Here is my cardmodel build of X-15-1, 66670, as it appeared on its first flight for NASA. The model is a heavily modified build of what started out as a 1/32nd-scale X-15A-2, and it depicts 66670 as it appeared on Flight 1-3-8, flown by Joe Walker on 25 March 1960. Walker hit Mach 2 and an altitude of 48,630 feet.
Visually, two things stood out about 66670 on 1-3-8: the cleanliness of the aircraft (and lack of weathering) and the rudder. When the X-15s were first rolled out, they were painted semi-gloss black. After a few flights, the black paint wore off, revealing the Inconel X airframe, which turned a patchy bluish-black from aerodynamic heating. Flight 1-3-8 was only 66670’s second powered flight, so the black paint was still intact. Pre-flight photos show the lines of silver rivets that would come to characterize the X-15s’ later look were still covered in black paint. Some of the panels on the rear fuselage which were removed for maintenance showed some paint knocked off screws, but the airframe appeared pretty much a monochromatic black.
The second visual standout of 1-3-8 was the dorsal rudder. It was the first flight to carry the yellow NASA band. On the first few flights, the “NASA” was in a non-standard font; in fact, it probably wasn’t even a font at all, but rather just painted on. The changes were made via digital repainting.
The non-standard font only appeared on a few early flights, and 1-3-8 may have been the only flight where the yellow banner appeared on both sides. As they X-15s began flying missions for the Air Force, the banner was usually removed from the right side of the rudders.
The model required quite a bit of scratchbuilding, including a new tail cone, the XLR-11 motors, the jettison and vent tubes, the nose probe and bug-eye camera housings.
