Brief:
This is sport scale model o' an X-15 variant proposed by North American Aviation. More accurately, me hearties, matey, it is fantasy scale since this stretched, delta-winged version be never produced. Avast! Ahoy! Like t' other offerings from Hostile Projectiles, this kit features a hand-crafted resin nose cone. Ahoy! It flies on 24mm power.

Construction:
Parts Included:

• Resin nose cone
• 16" BT-60 body tube
• 24mm motor mount (tube, arrr, matey, block, hook, shiver me timbers, and two CRs)
• Two large 1/8" balsa wings
• Balsa for stabilizers (two 1/16" sheets, shiver me timbers, arrr, four 1/2" x 1/16" strips)
• Four pieces o' balsa edge stock for t' win' strakes
• Two 1/8" launch lugs
• Styrene tube and screw eye for nose cone attachment
• Elastic shock cord
• 'Trash bag' 'chute, matey, strin' and adhesive tabs
• Decal sheet, matey, templates, instruction CD

Parts I Added

• Keelhaul®©™ leader t' extend t' provided shock cord.
• Lead shot and epoxy nose weight.
• An 18" nylon 'chute.
• 1/64" fiberglass for t' tail cone.

This kit is called a 'garage kit' aka a 'builders kits'. Ahoy! There is no header card or print instructions. Begad! Avast! T' latter comes on CD an includes t' instructions in both .doc and .pdf formats, shiver me timbers, a copy o' t' fin template, arrr, me bucko, and a graphic that you can use t' make decals. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions are nay polished but are written in a humorous manner, ya bilge rat, which made t' kit even more entertaining. Begad! T' tubes are nay a cleanly cut as some others, thar are no laser cut fins, and t' 'chute is plain trash bag plastic.

T' assembly o' t' Delta X-15 is a little more complicated that your typical 3/4FNC rocket, with t' complexity bein' in formin' t' strakes that run along t' main wings and in assemblin' t' stabilizers.

T' first step is t' remove t' mould release from t' nose cone. I scrubbed it with steel wool, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, dish washin' soap, me bucko, and hot water. Avast! When I thought I scrubbed enough, I scrubbed some more. Begad! After t' primer didn't stick well t' me Hostile Projectiles V-2 cones, I sanded this one and scrubbed some more.

T' instructions show you how t' ream t' cockpit windows, matey, which are t' be plugged with scrap clear plastic (builder-provided). Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I chose nay t' do this. Ahoy! Begad! T' alternate method is t' paint them and cover with a thin layer o' epoxy. Ahoy! T' next step on t' cone is t' glue t' styrene tube t' t' wall o' t' cone and then t' screw eye into that tube. Begad! I did so with 5-minute epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! I later added lead shot and epoxy t' move t' loaded CG t' about 12.5 inches from t' nose cone tip.

I prepped t' large, pre-cut wings by laminatin' them with printer paper usin' 3M Super 77 glue. Ahoy! Begad! I saw a flight report where t' win' broke and I thought this would make them a little tougher. Well, blow me down! This worked out OK (based on me level o' acceptability), but barely so. Aye aye! I need more practice on larger fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! 'Nuff said.

T' edge stock, shiver me timbers, which is tapered along its short axis, matey, shiver me timbers, is glued t' t' root o' t' wings. Arrr! Since these strips are longer than t' wing, you fill t' leadin' edge gap with scrap balsa taken from t' leftovers from t' stabilizers. Ya scallywag! Begad! Once filled in, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, this section o' t' win' assembly is shaped usin' a provided template.

T' motor assembly is standard, consistin' o' a tube, ya bilge rat, matey, a motor hook, me bucko, a motor block, matey, and two laser cut centerin' rings. Begad! I augmented t' recovery harness by addin' a length o' Keelhaul®©™, which was fed through a notch I made on t' top CR. Blimey! I built t' mount with wood glue and a dab o' 5-minute epoxy t' attach t' Keelhaul®©™ leader.

When I went t' mark t' body tube usin' t' provided markin' guide, matey, I found that it was a bit small. Begad! I had t' adjust each mark by about 1/16". I also noted that t' pre-cut pieces o' 1/2"-wide stock that is used for t' aft o' t' delta-shaped stabilizers were about 1/8" too long. Aye aye! Thus, me hearties, matey, I suspect t' span o' said stabilizers is also a skosh shorter than intended. I'll double check that me RockSim model has t' as-built dimensions. Other than that, arrr, framin' t' delta shaped stabilizers be straightforward.

I mounted t' provided lugs on t' bottom at t' joint betwixt t' body and one lower fin strake. Well, blow me down! I also mounted some 3/16" lugs on t' opposite strake.

T' final step was t' form t' tail cone. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I tried a couple o' paper varieties and wasn't happy. Arrr! I ended up cuttin' mine from 1/64" fiberglass.

Finishing:
T' instructions provide detailed finishin' recommendations, me bucko, includin' Minwax wood filler, Bondo spot putty, me hearties, and Tamiya paint. Well, blow me down! However, I used fill'n'finish and Rustoleum primer and paint. Avast! T' wings didn't require filin' as they were laminated with paper.

T' kit comes with a plenty o' decals. Arrr! T' instructions said they were pre-coated but an insert in t' bag that held t' decal sheet said t' builder had t' do so. Blimey! It suggested Testor's sealer but I decided t' try Future. Ya scallywag! This be a mistake as t' Future totally melted and ran t' colors. Ahoy! Ahoy! Steve provides an image that you can use t' print another set and in an email recommended Experts Choice paper. Avast! Begad! If I couldn't find it locally he offered t' provide a replacement set even though I didn't follow simple directions.

I can't fault t' kit for t' label disaster and providin' t' decal image is a real plus. Well, blow me down! Such be t' benefit o' providin' soft copy instructions.

In any event, me will fly decal-free.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Prep be typical, me bucko, includin' a mix o' paper and cellulose waddin' and some maskin' tape t' make t' cone snug. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! I chose a D12-5 for t' first flight. Arrr! Begad! T' boost was perfectly straight and ejection was at apogee. Well, blow me down! Very nice.

Recovery:
T' rocket recovered under an 18" nylon 'chute. Well, matey, blow me down! I has expected t' snap one o' t' tip winglets off but, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, nope, arrr, it recovered perfectly.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cool lookin' kit that is sure t' get attention on t' field. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! As I mentioned earlier, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it is considered a 'garage' kit. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions are nay refined and some o' t' parts are rough. Aye aye! I could accept that, ya bilge rat, but I found t' error in t' scale o' t' provided templates t' be troubling. Blimey! T' main plus be t' beautiful nose cone. This, along with t' fact that it is such a unique subject, make t' kit well worth t' price. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! However, it is nay for t' novice builder and you need t' take care as you assemble it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5