A colorful X-15….

[dhanners]

I built and posted photos of this version of X-15-2, 66671, back in July 2020; it is a YukonJohn repaint of Henry Yuen’s design, in 1/72nd scale. In the autumn of 1961, X-15-2 was used to test ablators and two different temperature-sensitive paints. On 28 September 1961, Forrest Petersen hit Mach 5.3 in this X-15. YukonJohn worked off research I’d dug up, but I screwed up. So here’s a new build, correcting my error.

At the time, my research was contradictory. Some sources I had said there was no serial number on the tail, while others said there was, on the starboard side only. I asked YukonJohn to repaint it without the serial number. But in correspondence a couple of weeks ago with Michelle Evans, an author and renown X-15 historian, I asked her about the tail, and she dug out a couple of photos from the flight. There was a serial number on the starboard side only on this particular flight, but it was almost gone. It was very heavily weathered and the upper portion was covered with a test stripe of gray ablative paint.

I fixed my error by building a Frankenstein tail using the left side of YukonJohn’s original model, and the right side from another version of 66671 that he had repainted. I used black ink to weather the serial number as it appeared at launch.

This X-15 is unique because of the colors. There was green infrared paint on the fuselage and the port wing and stabilizer were light gray. The vehicle carried the normal markings on the fuselage. The wings carried no national markings. The port side of the upper vertical stabilizer carried the yellow NASA banner but no serial number.

On this model, I added a scratchbuilt XLR-99 engine, jettison tubes and other bits and pieces.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

And this X-15 makes...? (-:
As always, meticulous! I really like how you just keep on showing these variations. It shows so well how they experimented with the plane.

[dhanners]

Originally Posted by Paper Kosmonaut

And this X-15 makes...? (-:
As always, meticulous! I really like how you just keep on showing these variations. It shows so well how they experimented with the plane.

Thanks. Evans told me that in one of her interviews for the book, she asked one of flight planners about inconsistencies in X-15 markings, and he said the markings “would melt off and make a mess.” And because of the relatively fast pace of the program, they’d only fix what they had to for the next flight and reapplying markings was a very low priority.

The tail offers probably the best example of that. Relatively few flights had the “full” tail markings of the yellow NASA band and serial number on both sides. Sometimes the yellow band was only on one side, or neither. Sometimes the serial number was only on one side — and the location (fixed stub or rudder) could differ, as could the font.

Between the marking differences and various test ablatives and paints, there are a multitude of possible schemes for only three airframes.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Originally Posted by dhanners

(snip)
Between the marking differences and various test ablatives and paints, there are a multitude of possible schemes for only three airframes.

Exactly! Now someone should make like a bookfull of decals for every appearance. I mean, when a model like this is printed in a copyshop, it is nice and smooth on the outside surface and will accept waterslide decals very well. Interesting idea.

...It would be bloody expensive though...

[The Mole]

Thanks for doing these models. This is one of the best series of builds. I knew there were a lot of flights but never thought about how the marking changed.

I hope there are more to come.

[dhanners]

Originally Posted by The Mole

Thanks for doing these models. This is one of the best series of builds. I knew there were a lot of flights but never thought about how the marking changed.

I hope there are more to come.

Thanks! And I’m originally from East Central Illinois — Casey, home of The World’s Largest Rocking Chair and a number of other Guinness-certified large objects.

I plan to build a few more. I built several a couple of years ago when I was living in Cyprus, then put most of them in storage when we moved back to the U.S. for six months. We’re now living in the U.K., and haven’t shipped our stuff to us yet. So in the interim, I’m rebuilding a few of them. An added bonus is my building techniques have improved a bit.

Not sure what model will be next up, but I want to tackle X-15-3, 66672, and maybe try a white X-15A-2 in 1/48th. But I’ve got a couple of other models (a Turbo Beaver and the U-2) I want to try first….