X-15 Color

[SpitfireGuy]

Okay I have a few X-15 models in the stash and I have built a couple of the old Revell kits as well. I know that the X-15 was black aside from the Speed Record flight for the A-2 which was white.

Most photos however show the X-15 airframes to be heavily weathered with an almost blue sheen. I have tried using blacks lightened up to show different panels and weathering but black looks too dark on this airframe even when lightened.

Would it make more sense to start with say Dark Sea Blue and darken it a hair with black in order to produce a more convincing color?

Clearly this is going to vary depending when in the program you want to portray the aircraft but many of the later pictures appear to be more blue than black. I am thinking of portraying the last X-15 flight flown by Bill Dana in 1968 by X-15-1.

Zach

[niart17]

The color of the X-15 is one of the coolest things about it to me. It's not a painted black or blue, rather the color of the material it's made of Iconel-X (sp?) is that blue-black metallic color. I've seen some using metalizers tinted with black/blue paints and some just using a gloss black/blue paint polished to look metallic. I'll try to search for one of the builds I'm thinking of that nailed the color perfectly. I don't remember the techinique used, but it definately had the apperance of a dark metal rather than a black painted aircraft. Also, the weathering is the other thing that gives it it's distinctive look. Again, the build I'm thinking of was perfect. I'll do some searchin and see if I can find it.

BTW, post some pics of your build, would love to see it.

Bill

Edited March 18, 2013 by niart17

[niart17]

Here is a link to the build I was thinking of. It was posted on Large Scale Planes site. Some of the pics apparently have been removed, but a lot are still showing up. I think he did a fantastic job of representing the weathered natural metal surface of the real aircraft. Beautiful job!.

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=17431&hl=north american&page=2

Good luck,

Bill

Edited March 18, 2013 by niart17

[Grey Ghost 531]

Take a look at Model Master "Gun Metal". I think that with a semi-gloss varnish might be pretty close. It's a metalic blue-black color. The hard part would be creating the variations in color at the panels and the rivets which really stand out on the X-15. Uh, bad choice of words, not "stand out" as in raised, but "stand out" as in being a different color than the skin. The rivets are darkish silver.

[habu2]

Having seen the two remaining X-15s up close in museums, there is no blue tint to the colors. The blue tint is an artifact of the photo reproduction process.

[SpitfireGuy]

Wow Bill that X-15 build is amazing! I could hope to hold a candle to that someday if I am lucky.....

The gunmetal idea is a good one. I have some at home and might try that.

My last flight X-15 is currently in planning. I need to get the stuff nessecary to pull it off and decide what scale it will be. There is no cheap way to get there. I can either get the SH 1/48 kit and the Hypersonic Models resins set to get there or I could combinde the SH X-15-1 XLR-11 and X-15-A2 kits in 1/32 to get there. Either route is about $120 to $150 just to get me in the door. I am leaning towards option two as the size factor is a big plus. Also this will match my Revell X-1 in scale once it is done so there is that.

Currently I have the SH 1/32 X-15-1 XLR-11 kit standing by and I do want to complete that one as the XLR-11 version for either the first powered flight without the NASA markings piloted by Scott Crossfield or the first NASA flight with Joe Walker at the controls.

Zach

[niart17]

Having seen the two remaining X-15s up close in museums, there is no blue tint to the colors. The blue tint is an artifact of the photo reproduction process.

You mean this one?

http://airandspace.si.edu/images/collections/media/full/A19690360000CP09.jpg

Or this one?

Because both of those to me have a blueish tint over most of the body with the exception of the nose, which I believe was a different material and was painted black. It's similar to a blued gun. I've never seen the one in the Smithsonian in person but I've seen the one in Dayton and it to me did have a slightly blued hue. Granted it's not royal blue or anything but it looks like black metal that you heat up to a very high temperature and blued. Which is what it is. The other one's I've seen were mock-ups that have been painted black.

Edited March 18, 2013 by niart17

[SpitfireGuy]

I have not seen the Dayton airframe but I spent a lot of time ogling the NASM airframe while I lived in DC and I would agree that there is a blue hue to it.

Zach

[habu2]

I've seen both up close and did not notice a blue tint. The iconel metal does reflect light and in the photo links you posted the blue appears to be due to reflected light.

Interestingly, the link you posted to X-15A-2 in Dayton looks almost identical to one I took last August.

AFM pic:

My pic:

Edited March 18, 2013 by habu2

[Scooby]

Having seen the two remaining X-15s up close in museums, there is no blue tint to the colors. The blue tint is an artifact of the photo reproduction process.

There is a most definite blue tint on the real thing. I have spent hours up close with the X-15 in Dayton.

[catfan]

now my idea on the color of the X-15 is this. to most people it looks black and it was when it was brand new. but with all of the flying and heating and cooling of the metal. certain parts of the X-15 can change colors to differnt shades of gray and parts can even have blue on them like what you see on the exhust of a motor cycle. and to any body building a X-15 the best thing i have is a CD that i got from muroc models and it only cost me 7$ but is worth its weight in gold because of the pictures it has