Special Hobby 1/48 scale X-15A-2

Manufacturer: Special Hobby, MPM, Mezilesi 718, 193 00 Prague 9, Czech Republic
www.mpm.cz/english.asp
Kit: No. SH 48008 Scale: 1/48
Price: N/A
Comments: Mixed media, 78 parts (28 injection-molded plastic, 49 cast resin), decals

Pros: Fine recessed panel lines, excellent detail of resin parts, opaque decals
Cons: Poor fit, especially interface of resin and plastic parts; small resin details are fragile; no provision for extending landing skids

North American's X-15 series of research aircraft set some remarkable records using 1950s technology. The X-15A-2, represented by this kit, used its external fuel tanks to reach a record speed of Mach 6.72 (4,534 mph). The A-2 version was actually the No. 2 X-15, rebuilt following a crash landing Nov. 9, 1962. The modifications included a revised windscreen, extended fuselage, and redesigned landing gear.

All of Special Hobby's major components are molded in dark gray plastic, while the small parts (cockpit, landing gear, and rocket exhaust cone) are molded in tan resin. The resin cockpit and complex ejection seat are nicely detailed, but the seat lacks belts and harnesses.


The kit's main problem areas are fit related. The plastic parts have nicely engraved panel lines, but suffer from prominent sprue attachment points which require extra cleaning up to allow the parts to fit. The lack of locating pins hinders getting parts to line up easily.


The canopy structure is a two-piece affair that leaves a longitudinal seam to clean up. The small glass areas are meant to be filled with oval pieces cut from a provided clear sheet.


The dorsal and ventral stabilizers needed trimming and sanding to get them to follow the contours of the rear fuselage. Sanding the seam of the joined upper and lower fuselage halves practically obliterated the delicate panel lines that wrap around the body.

The edges of the resin cockpit and landing gear tubs must be ground off to allow the fuselage halves to close. Many of the resin parts, such as the small cockpit controls, are extremely delicate, and you'll need to take care removing them from the pour stubs. The inside of the resin rocket exhaust was riddled with small pin holes in my sample.

If you choose to display your X-15 on the ground, you must cut off the lower portion of the ventral stabilizer and mount the ground-handling dolly. The dolly's 12 resin parts must be assembled with care to make the aircraft sit properly on it. No provision for extending the landing skids is provided.

The lower air-brake mechanism with its five resin parts is difficult to see inside the ventral stabilizer once it is assembled, and there is no option for displaying it opened. Many parts, such as the vents on the rear ends of the external fuel tanks, have no locating holes and your only guides are vague drawings in the instructions. The positions of the fuel tanks are also unclear.

The decals are a pleasant surprise. The white and yellow markings are opaque, yet thin, and they stick readily. I used the "puddle of saliva" method to move the decals into position, then used Micro Sol to snuggle them down. Locating the markings is a little tricky as the small instruction drawings are difficult to read. Optional markings are provided for the white ablative-coated scheme. No provision for the shuttered left window of the white ablative-covered X-15 is given.

The completed model looks impressive, with its black finish accented by the high-visibility external fuel tanks. The outline of the nose looks a bit swollen compared with photos of the real X-15s. A good reference on the X-15 is Aerofax Datagraph 2, North American X-15/X-15A-2 by Ben Guenther, Jay Miller, and Terry Panopalis.

All told, I spent about 30 hours on my X-15. The need to fix fit problems and deal with all those small resin parts means this kit should be attempted by experienced modelers only. Once completed, this challenging kit is an attractive model of the craft that brought man to the edge of space.