enough air through the intakes to cool that big radial engine buried in the fuselage.

 

 

I then spent some time on the cockpit. The Special Hobby version of the kit includes some really nice resin parts for the cockpit floor/bulkhead, sidewalls, and seat. The earlier MPM boxings only have resin for the cooling intakes, I believe. The detail moulded on the sidewall looks reasonably accurate compared to some walkaround photos of the remaining prototype. Due to the shape of the Black Bullet's fuselage (rather like a bullet, actually) the sidewalls "lean in" at the top, and it would be difficult to photograph the entire cockpit with both in place. So I taped each sidewall onto the cockpit floor and snapped individual photos.

 

 

 

The control column will be added at the end, when the risk of me breaking it off is at a minimum. The instrument panel consists of film that is sandwiched between a photoetch piece and an injection moulded backing. Pretty typical of Special Hobby kits of this vintage. I'm working on that now.

 

And speaking of Special Hobby, who are probably my favourite kit maker due to the subjects they produce, I managed to get the 1:72 Bristol Beaufort Mk.Ia/II at a recent show. I've been looking for this one, as I'd like to do one from the Malta campaign. Besides, my DAP Beaufort Mk.VIII is lonely.

 

Hopefully, the updates will come more quickly in the future! Ta for now.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Martian]

Good start.

 

Martian

[71chally]

Wow how did I miss the start of this.

I really admire Jack Northrop and his design philosophy.  Shame that most of his ideas didn't make it, usually due to the lack of technology available to Northrop at the time.

He really must have felt completely vindicated when he visited the B-2 in its very early production phase - technology had at last caught up with his theories.

 

A friend of mine pictured the XP-56 (and XP-55) at the NASM Paul E Garber facility at Silver Hill, Suitland Maryland.

 

Cracking work so far Bill, really looking forward to seeing your little Black Bullet come together.

Edited April 24, 2018 by 71chally

[Navy Bird]

Wow, been over a month since I've added to this thread. Most of that time was occupied preparing for my trip to old Blighty 🇬🇧, and of course the trip itself. Now that I'm back home, and wishing I was still "over there," I've returned to my two builds - the Avro Anson, and this little Black Bullet here.

 

I've spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the best way to close up the fuselage. This type of operation is not normally a big deal, but this kit has me raising my eyebrows quite often. First, the instructions have you add the cockpit sidewalls to the floor and rear bulkhead (essentially "closing" up the cockpit) and then adding the instrument panel and coaming. Next, Special Hobby have you add those items to one fuselage half, along with the nose gear well and some weights, and close it up with the other half of the fuselage. There is only one problem here - I don't think it can be done that way.

 

The instrument panel and coaming are too wide to fit between the sidewalls. Oops. This may be related to the fact that the kit was first released with just the injection moulded cockpit parts, and the resin parts were a later addition. Perhaps. In any event, I had to remove about 1mm from each side of the resin instrument panel and coaming. This rendered the photoetch IP unusable, so I raided the decal box and used stickers for the dials.

 

I then decided that it would be easier for my old fumble thumbs if I put the port sidewall on the port fuselage half, and the rest of the cockpit on the starboard half, as follows:

 

 

Dry fitting shows that everything lines up nicely, and the fuselage halves fit well. I added some scrap plastic in-between the nose gear well and fuselage to help hold the nose gear well in the right position as the glue set.

 

Next, I'll add the IP to the cockpit assembly, and hold the fuselage halves together temporarily to help align the IP and coaming. On this little beastie, this is a lot more tricky than it usually is!

 

Then I'll get out the lead shot, and start filling every recess that I can in the front of the fuselage. I have no idea how much weight will be required, but luckily the main gear legs are a bit aft of the rear cockpit bulkhead. Even adding weight behind that bulkhead will help, if necessary.

 

Too much fun, I don't know if I can take it.    

 

Cheers,

Bill

[hacker]

 

You maybe looking at a black bullet but for me...........

 

Hacker......help me l've fallen down and can't reach my beer

[CedB]

Nice work Bill - good luck with the close up