1959 - North American X-15

[AdrianMF]

I will be joining with this:

First flown in the same year as me!

 

This will be interleaved between my FROG builds. I am going to try to keep this OOB, which should be easy because it looks like a really nice kit.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Rabbit Leader]

Great choice Adrian and so happy to have you onboard. In comparison to your Frog builds, I suspect this’ll go together with your eyes shut! 

 

Cheers.. Dave. 

[AdrianMF]

So let’s get stuck in. Kit contents:

 

I had to double check I had all the clear parts (I do!):

 

And it’s made in China, I am told:

 

Let the games begin!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

 

 

[AdrianMF]

Cockpit done, 100% OOB:

 

Though you don’t see much with the hood closed:

 

So I might work on a two-position mount to do closed or open. The hood has interior detail, roughly undercoated at the moment:

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[Rabbit Leader]

Great start Adrian. I expect this done before the weekend is out? 

Cheers.. Dave 

[AdrianMF]

6 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I expect this done before the weekend is out? 

My wife booked us Saturday and Sunday night in a hotel because we are visiting people on Sunday. I couldn’t possibly comment on whether I would rather have done all the driving in one day and got on with some modelling...

 

Regards,

Adrian

[AdrianMF]

Well I have stuck a further four pieces together and given it a quick coat of dark grey:

I think I might stick on the remaining six or so pieces of the airframe and get started on the black - quite a refreshing change from painting hundreds of coats of trainer yellow!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[Ray S]

Looking good!

 

Ray

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice progress Adrian and I hear you on the trainer yellow paint! This is looking lovely and great to see you moving this along at a good pace. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[AdrianMF]

I’ve managed to stick on the remaining four pieces on the airframe (in addition to the ten pieces so far). Paint tomorrow when everything’s dried. I’m finding it a bit weird to build a kit that has a detailed cockpit OOB and builds so well. It’s a bit different from my usual fare!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[stevej60]

Coming along nicely Adrian and a great subject too!

[Cooper645]

This things flying together. Looks like a decent amount of detail straight OOB. 
 

👍🏼 Keep it up, and I feel your pain with weekend plans, my wife tends to book half my weekend up every weekend 

[AdrianMF]

How long does it take a man to paint a simple off-black coat?

 

A very long time, in my case. It’s a mix of mostly black, dark grey and blue. I will add another patchy scuff coat of a similar mix and then maybe pick out some panels for more scuffing before I get to the decals. 

 

For someone who builds faster than a lazy snail this would make a great blitzbuild subject...

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Looks like you're nailing the color though. 👍🏻 

[AdrianMF]

It’s a bit more scuffed and off black now:

 

I want it to look working but not too scuffed. There are pictures of it at the USAF museum where it looks really scruffy after it retired, but I don’t want to go that far. I’m tempted to do more on it tonight but I have an early start tomorrow and I’ve already built a Spitfire in the Blitzbuild this weekend!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[AdrianMF]

I did find something extra to do:

 

The Revell nosewheel is moulded with a rather chunky door attached. I’ve cut that off and I’m using the closed door instead. The real thing has a little flap that opens further so I cut out a square hole and added a curved square of plastic card for the flap.

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[AdrianMF]

Well, from “let’s just drybrush a bit of gunmetal” to assembled and painted! Not quite sure how that happened:

 

I will paint up the tanks and see if I like them on or not. I have a feeling that they are grossly simplified, and it looks pretty cool without them.

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

 

[AdrianMF]

Thought I’d get the decals on this morning before work:

 

I have left the Decalfix to do its work and hopefully tonight I can clean up, put some varnish on and call it done!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Now that is a good looking X-15. 

[theplasticsurgeon]

I've only just found this thread, and am following with interest.

I build this kit in 1988 (badly, very silvered decals), and have been looking for another to do with undercarriage.

 

I bought the MPM X-15 kit at IPMS Avon show, sadly it's the X-15A2 rebuild which first flew a few years after I was born.

[AdrianMF]

14 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

the X-15A2 rebuild which first flew a few years after I was born.

This kit is a version that was rebuilt waaaay after I was born but I’m taking first flight of the prototype as my reference date. Plus it’s one of the coolest planes ever!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[AdrianMF]

And I’ve cleaned up the “NASA” decal on the fin and varnished:

 

I’m using my “carrier” base because the rural English meadow and concrete block one doesn’t seem appropriate - not suggesting in any way that the X-15 would have made a good naval fighter!

 

Thank you for organising the GB - this has been a sleeper favourite aeroplane of mine since the 1960s!

 

More pictures in the gallery here.

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

[Rabbit Leader]

Well done Adrian, this has come up wonderfully well and I’m glad you’ve taken part in this GB. The X-15 is a wonderful tribute to 1959 and I hope you look back on this build and appreciate the significance of a great subject from a great year. 

 

Cheers and very well modelled.. Dave 

[Hockeyboy76]

Great build and great work with the paint and decals. No slivering at all. I need your secret. 

[AdrianMF]

16 minutes ago, Hockeyboy76 said:

I need your secret. 

I'm sure you don't! 

 

...but I am a great fan of Humbrol Decalfix. I put a generous coat of it under every decal that I apply, and then put anther coat over the decal after patting it down. It works as a decal softener, so it helps them to bed into the detail after the usual wrinkling, but it also contains some sort of medium that fills in the microscopic air bubbles that cause silvering. When it's all dry I wipe off the remaining glossy medium with a wet tissue before varnishing. I never even bother to gloss coat nowadays, which makes me much happier!

 

Regards,

Adrian