T Bolt
Colonel
User Name: T Bolt
Name: Glenn
Category: 1, Advanced
Kit: Hobbycraft YP-59 Aircomet
Scale: 1/48th.
Accessories: True Details Resin Wheels. Scratch built seat belts and some cockpit detail.
My First entry in this group build is in the Jet category with the prototype of the United States first jet aircraft the XP-59A EDIT:Change to YP-59
The original X-59 was a piston engine pusher fighter design that was never built. When The Air Corps received the designs for the British Gloster E.28/39 series jet engine. Hap Arnold went to Bell Aircraft and had them design a fighter around it. To keep everything hush-hush he assigned the P-59 number to the project to mislead people into thinking it was a continuation of the piston engine project. When the aircraft was moved around, a fake propeller was attached to the nose to conceal the true mode of propulsion. Three prototypes were built under the designation of XP-59A of which two are still in existence as can be seen in attachment 1.
The three XP-59A's, thirteen YP-59A's, twenty P-59A's and thirty P-59B's were not good performers, in fact a P-51D could kick their a$$ in a dogfight, but they were an important first step to the Air Force's first real jet fighters such at the P/F-80 and F-84.
As you can see from the attached pictures the markings on the XP-59A's varied throughout its service life from a star without bars, to the short lived bars and red surround, and finally the blue surround. Not sure which I'll use at this point. The decals include the blue surround, but I'm leaning towards one of the other two choices for something a little different. The only evidence of any of the XP-59A's having a tail number painted on is the profile below which I don't really buy, so I'll be leaving that off. The prototypes were only painted in OD over Neutral Gray camo with varying degrees of weathering. So I can go with anything from pristine paint to very sun-faded and dirty.
I won't start on this until next week after my GB#16 project is complete.
Name: Glenn
Category: 1, Advanced
Kit: Hobbycraft YP-59 Aircomet
Scale: 1/48th.
Accessories: True Details Resin Wheels. Scratch built seat belts and some cockpit detail.
My First entry in this group build is in the Jet category with the prototype of the United States first jet aircraft the XP-59A EDIT:Change to YP-59
The original X-59 was a piston engine pusher fighter design that was never built. When The Air Corps received the designs for the British Gloster E.28/39 series jet engine. Hap Arnold went to Bell Aircraft and had them design a fighter around it. To keep everything hush-hush he assigned the P-59 number to the project to mislead people into thinking it was a continuation of the piston engine project. When the aircraft was moved around, a fake propeller was attached to the nose to conceal the true mode of propulsion. Three prototypes were built under the designation of XP-59A of which two are still in existence as can be seen in attachment 1.
The three XP-59A's, thirteen YP-59A's, twenty P-59A's and thirty P-59B's were not good performers, in fact a P-51D could kick their a$$ in a dogfight, but they were an important first step to the Air Force's first real jet fighters such at the P/F-80 and F-84.
As you can see from the attached pictures the markings on the XP-59A's varied throughout its service life from a star without bars, to the short lived bars and red surround, and finally the blue surround. Not sure which I'll use at this point. The decals include the blue surround, but I'm leaning towards one of the other two choices for something a little different. The only evidence of any of the XP-59A's having a tail number painted on is the profile below which I don't really buy, so I'll be leaving that off. The prototypes were only painted in OD over Neutral Gray camo with varying degrees of weathering. So I can go with anything from pristine paint to very sun-faded and dirty.
I won't start on this until next week after my GB#16 project is complete.
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