With these bits in place, the XAB is essentially structurally complete. Still some work to do, but the final product should look pretty much like this. The lower-rez shaded views show the different parts.
The question will soon come “So what’s next?” There is currently nothing fixed-certain on my schedule for Fantastic Plastic, though we’ve certainly got a number of designs planned for Someday, even Someday Soon. It has been my hope to restart “Part Time Models,” which would focus on the same sort of “unbuilt projects” that FP does, but obviously with no overlap in subject. The old Lockheed CEV lifting body and X-20 Dyne Soar, both in 1/72 are in various stages of retooling, and I’ve tinkered around with several BoMi designs in 1/144 (including the early three-stage MX-2276 concept). For the most part, PTM would focus on simple models at relatively low cost. They’d be cast by *me* which means a pretty minimalist casting setup (no pressure pots or centrifuges or any of that stuff). But on the other end, I also want to do some “high end” models such as a number of 1/18 designs, including the Apollo CSM and the Dyna Soar. These would likely feature a whole lot of fiberglass, and I’m hoping to make them available in finished form, not just rough kits. My goal is to offer them to museums, NASA/USAF centers and the like as display pieces.
