Modelling > Anything But Military GB

NASA Bell X-37 rocketplane

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Brian da Basher:
The NASA X-planes are truly legendary. From the nascent X-1 which broke the sound barrier to the X-15 which set the stage for manned space flight, these aircraft have earned their prominent place in the annals of aviation. Except for the utterly unknown Bell X-37.





Why would NASA sweep such an iconic-looking aircraft under the rug? On the surface, the X-37 seemed to have all the right stuff.





Yet no aviation history even mentions the needle-nosed record-contender. Not one entry on the X-37 is to be found in Jane's All the World's Aircraft nor is it noted anywhere in official NASA records. How can this be?



Such a thoroughbred certainly deserves at least a footnote, right?





Unfortunately, the X-37 was anything but the stuff of legend. While looking sharp enough to cut the very wind, the Bell X-37 suffered from incurable control problems. After dropped from the B-52 mother ship, the test-pilot put the experimental rocketplane into a climb, but the aircraft instead did an outside Cuban 8 which lit up the night sky.



It took much blackmail from the FBI's secret files to keep this screw-up secret and no answer was ever found for the X-37's control problems. Finally, the X-37 was tested to destruction trying to solve the riddle.





Bell Aircraft would never build another X-plane (or anything else) for NASA and today this useless step in man's effort to conquer space is completely forgotten, save for these top-secret Polaroids smuggled out of Muroc.



Brian da Basher

Cliffy B:
That's what you get for ripping off the Lighting Bell!!!!  ;D

Another great one Brian!!

Brian da Basher:
This all began with a Tamiya 1/100 B.A.C. Lightning I picked up on the cheap.



I had the nose from an F-104 rattling around in the spares box which wasn't a bad fit. The upper wings from a small-scale Space Shuttle backed with card were substituted for the kit wings.







I covered up the slots for the horiz. stabs. with 1/144 torpedo halves.



The last step was rounding off the tail and ventral fins to match the new wingtips.



The model was brush-painted by hand with acrylics and decals are from spares and a nameless, dwindling NASA sheet.





I had a lot of fun on this model which took me about four days from start to finish. A tip 'o the pin to Jeff & Bill for sending me the Space Shuttle.



I hope you enjoyed the X-37 and reading about yet more esoteric aviation history.

Brian da Basher

kitnut617:
Now that I like --- brilliant stuff BdB ---   :)

finsrin:
Ditto what kitnut617 said :)
Appreciate your research into X-37 mystery.  Always wondered what happend to/with it.
No kits of X-37 are available.  Yet you had the kitbash vision to build near identical likeness ;)

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