1/64 Strombecker Douglas D558-II

[Mark Braunlich]

Another Strombecker restoration, not the first here on SMM but I've been wanting to get this one fixed up.  The first photo shows where I am starting, I have everything except the stand.   I will not be doing a recreation of the Strombecker version but instead the D558-II that hangs above the escalators at the National Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington.  This is the version that Scott Crossfield piloted to Mach 2.

[lastvautour]

A worthy project Mark. I await further progress.

Lou

[Mark Braunlich]

Well I got the model apart as far as I want to take it.  The two wing panels have an integral "spar" at the root which fit into an angle drilled hole in each side of the fuselage.  As seen, one of the spars broke off during the dis-assembly but that's no big problem.  One of the faults in the Strombecker kit is that the wings, if assembled to the fuselage as intended, get a slight amount of dihedral.  The actual Skyrocket has anhedral, that is, the tips are below the wing roots.  To correct that, the separation of the wings from the fuselage was required anyway.