While I was building my Rutan Voyager model I was inspired to focus my modeling hobby on planes that made a significant impact on aviation. The X-1 clearly foots the bill for those purposes. Further, after the struggles I had with the Goose project I was looking for a simple, straightforward model to get me back in the groove. Revell came to the rescue with this austere kit.
The sound barrier had been an elusive goal for aerodynamicists for decades. Despite having the raw horsepower to achieve mach speed, the structural technology to reach this velocity was far more complex than one might expect. The problem lay not in the subsonic, or even supersonic range, but rather the "in between" zone, or transonic range of speed.
Transonic flight occurs when some of the airflow over a wing is supersonic while the rest is flowing at subsonic speeds. This difference in airflow pressure and speeds causes violent oscillations (shaking). This powerful shakeup at transonic speeds directly led to the death of aviation great Geoffrey de Havelland Jr. during his test flight of a DH 108.
Ultimately, the X-1 overcame this problem with a counter-counter-intuitive solution.
Originally, the Wright Brothers (and hundreds that followed them) designed wings as thin as possible to "slice" through the air and reduce drag. As the study of aerodynamics matured this proved to be a flawed idea.
The Fokker D7 turned aviation on its head by using a thick wing without losing any positive lift characteristics. This thick wing led to a revolution in plane design. The elimination of the second wing of a biplane (and accompanying bracing struts) was the result of a (singular) thick wing design. And once a wing is thick enough, you can hide wheels and landing gear and fuel inside of it (further eliminating drag).
With the seemingly unbreakable sound barrier posing a problem, aviation would come full circle and return to a razor thin wing profile. By reducing the thickness of a wing, you can reduce the ability of shockwaves to take hold, and therefore reduce the oscillations created during transonic flight.
This Revell kit is everything you'd expect from a Revell kit. It's simple, easy to build, and almost frustration free. I did have some fit issues, but someone with pride and patience could have corrected them with simple putty and sanding. As you can see, I am not that person.
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There's not much to say about putting this model together. The interior is sparse, there's an engine you can build (that won't be seen once it's enclosed), there's wings, a fuselage, a pitot tube and antennae. That's about it. Pro Tip: I added a ton of weight in the nose. Despite its looks this plane is tail heavy.
The landing gear is probably the most complicated part of this kit, and even that was easy:
The hatch is technically removable, though I damaged the paint when I pulled it off to take this picture. Regardless, there is somewhat of a view inside the spartan cockpit. (Not shown is the broomstick Revell included in the kit. A nice touch and a nod to the history of Yeager's flight, and one I have a familial connection to that I'll share sometime.)
This model offered good bang for the buck. The color makes it a striking addition to my collection. It was simple to build and looks totes cool. I'm happy with the final product:
You may not believe this, but the top view is just as orange as the side view. (I used a 3oz can of Model Master Go Mango 2970).
This kit taught me that some of the easiest builds can be the coolest ones. In the modelling world we're bombarded with DETAIL! DETAIL! DETAIL! nonsense. I'm not going to begrudge people with enough time to worry about rivet layouts and valve stem colors for doing their thing. But for my time and dollar I'm happy to put together a cool looking plane that doesn't drive me nuts building it and displays nicely. Typically Revell produces that for me and this model was no exception.
Happy building!
While the Glue is drying:
Check out a beautiful version of the same kit by reading this guy's review..
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