Bernd Heller has provided an in-box kit review of the
Dragon 1/144th scale Bell X-1 (Number 4630) for anyone interested in this subject at
Modellversium.de.
Click on html or thumbnail image to see the review.
I usually do not have that much interest in models in such small scale but I have to admit that I am quite impressed with the amount of detail that Dragon has managed to stuff into that little model. The one-piece slide molded fuselage sections (forward and aft) are also quite impressive. Certainly takes the issue of alignment out of the equation when you have only one piece to deal with instead of the traditional left and right halves or worse, the left, right, top, and bottom or any combination based on that.
I am tempted to get a set just to see how they would look as a scale-o-rama item on a larger scale model where they would play the role of a decoy or target drone. Granted all of that wonderful internal detail would be wasted in such an effort but it would certainly be interesting resources for such a project. I have to blame Greg Twiner for that idea ever since he posted that image of a Mirage III O superimposed in front of an obviously larger F-4 which got me to wondering what small scale modern aircraft might look functional mounted on a stores pylon of a larger aircraft. Most of the 1/350th scale aircraft are far too small for such things unless you are working in 1/72nd or 1/144th scale where you could get away with that but not in 1/48th scale. So maybe this little Bell X-1 kit is the solution.