Planet Models 1/72 Douglas X-3 Stiletto By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

Now here's a kit with no competition, even in vacuform. The Douglas X-3 was designed to test high speed aerodynamics up around Mach 2, but due to inadequate engines, it could only do Mach 1.21, and that was when it was put into a 30° dive. While it failed at its intended goal of aerodynamic research, it did succeed in LOOKING like it went fast!

The Kit

The only other 1/72 Stilleto that I know of is the Maintrack vacuform one released back in 1989, and this kit looks like it will be much easier to build, and more detailed, too. The kit is well molded in a typical buff colored resin, with recessed panel lines finely etched throughout. There is a lot of flash around the fuselage, but hardly any air bubbles. If I had to have a choice, I would rather have flash than those pinhole air bubbles. The wings are solid, and are thin, just like the real thing. Detail parts abound in this kit, with separate wheel wells, a full resin cockpit interior (which will be tough to see through those small cockpit windows!), and some very nicely done engine exhausts. The canopy is vacuformed and is very clear. The actual attachment of the clear parts isn't clear, though, and it looks like this is one area for some careful test fitting.

The decals are sparse, but there wasn't much on this plane anyway. There is one omission, though, and it will be a tough one to find in the spares box. This is the NACA emblem that is on the yellow band on the tail. For those of you with printers that can do decals, you can get an EPS file of this logo from the Dryden Flight Research Gallery. Other than that, the decals are very nice, being printed by Propagteam who has a reputation of putting out thin decals with excellent alignment.

This model is a very welcome one, and one that is highly unlikely to see injection molded status. The long, sleek fuselage finished in a glossy white paint, coupled with short, stubby wings featuring a mirror-like metal finish really sets this plane apart from the rest, and while it didn't actually fly faster than the speed of sound, it definitely looked like it on the ground.

My thanks to Planet Models for the review sample.