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

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

Videos:
Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Flight 3: