A unique X-15....

**dhanners** · #1 07-14-2020, 10:51 PM

After building Henry Yuen’s X-15 from the downloads section, I wanted to do another one, but with different markings. If you’ve ever studied the X-15, you know their look was never static. Their appearance changed from mission to mission.

Yukonjohn graciously offered to do a repaint, so we started trying to figure out a unique vehicle/time period/mission to model. We chose the second X-15, 66671, as it appeared in March 1961. Among the experiments 66671 was tasked with at the time was testing temperature-sensitive paint, so it had a unique look. The paint, which was gray, was applied to the nose, the bottom of the port wing, the vertical stabilizers and a patch on the port vertical stabilizer.

Markings-wise, in March 1961 66671 still carried the “X-15” and “North American Aviation Inc.” in white on both sides of the nose. It had the national insignia on the wings, but no “USAF.” The moveable portion of the upper vertical stabilizer carried the yellow NASA banner on the port side but no serial number. The starboard side had the serial number (partially covered by a strip of the test paint) but no yellow NASA banner.

Yuen’s model is in 1/87th scale, but Yukonjohn resized it to 1/72nd when he repainted it.

I added a lot of scratchbuilt details, including the four bug-eye camera housings (two behind the canopy and two on the underside of the fuselage) and the various jettison tubes. I shrunk Ken West’s XLR-99 engine to 1/72 and used the pieces as templates to build a more accurate motor. The upper and lower vertical stabilizers had detail added to them to make them more accurate.

I want to thank Yukonjohn for doing a great job on the repaint. It is nice to add this one to the collection.