Card Model 1/48 scale
X-15-3, 66672

by David Hanners

This is a cardmodel of X-15-3, 66672, as it appeared from mid-1966 onward until the crash in November 1967 that killed test pilot Mike Adams. I used Yukonjohn’s 66672 repaint of Henry Yuen’s X-15 -- which comes in 1/87th scale -- and enlarged it to 1/48th.

I also borrowed parts from Ken West’s X-15A-2 (reduced from 1/32nd to 1/48th) and used them to build the landing skids and the interior of the speed brakes on the lower ventral stabilizer. I used Ken's parts as templates to make my own XLR-99 motor.

One feature of 66672 during this period was that a sharp leading edge was attached to the rudder to see how such leading edges dealt with high speeds. I added the piece with black cardstock. To more accurately replicate the upper ventral stabilizer, I split the fixed portion and the rudder into two pieces and built them as separate assemblies. In real life, you could see daylight between the two pieces, and it would be noticeable in 1/48th scale.

I scratchbuilt a number of parts, including the jettison tubes, various air data probes, the experiment box at the rear of the tail, vents, the third skid and the Q-ball nose.

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2021 by David Hanners
Page Created 7 January, 2021
Last Updated 7 January, 2021

Back to HyperScale Main Page