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. Ahoy! Begad! This makes room for t' nose cone. Begad! After removin' t' wheel well, arrr, I epoxied t' nose cone/body tube in t' lower shell. Ya scallywag! There were some gaps along t' body tube side where t' plastic wasn't touching. Avast, me proud beauty! T' reinforce this area, I cut some strips from t' frame which holds t' plastic parts for t' model. Well, blow me down! I wedged them along t' side o' t' tube and used airplane glue t' weld them t' t' shell. Ahoy! Then I painted epoxy over that and along t' tube where t' strips touched. Avast! I assembled t' rest o' t' plane per instructions only leavin' out parts which would nay fit. In this case, me hearties, it was only t' little man inside t' canopy. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! There were two versions t' build. I chose t' one without t' wheels. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, followin' with epoxy. 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! Ahoy! 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 was a pain t' get in. I also packed some clay in and around t' nosecone. Arrr! Aye aye! I wasn't sure about gaugin' CP. Begad! I probably should have made a cardboard cutout. Avast! 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, matey, arrr, and I think that contributed t' t' inconsistent results. Ya scallywag! I flew t' X-15 three times, all on A10-3T motors. Avast! T' first flight was very straight. T' second be mostly straight but a little squirrelly near apogee. Well, blow me down! T' third flight was very unstable, was wafflin' around sideways, and landed before motor ejection. There was no damage from one flight t' t' next. Well, blow me down! 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. Blimey! It was about t' only thin' I had which would fit in t' 13mm tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Actually I did start a plastic model Jedi Starfighter, but abandoned t' idea. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I be pleased with t' results o' t' X-15, me bucko, but I don't think this is somethin' I would do often.

Videos:
Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Flight 3: