Eduard Bell X-1

by Randy Lutz

 

The X‑1 was designed and manufactured by the Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo for the USAAF, USN, and NACA in their quest to break the sound barrier.  A quest many believed impossible to achieve.

 

The requirements called for a projectile shaped fuselage equipped with a powerful (at the time) rocket motor.  The X‑1 was a single seat all metal aircraft with a straight wing configuration.  Its’ size was relatively small with a wing span of 8.54 metres(28'‑0") and a length of 9.41 metres(30'‑10").  The X‑1 had a take off weight was 5557 Kg(12,225 Lbs.).

 

There were a total of 3 X‑1s’ built in various configurations.  Unfortunately, all but one were lost over the span of the flight test program.  The first X‑1 left the Bell plant in late December 1945 and made its’ first flight, unpowered on January 25, 1946 in Florida.  Shortly thereafter the flight program moved to Muroc Dry Lake in the Mojave desert.  On December 9, 1946, the X‑1 made its’ first powered flight .  From here it was a multitude of tests both in the air and on the ground before the sound barrier attempts started.  On October 14, 1947, with Capt. Charles Yeager at the controls, the Bell X‑1 broke the sound barrier achieving a speed of Mach 1.06, or 1,126Km/hour(674 MPH).  This flight put both the pilot and the aircraft permanently in the history books as the first to achieve supersonic flight.

 

In all, the X‑1 had a total of 226 flights spanning the 12 years of the test program.  The program itself ran from December 1946 to November 1958.  The valuable data and results of the X‑1 test program established the criteria for which future supersonic and transonic aircraft were designed.

 

The Profi-pack edition, kit #8032 has forty‑one parts pressed in light grey styrene, one super-clear injection canopy, 10 resin pieces and a fret of photo-etched nickel-plated brass with 34 parts.  Also included is a sheet of photo-negative instrument faces printed on clear mylar. Seven of the plastic parts which are common with the basic version of the X-1 are not used in the Profi-pack edition.

 

In keeping with Eduard’s latest efforts, all parts are cleanly moulded with  finely engraved surface detail, but lacking the locating pins found on mainstream models.  Two choices of rear stabilizers are provided, depending on which of the four potential schemes you should build and the main wings are moulded as single pieces, with sharp trailing edges.  A nice touch is the choice of three different instrument panel configurations, again depending on which aircraft you choose to model.  Some reviewers have stated that the landing gear doors are too thick, but I do not agree.  Based on photos of the real thing found on the Aerofax book, I feel Eduard is right on with their mouldings.  My only complaint with the model is that the mounting points for the two rear tailplanes are not at the same height, resulting in one tail pane sitting higher than the other, if not corrected.

 

Aside from the three different instrument panels, the rest of the photo‑etched parts are used to detail the landing gear, cockpit, main wheel wells and the rocket motor exhaust.

 

Of the 10 resin parts, eight are for the cockpit, with the remaining two being made up of the main wheels.  The replacement main wheels are beauties, with a nice diamond tread pattern and brake calipers on the back side.  They are a definite improvement over the plastic wheels.

  

The instructions are what we have come to expect from Eduard...very nice, with clearly drawn assembly diagrams, part numbering and all painting indicators printed in blue to make them more easily discernable.  A full painting guide is shown and the paint selection is keyed to the Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, Testors and Aeromaster lines of paint.   Eduard suggests that the interior be finished in the standard US Interior Green of FS 34151, however, research has proven that the colour should be darker and in the range FS 34098.

 

Test fitting of the parts showed that I would not experience any major assembly problems, and the lack of locating pins on the fuselage halves did not pose any obstacles.  These assumptions were proven to be correct as the model went together in an incredibly short amount of time with virtually no filler being applied except for a minute amount along the wing roots.  The fit of the main wings can be improved by a shaving off a little plastic where they meet the fuselage.  I was impressed with the fit of canopy, and after a small bead of superglue and a gentle sanding, I had a perfectly flush mounted clear piece. 

 

As stated earlier, Eduard provides a choice of four marking options, which are clearly illustrated in the instructions, along with painting and decaling information.  The decals are printed by Propagteam and just do not have the same crispness as the decals found in the Eduard Tempests.  The dark blue of the national insignia shows signs of bleeding over past the edge of the markings, creating a slightly fuzzy appearance.  There is an error in the "Glamorous Glennis" legend for the nose of Yeager’s X‑1.  The decal is supplied as a two piece affair, with red letters to be applied over a blue outline. This is incorrect, as the blue outline should be silver.  This did not pose any problem for me as I was building the all white X-1.  Aside from these problems, the decals adhered beautifully to the finished model and responded quite well to Solvaset. 

 

I would have to say that Eduard has winner on their hands with this kit.  If I had to purchase an X-1 and were to choose between the basic and Profi-pack editions, I would go with the profi-pack.  The resin cockpit parts display greater detail than the plastic pieces they are designed to replace and the resin main wheels are light years ahead of the stock wheels.  With a suggested retail price of $48.99, this may seem expensive, but assuming that most serious builders would invest in after‑market detailing parts as a matter of course, the price does not seem so bad, as you can build an accurate, highly detailed X-1 right out of the box.

 

 

Review sample provided by Eduard Precision Parts

Randy Lutz

C4650