First Ever Official RPF Group Build - IT HAS BEGUN...

Well, I'm all the way back to square 2. Paint job went to ****. Could have been old paint and bad technique, but I couldn't recover from it. Every time I tried to fix it, it just made it worse. Tried taking it off, but there comes a time when you just have to know when to quit. And spending 3 hours trying to strip the paint and getting nowhere is that exact time.

So, I cut out the cockpit, the wheel well and the camera system. Time to re-order another expensive kit and try again. Though now, I know some things I'll do differently. Most importantly - attach the landing skids last, instead of fixing them 10 times.

Welcome to my life - 1 step forward, 93 steps back :unsure.

-Fred
 
well, I'm making progress. I won another X-15 on ebay for about $20 below retail.

And in better news, I finally scored a 1/32 Bell X-1 after being out-bid on 3 different auctions. Why the hell are these things so popular? But, I somehow got extremely lucky and found a NIB kit for $7 plus shipping :thumbsup

-Fred
 
Both the X-15 and X-1 arrived today. The X-1 is completely molded in day-glo orange, which is odd considering you have to repaint it, anyway.

-Fred
 
ok, back from vacation. I stopped at the air and space museum in dc to photograph the X-1 & X-15. The 15 was alot larger than I thought! Alot of nice hardware there. If anyone wants the pics pm me.
 
ok, back from vacation. I stopped at the air and space museum in dc to photograph the X-1 & X-15. The 15 was alot larger than I thought! Alot of nice hardware there. If anyone wants the pics pm me.


Dude, I'm building both, so post what you've got :D :D :D

In particular, on the 15, anything you might have of the rear, i.e. landing skids, dive brakes (top and bottom - internal hydraulics, etc) and engine. IIRC, the cockpit on the Smithsonian bird, is closed. Is that still the case?

And any cockpit shots of the x-1.

Thanks, Jock

-Fred
 
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Here is the X-1: (I am not a photographer!) The cockpit shot I did not take, do not know where it came from but my understanding is that it is of Glenn's.
 
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Nice shots, Jock :cool.

These pics make me realize why I hate building kits - you never know what reference is correct.

For instance, 66670, flew with both the XLR-11 engine (the one in your pics) and twin XLR-99s. But from looking at Dryden's archive, when she flew with the 11, she didn't carry her tail numbers. It was only when she had the 99s, that the 66670 appeared.

I have to get to the USAF musem in ohio to get a good look at 66671. For some reason, the Special Hobby kit includes both long and short landing skids. I think 71 uses the short ones, but finding absolute proof can be a bit of a headache.

-Fred
 


Y'know, in 2 or 3 months of looking for reference pictures, I never came acorss those sites. And I tried multiple variations on my searches, just to make sure I covered all my bases.

Anyway, I'm nearing final paint (again), but this time, I've been practicing on the dead bird, first. I found a can of krylon flat black at the hardware store, that looks like a really good final color. And, it even has a slight sheen, so it's not dead flat.

I mixed up a bach of dark grey (or light black, whichever you prefer) And sprayed random areas around the fuselage. Once it's dry, I'll mask off selective panels, then apply the top coat.

-Fred
 
I put down the Krylon Flat Black last night and she is lookin' sweet :cool. I need to come up with a way to lessen the contrast between the "replacement panels" and the rest of the bird. I think a light brushing of "grungy black" weathering powders may do the trick.

I'll post some pics over the next day or two, but definitely before any decals go down, so you can see the black finish, out of the can.

-Fred
 
Well, here she is

PaintFront.jpg


PaintRear.jpg


Next step is the top side dive brakes, then the top side decals.

-Fred
 
Lookin' nice Fred.

I feel so bad for not working on mine... when I had the time to work on it, I didn't have the work space, and now that I have the work space I barley have time to breathe.

But at least I know now that the place where I've been working on a school project for the past few months has a stash of laquer thinner/acetone that I can use (not really supposed to keep it in my appt.) So there is hope!
 
Thanks, Liz :cool.

School should be going on summer break in the next few weeks, no? That should free up a little time (I guess depending on what your work schedule is). And the build timeline is the end of August, IIRC.

If need be, I can always extend it. It looks like other people may need the extension as well.

-Fred
 
Pretty pics Fred!

Glam Glen is sitting, waiting for a wave of motivation to wash over her.

Plan on soaking the rear fuse in water to try to release the mis-placed decals (remember?), and found a Rust-O-Leum matte that is between the Testor's flat and semi-gloss in sheen.

So my plan is set forth. But I've been focused on this big grey ball in my shop lately...
 
Thanks, Rob :cool You still kicking around that grey beachball, of yours?

Any chance you can post up a part number on that rust-o-leum paint? After the 15, I'll be working on a 1/32 X-1 and I know you did a lot of research on the color. So if you're happy with a color, it must be close :lol.

Are you going to be re-painting Glennis? I thought she was all decaled up. Or if this is just because of those black squares, maybe use some decal solvent to soften them up and then just rub them right off. Then mask where they should be and paint them on.

-Fred
 
I sure can. Though its probably not hard to find. Rust-O-Leum has what I think is a new line, and its something like "2x in one coat". Its the matte clear in that line. Got it at Home Depot.

Another advantage is it goes on more clear than Testors. I did a test on a piece of clean white styrene, and after the first coat (before an exposure to UV), Testors was already more amber/yellow. The Rust-O-Leum was virtually water clear.

On the "G", not - not going to repaint. Its the large stars & stripes emblems and the black boxes that are slightly off. if I can't "soak them off", I'll sand them off, respray just the rear of the fuse, and reproduce the decals.

Once I get the decals straightened away, I'll run some dark grey in the seam lines, add a touch of weathering, seal it with the matte, stick a fork in it and call it done!
 
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