Stuck this in the paper models section, but I’m not sure how many folks visit there so I thought I’d stick it in Space. Apologies if that’s wrong. A model is a model…
This is a repaint of the Ken West card X-15A-2 to represent how it appeared on Mission 2-50-89, flown by Pete Knight on 18 November 1966. It was 66671’s second flight with full external tanks, and Knight hit Mach 6.33.
At the time, NASA was experimenting with various ablative materials so some panels and surfaces were covered with an orange ablator material.
Paper is 170gsm. Various bits were scratchbuilt to improve the kit’s accuracy.
As a sometime paper modeler myself, I can see that some of the shapes on this one are really tough to do as cleanly and beautifully as you have done them. Very impressive to a tyro like myself!
One of the limitations cardmodelers face is replicating metallic finishes. They’re just hard to do with paper.
The external tanks on the X-15A-2 are prime examples. The tanks used on Flight 2-50-89 featured two different metallic finishes. A section of the left tank, as well as the rear dome, were very reflective silver with black circumferential stripes and a black spiral photo target stripe. A section of the right tank was a dull silver and had the black spiral photo target stripe. When my friend recolored the model’s tanks to represent this flight, he did a great job but there wasn’t much he could do about the metallic finishes except represent them in shades of gray. That’s how the model sat on my shelf since I finished it.
Over the weekend, I decided to do something about it. I covered the metallic sections with aluminum foil, using the foil’s shiny side for the left tank and the duller side for the right tank. The job required carefully cutting the tanks off the model, removing the plumbing and covering the metallic sections with foil. I used Microscale Metal Foil Adhesive to stick the foil pieces on. I used black Bare-Metal foil to replicate the black stripes.
After re-gluing the plumbing, I glued the tanks back on the model. I’m pleased with the improvement.
The last time I built an X-15 it didn’t have very much detail, certainly nothing like that.
I remember seeing all sorts of things on display at the 1964 World’s Fair from the new Mustang to the prototype cars like the turbine powered Firebirds to the Chrysler turbine cars. They also had an X-15 on display at one pavilion but you were kept quite a distance from it. It was one of the best things on display that I saw there.
That’s right, metal foil is the way to do it. Sometimes you can get paper models printed with silver paint, which is OK in some cases (like aircraft painted silver), sometimes when you want natural metal finish you have to go the way you did it. definitely an improvement, thanks for sharing and good luck with your next builds
Thanks. I’ve used metallic papers before, but haven’t found any I liked in awhile. There used to be a silver paper called Red River (as best I can recall) and it was good, but I don’t know if it is still available. And of course you can’t print white on it.
When I built my X-15A-2 in white, I did use a metallic paper for the metallic sections of the external tanks.
Thanks! I appreciate it. I’ve still got a couple more X-15s I want to build. Just gotta set aside the time to do it….
I did wind up doing the white X-15A-2 in 1/32nd scale, but I haven’t built the tanks for it yet. (I will note one correction I made since taking the photos. The leading edge of the canopy is a dark metallic color. Some photos show it in white, but on the speed-record flight, it was a dark metallic color. That’s been added to the model.)
I’ll also note one detail my white X-15A-2 has that every other build I’ve seen of it has missed: The pink ablative shows through on the underside. It shows up pretty clearly in photos of the real thing.
When technicians applied the white sealant over the pink ablative, it didn’t cover that well. They didn’t have enough of the sealant left over to do a full second coat, so technicians were told to concentrate on the upper surfaces. As a result, pink showed through on the bottom of the fuselage, wings and tailplanes.
DHanners55-Wonderful attention to detail! My personal favorites are the early versions with the striped, pointed nose and XLR engines. The one you did of that is fantastic too.
