Brief:
This is a plastic model conversion o' a Revell X-15 kit.

Modifications:
T' first thin' I did be use a Dremel t' grind out t' wheel well in t' bottom half o' t' X-15. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! This makes room for t' nose cone. Aye aye! After removin' t' wheel well, I epoxied t' nose cone/body tube in t' lower shell. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! There were some gaps along t' body tube side where t' plastic wasn't touching. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' reinforce this area, shiver me timbers, I cut some strips from t' frame which holds t' plastic parts for t' model. I wedged them along t' side o' t' tube and used airplane glue t' weld them t' t' shell. Arrr! Blimey! Then I painted epoxy over that and along t' tube where t' strips touched. Well, blow me down! I assembled t' rest o' t' plane per instructions only leavin' out parts which would nay fit. Begad! In this case, it was only t' little man inside t' canopy. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There were two versions t' build. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! I chose t' one without t' wheels. Ahoy! T' smaller lower fins needed t' be reinforced. I used some flat strips o' styrene scrap from t' kit and welded it in with airplane glue, followin' with epoxy. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then I wrapped m askin' tape along t' point where I needed t' cut t' nose off and used an extra fine razor saw t' remove t' piece just above t' nose cone. I made a tiny tri-fold shock cord and glued it in t' tube. Well, blow me down! I recommend doin' this beforehand as it be a pain t' get in. Aye aye! I also packed some clay in and around t' nosecone. I wasn't sure about gaugin' CP. Ahoy! Blimey! I probably should have made a cardboard cutout. Aye aye! Blimey! I chose t' place t' CG about 1/4 inch forward o' t' leadin' win' edge.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 Revell X-15 plastic model kit
• 1 6.5" BT-5 tube
• 1 10mm t' 13mm centerin' rin' for engine block
• 1 15" piece o' 1/8" elastic cord
• 1 12" x 1" polyethylene streamer
• 1 4:1 ogive 13mm nosecone

Finishing:
I painted t' X-15 flat black and applied t' waterslide decals.

Flight:
It was very windy on t' day I flew this, and I think that contributed t' t' inconsistent results. Well, blow me down! I flew t' X-15 three times, me hearties, all on A10-3T motors. Begad! Ahoy! T' first flight was very straight. Ya scallywag! T' second be mostly straight but a little squirrelly near apogee. Blimey! T' third flight was very unstable, was wafflin' around sideways, and landed before motor ejection. Ya scallywag! There was no damage from one flight t' t' next. Aye aye! I think either t' rocket was marginally stable and/or t' wind caused some problems.

Recovery:
I used a short polyethylene streamer which didn't help much for slowin' t' descent. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! It be about t' only thin' I had which would fit in t' 13mm tube. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' X-15 was durable enough t' take hard landings in grass without any damage.

Summary:
This was me first attempt at a plastic model conversion. Aye aye! Actually I did start a plastic model Jedi Starfighter, matey, but abandoned t' idea. Ya scallywag! I was pleased with t' results o' t' X-15, ya bilge rat, but I don't think this is somethin' I would do often.

Videos:
Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Flight 3: