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! Arrr! This makes room for t' nose cone. Begad! After removin' t' wheel well, I epoxied t' nose cone/body tube in t' lower shell. Avast! There were some gaps along t' body tube side where t' plastic wasn't touching. Avast! T' reinforce this area, I cut some strips from t' frame which holds t' plastic parts for t' model. Aye aye! I wedged them along t' side o' t' tube and used airplane glue t' weld them t' t' shell. Ya scallywag! Then I painted epoxy over that and along t' tube where t' strips touched. Avast, me proud beauty! I assembled t' rest o' t' plane per instructions only leavin' out parts which would nay fit. Arrr! In this case, me hearties, it was only t' little man inside t' canopy. Blimey! There were two versions t' build. Begad! Blimey! I chose t' one without t' wheels. Begad! T' smaller lower fins needed t' be reinforced. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I used some flat strips o' styrene scrap from t' kit and welded it in with airplane glue, shiver me timbers, followin' with epoxy. Avast! 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. Begad! Avast! I made a tiny tri-fold shock cord and glued it in t' tube. Avast! I recommend doin' this beforehand as it be a pain t' get in. Avast! I also packed some clay in and around t' nosecone. I wasn't sure about gaugin' CP. I probably should have made a cardboard cutout. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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. I flew t' X-15 three times, all on A10-3T motors. T' first flight was very straight. Avast! T' second was mostly straight but a little squirrelly near apogee. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' third flight be very unstable, was wafflin' around sideways, shiver me timbers, and landed before motor ejection. Ya scallywag! There was no damage from one flight t' t' next. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. It was about t' only thin' I had which would fit in t' 13mm tube. T' X-15 be durable enough t' take hard landings in grass without any damage.

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

Videos:
Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Flight 3: