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

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

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

Videos:
Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Flight 3: