posted 05-08-2015 09:16 PM               

For my good friend and author, Michelle Evans... it's the never-ending model! I've been working on and off this model since the mid-nineties. The construction was a combo of acrylic tube for the body and vacuum-formed acrylic chines, wood wings. The first repair was to put it back together as it split in two right at the front of the wings.

After about 10 years this fix failed, I was given the model and over the years in any free time I had I very slowly restored it. One thing that helped was it's in the same scale as the one's I've built (1/15) so I had some extra parts and decals. All the time I've put into the CAD model helped of course.

The most inaccurate parts were the chines, the front was too round the back too narrow, much like the Topping X-15. I really want to remove the chines and replace them with mine but instead I just added lots of material on the aft chines and left the fronts as is. My decal layout fit pretty well which was great because they hid lots of poorly finished surfaces.

I also replaced the canopy with one from my molds which are made from the wind tunnel model from Edwards AFB. I did a completely new set of drop tanks and did them in the flight 2-50 scheme which Michelle wanted. I hadn't done that one before. I painted the port tank with chrome Alclad but once I clear coated it the chrome effect was lost. I should and might later Bare Metal Foil it. I also did a new end/XLR-99 nozzle 3d printed, mainly to get a correct width established. Again proportionally very similar to the Topping X-15.

There's still a few minor details to be added but many are fragile things that might be left off until the model stops traveling with Michelle when she gives her presentation. Which, by the way, is an excellent, entertaining story of the X-15, look it up on YouTube and spend two hours watching it please.

As a stand in model, I let her use one of the Gene Young X-15s I had. She's had that with her for many of her presentations. I added a few decals but I think I'll remove those and restore it back to how Gene had it, but I'm going to put in clear windows and a nose boom I think... I'm not going to keep it so if anyone wants to buy it, email me. I just don't have room here. For those who know my situation they can understand this.