ProfiModeller Gloster Meteor Updates (for HK Models) 1:32

[Mike]

Gloster Meteor Updates (for HK Models)
1:32 Profimodeller

The HK Models Meteor has been rightly described as a blank canvas for the modeller to super-detail, and it has been well-served in this respect already, with numerous sets coming out from various manufacturers. Profimodeller have been quick to bring theirs to market, and have a full range, of which we're going to review two today. If we get the others in for review, I'll add them to this one, so you can see it all here.

Engine Set (32191)

This is the largest set I've yet seen from PM, and it's a very handsome one too. It contains resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts to create one engine and a full nacelle content for the left wing, and the front and rear sections for the right wing. That way you can leave one engine nacelle closed, and the other open. You could probably reverse that if you feel the urge, but it's probably something best attempted once you have the built engine in hand. Inside the flat box are twenty four pieces of cream coloured resin that contain thirty two parts, five frets of PE brass in various sixes, a length of flexible tube, and two lengths of copper wire of different diameters. The diminutive instruction booklet contains 46 steps to build your engine, with the back two pages showing where to run the wires and tube on greyscale pictures of the real engine.

Construction begins with preparing the lower nacelle by removing some thickness from the sides, and the upper is also to be thinned down by sanding away the thickness of the sides and the engine covers to a more realistic level. The main engine "dustbin" is given the almost invisible mesh by the addition of a strip of PE into a recess that rings around the circumference. The ten combustion chambers are built up next from a resin core to which two PE flanges are added at an angle around the part of the chambers, as shown on a scrap diagram under the main step. These are then glued in place around the body, and the intake area is added to the front of the engine together with a PE flange and the PE triangular intake meshes, which must be rolled to shape before they are added. The rear section of the engine is then added along with another circumferential mesh, and a number of PE parts are added along the join after being folded to shape as per the previous step. The ancillary parts are then added at the front on a flat panel, which ends up very nicely detailed with resin and PE parts used to good effect. More PE is added to the combustion chambers in the shape of small circular parts that sit below the flanges previously installed.

Moving to the rear of the engine, the moulded in rear fan and bullet are given stator vanes, and a number of lifting lugs are added around the tapering part. The exhaust tubes are rolled up from PE, and are added to PE/resin support rings before being installed within the nacelles. The prominent horizontal splitter is detailed inside and slid through the PE intake trunking, and also receives a PE/resin support ring at the inner end. Before the assemblies are added to the nacelles, a number of PE ribbing parts are glued in place in both top and bottom sections, at which point the engine itself with two resin supports, a support ring, through which the forward exhaust trunking projects with the aft trunking sleeving inside. The forward trunking with splitter is installed in the front, the nacelle is closed up and the lip is then added. With the nacelle closed, a laminated support hoop is added at the point where the two covers join, and the covers themselves receive inner skins to detail them correctly.

The right engine is not provided, as mentioned earlier, but the appearance is given by the installation of the rear face of the engine, stator blades and exhaust trunking, plus a simplified front of the engine ancillary equipment and the intake trunking in the same fashion as the other wing.

Conclusion
A very complex and rewarding upgrade to the hollow nacelles provided in the kit. There has been an issue with the intake lips of the kit parts, which has been corrected by another manufacturer's set, which when combined with this set will give you the best end result. Don't worry about the curled-up PE that appears from the box, as it has all curled up in the direction it will be rolled anyway, so in essence the job has already been started for you. It isn't a job for a novice to PE and resin, but if you want to open up your Meteor's nacelles, it really is worth the effort.

Very highly recommended.

Armament Set (32193)

There is no gun bay provided in the kit, which this upgrade provides for the port side only. This matches up with the left engine bay of the set above, allowing the modeller to show the finished article with one side "undressed" and the other sleek and closed up. Inside the flat package is a fret of PE brass, Four pieces of resin containing five parts, two gun barrels and two extension tubes of differing lengths. The instruction booklet is small and concise, showing the construction process, but I had a few issues understanding it, which I'll detail as I go along.

The first thing to do is cut out the bays, as marked in the instructions, then thin the edges to a more scale appearance. This means cutting the main bay out aft of the cockpit opening, plus the two bays that the barrels pass through before exiting the gun troughs near the nose. You also need to remove some strengthening ribbing from the rear of the cockpit sidewall, or the set won't fit properly. Once these areas are all prepared, construction of the main bay can begin, which starts with the very fine and delicate bay shell, into which you place the two cannons on their PE mountings, with two pieces of wire leading out of the rear of the bay. PE ammo chutes are added, and that's the main bay done. The forward bays are made up from folded PE, with additional skins detailing the backs of the bays through which the barrels pass. A set of brackets are made up from PE to hold the barrels in place at the rear of the bays, which leaves a short length of the barrels projecting into these areas. To complete the cannons, you need to cut off the resin barrel tips and add parts MP2 and extension tubes MP1, which are shown on the instructions as the same length, but are different in the flesh, and have a step toward one end that isn't documented, which probably sits in the aft end of the gun trough. The barrels are also shown as tubes, but are far from it as you can see from the pictures. Perhaps a slight amendment to the instructions is in order here.

With the bays installed and the guns built up, it's just a matter of making up the bay covers from laminations of PE, which should be curved as necessary to match the contour of the fuselage, and then adding the narrow PE surrounds to the bays, which have the holes for the fasteners etched into them. The front of the two forward bay covers have a trough shape cut into them, to which the instructions would have you add a length of resin tube, which you then sand back to flush with the outer skin. This doesn't gel with the resin provided however, which have clearly been amended and re-cast as pre-shaped troughs that will require no additional work. Another update needed there.

Conclusion
A great set, with a few wrinkles to iron out in the instructions. I foresee many Meteors with their port side opened up in the future!

Very highly recommended

Review samples courtesy of