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Special Hobby 1/72 Bell X-1B


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I was looking at a couple on line builds of this kit. It looks to me that the wing is the wrong shape. It looks to squared off. I cant find any photos of the actual plane with this wing shape. The latest photo is on Cybermodeler on the IPMS/USA 2016 National Convention Photo Gallery Day Three - More photos from the contest room page. Near the bottom. any comments?

Steve

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This kit comes with 2 sets of wings and horizontal stabs. The more traditional tapered wings and stabs are what's on the aircraft at the USAF Museum.

This is a link to the kit and it's contents. X-1B

I think the squared off wings and stabs are something that NACA had intended to install but never did. Correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Cheers,

John

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According to Jay Miller's X-Plane book the last 3 flights were flown with "extended wing tips" and a reaction control system. After the third/last flight cracks were found in the LOX tank and the aircraft was permanently grounded. The RCS was removed and installed in the NF-104A. Unfortunately the book has only one photo showing the RCS install and it doesn't show the wing platform to advantage.

This description roughly matches that in the kit instructions. Since the RCS mods were removed before the B was sent to the museum that might explain the original wing shape now on the plane.

edit: while not the same photo as the book, here is a pic of the RCS installed on the wing. I can't tell if the wing chord changed....

340734main_E58-03583_full.jpg

Edited by habu2
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Thanks for the response guys. I think they were just small wingtip extensions and not new wings. Now that I see that the kit comes with the correct wing, I will buy it.

Steve

Edited by Steve jahn
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To add to this discussion, reviewing several X-1 reference books I see no mention or photograph of the 'square' wing. There are however numerous photos showing wind tunnel models with other wing configurations, mostly swept wings - including forward-swept (like the X-29). If there had been serious consideration of a 'square' wing I would expect it to be mentioned in the reference books. I don't know the information source used by Special Hobby for this option, maybe Tony Landis does.

And I agree, the RCS mod was most likely an extension to the existing wingtip.

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It looks to me like the wing was modified to operate jets of gas in the wingtips, the visual evidence appears to show the wing remained tapered after this modification. Thanks for your inputs.

Steve

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There is a picture somewhere (NASA site?) which makes it look as if it had the squared off wing but of you look closely you can see that it is just distortion due the camera position. I, too, could find no evidence of such a wing being fitted.

John

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