1:144 Grumman X-29 Carson 774643 500774643

As part of the USA’s experimental flight program, the X-29 first took to the air from Edwards Air Force Base on 14 December 1984. A total of two aircraft, based on Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airframes, were produced and they flew in various tests up till 1991. The Grumman X-29’s key characteristics were forward-swept wings (at more than 33° angle), canard control surfaces and composite materials. The design was inherently unstable to increase its agility, so it utilized computerized fly-by-wire controls that could make 40 corrections per second while flying at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8. The carbon-fiber composite materials were necessary to manage the twisting that results from forward-swept wings. Such aeroelastic divergent twisting results from aerodynamic forces that rotate the wings’ leading edges upwards, and which could easily result in structural failure. Interestingly, this was only the world’s second jet-powered aircraft to have forward-swept wings, the first being the Junkers Ju 287 of 1944 vintage!

Dragon has produced a 1/144 scale plastic model kit of the X-29. This item makes use of 100% new toolings, and it accurately reproduces the sleek shape of the experimental aircraft. The forward-swept wing design in particular is impressive on this model. The constituent parts are cleverly engineered and precisely molded to ensure a perfect fit during assembly. Indeed, this accurate model of the X-29 results in a fine-looking specimen of advanced American aerospace technology.