1-72 scale Boeing X20 Dyna-Soar (M Cable)

[Davej]

I have always liked this design and wanted one in my collection. So I got Mark Cable's 1-48th scale model off Ecardmodels.com and scaled it down to 1-72 in Photoshop. Really nice.

I had a practise () go first. I didn't get the seams at the front right and I played with some of the panels and then they didn't fit properly and I creased the rest of the model while trying to fit them. Note to self: trust the designer.

So I tried again. I cut the panels the right size and tried a different build sequence. Body and Wings separate to start with then. Worked better for me but then I had a bad seam at the join on the bottom. Which no one can see.

[dhanners]

Looks very good!

[Davej]

Thank you. As you will see I could probably make a 3rd one as there are other bits I should have done more practise on.

I couldn't visualise how the vertical fins fitted. Until I built and dry fitted them. A really nice design though my cutting was a bit aggressive so I ended up with a bit of a gap.

Pretty happy with the main body seams. I used a black arts pencil (Derwent) to colour the edges so most of them are not so obvious. The thick card on the wing is for me to join the underside wing & body.

One thing I did do for the second version was to combine the left and right wings in Photoshop to make them into a single piece. It made the wing fold a little more fiddly but not too much. Part of the "trust the designer" mantra and it paid off as the upper wing/body fit was very good.

I made the nose, filled, sanded and painted it and then dry fitted it. I put it on a tube to make sure the main body nose area stayed round and so I could fit it last. I thought it through, had a plan and then got over-excited and glued it in . I should have left it off as it was my only access to the internals for squeezing the new underside wing/body join.

The wing/fin join needed a bit of filler (I use DIY wood filler as it dries hard and sands fairly easily without damage to the surrounding card). Then painted with Humbrol GunMetal.

[Davej]

Calling this one done. Those zoom shots are unforgiving but I am Ok with it at real size, even with my glasses on .

I'd like to have another go at it and mount it on the Interstage Adapter that Mark provides in the model or on a Titan IIIc.

I do have a drawing of an X20 sitting atop a Saturn 1, but it looks like a Saturn 1 with a SIVB stage. Now that's an interesting beast.