Geo1966

Will be keeping an eye on this one Steve as i have the Cyber-Hobby version in the stash. Good luck with your build! George

It's a great kit. I was really impressed when i built one in the Vietnam GB earlier in the year. Good luck with yours. George

Getting there now! First up a coat of VMS No-peel surface primer. As i expected, there was a bit more sanding and filling to do so the primer did its job. I applied another coat of the VMS Primer and then a coat of Tamiya XF-15 Flesh. The pink (flesh) was used, as people say it is the best undercoat for red and yellow........ AK 3rd Gen Yellow was applied to the upper surfaces. Not sure if the "pink" worked as i had to do three or four coats to get a good coverage. Maybe that was because i used flesh and not pink. Then the masking. Not that easy to see, but all will become apparent. The only tricky bits were the rear of the nacelles and the front and aft of the fuselage, due to the curves. I then gave her a coat of AK 3rd Gen Red. All was going okay until i noticed a crack under the nose! Gave it a drip of CA glue and will let that dry well before sanding and then finishing the red coat as i don't want it to get any worse. George

Time for a well overdue update (think I always say that). I am quite a slow modeller, and even slower at doing updates on here. However, that has been some progress. With the supplied PE and resin seat, the cockpit comes out quite nice. The joystick is a bit of a lump so I found what i think is an antenna from a Beaufighter in the spares box, and added a couple of blobs of sprue goo. There is also a PE top firing handle for the ejector seat which i will add once the seat is fitted. Then I couldn’t put it off anymore so I got the razor saw out. Fortunately, there is a panel line at the front of the guns which is the correct line to cut. I got the fuselage together and after a bit of fettling got the Resin nose stuck on with CA glue. A bit of sanding was needed but it wasn’t far off and resin does sand quite easily. Next on to the wings. The cut is a bit trickier so I used some electrical tape to get my line. Strangely these aircraft didn’t have wing tip lights. The below photo is prior to glueing. Before adding the wing tip pods, I finished off making up the Nacelles. Not for the first time I wished I had used the new Airfix Meteor F.8 for this build, but hey. There is a fair bit of filling and sanding needed on this older kit. Next up I glued on the wing tip pods with CA. A bit of sanding, but again the resin was a pretty good fit. I then joined the wings to the fuselage and attached the canopy. Oh, I also stuck the ejector seat in. Glad I remembered that ha ha. After I accidentally broke off the nose antenna, I decided to replace it and the tail antenna with 5mm copper rod. Probably not a bad thing anyway. So, I think we are ready for an undercoat. I am expecting to find quite a bit that needs attention, but fingers crossed I am wrong. George

Just about ready to make a start on this one. I have selected the MPM F.8. Here are the bits. It comes with resin seat, IP panel and rockets. There is also a PE fret with IP parts, seat belts and rocket fins. I also chucked in a canopy mask. The Alley Cat conversion set, with my subject. Not sure if there should be instructions? If so, I didn't get any. The resin parts, a bit of PE and the decals. Planning to make a start over the weekend so will hopefully have my first update next week. George

Thanks Craig and James. Looking forward to making a start soon.............................. I can't really answer that Adam, as the decision was made years ago. Maybe it is because Meteors flew from RAF Bentwaters in 1945-46 so there is a bit of history? Saying that, they were F.3's. George

Fairey Battle Mk.I, Air Gunnery School, RAAF, Victoria, Australia. January 1942 to January 1944. Azur Frrom 1/72 George

Calling this one done. I figured as it was at a Gunnery School it would be in pretty good nick, so just some light exhaust stains. Only one problem with finishing the build. When i removed the mask from the rear gunner's canopy i realised i had managed to break it in half. I left the middle masking on and gave it a couple of coats of Gauzy Agent. This seemed to do the trick and although it is still visible, in the open position it's not too obvious. Really enjoyed this kit and would highly recommend it. The fit and moulding of the parts is great and some interesting schemes. Not sure about the new Eduard decals, but maybe it is something we are going to have to get used to? Sure i will be buying another one in the not too distant future. Big thanks to the Mods @Enzo the Magnificent and @Corsairfoxfouruncle and to all who have participated in another great GB. I'm off to the Hurricane and Post War Twins GB's now, so hopefully see some of you there! George

I have always had a bit of a thing for the Gloster Meteor as my Uncle Frank flew them in the 1950’s. His flying training started in a Tiger Moth, before progressing to a Havard. Once he had mastered that (ish) he was into a single seat Meteor. He said it was really scary, but not in those words! A lot of pilots died in training flights in those days! I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at the end of last year. I had a slight worry in the back of my head that I might end up getting bored. In October 2024 I discovered BCWM (Bentwaters Cold War Museum). I had never heard of the Museum, even though I only live 30 mins drive away. Anyway, I visited on an open day and asked if they needed any volunteers? As they say the rest is history. I have been working 3 days a week in the restoration hanger ever since and they have a Meteor!!! BCWM acquired WH453 in January 2005 as their first aircraft. Here is a photo prior to further dismantlement and transporting to Bentwaters. Although a lot of work on the airframe was completed initially, other projects have taken priority and the Meteor has remained neglected at the back of the Hanger for many years. Over the last few months, a lot of progress has taken place which means WH453 is very much back in the sights and hopefully she will see the light of day again next year. When restoration is complete, she will have been reverted to an F.8 and will wear the markings of 72 Sqn. WH453 in her current state within the Bentwaters Cold War Museum HAS (Hardened Aircraft Shelter). History: WH453 was built by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton, Coventry in early 1951. It entered frontline service (after modifications) with 222 Sqn at RAF Leuchars on 11th March 1952. WH453 was then moved to 72 Sqn at RAF Church Fenton in November 1954. In May 1956 the aircraft was assigned to 5 Civilian Anti-aircraft Co-operation Unit at RAF Woodvale. After nearly 15 years of service WH453 was transferred to the Ministry of Defense (Procurement Executive) for conversion to U.16 unmanned target drone configuration. Following completion of the conversion and after a couple of short stays/further modifications, WH453 moved to RAE Llanbedr in January 1975. The aircraft was operated both manned and unmanned and was used to simulate a target for RAF fighters and in later years as a “Shepard” aircraft for Jindivik target drones. WH453 was grounded on the 10th October 1990 after 4,106 flying hours. My plan for this GB is to convert the MPM F.8 into WH453 when it was a U.16 at RAE Llanbedr using the Alley Cat resin set. If I manage that and time permits, I will then build the Airfix F.8 as WH453 in 72 Sqn markings when it was at RAF Church Fenton (if I can source the decals). More to follow.......................... George

Wow, this looks a bit tricky, to put it mildly. You are doing a sterling job of making it into an aircraft. Will definately not be adding this to my wishlist! George

I had a go at this one last year, but didn't get as far as you. I put it down to experience (as in I didn't have enough) and it flew into the re-cycling bin 😂 Keep up the good work. Will be nice to see it fininshed. George

This one has been a struggle for me and i am going to admit defeat and park it. I have got the blue and the decals on. My problem is, I am really not happy with the paint finish, especially the white, which is awful. I usually manage to have really smooth paint on my models, but as mentioned previously i had problems with the Hataka stuff and it looks like a dogs dinner. I will put it back in the box and leave it for a week or 10, but i think it is most likely to end up in my recycling bin. Saying that i will rob the seats as they were quite nice 🙂 George

Managed to make a start on this one. The cockpit is tiny - obviously, but well detailed. Really impressed with the seat, better than a lot of 1/72. There is a decal for the IP, but i didn't bother. After not very long, i have a little Hunter. Whilst admiring my work, it dawned on me that i had not put any weight in the nose! Doh!!! Not to worry, i thought i will knock up a little base and have her in flight. Rummaged around in the garden and found a few stones and came up with this. Had a bit of a rejig and then gave the base a coat of primer. My next realisation was, there isn't a pilot in the cockpit!!! Oh well, maybe it won't notice that much...... George

With the touch ups completed i was ready for some decals. I really don't get on with spraying Gloss varnish, so i normally go for Satin. This may have caused a bit of a problem as you will see below. It was only when i started to apply the decals that i remembered i had seen somewhere that these are the new style Eduard decals 😱 Once i had got them all on i started to try and get the covering off. Some came off easier than others and some really sunk in and actually split in the recessed areas. I think part of my problem was not having a gloss undercoat, so i will have to remember that in future. NB - I used decal softener on these both before and after application. Also you can leave the thin covering on if you want. Anyway, after a little bit of touching up here and there, they ended up ok. The blue was a bit hard to match btw ha ha. Next up was to get the undercarridge on. I found the hydraulic cylinders/tubes at the back of the wheels a bit tricky to fit, but apart from that all okay. Not much to do now. Remove the masking and add the rear gunners MG and a couple of other little bits. George

Very interesting Pat. Another aircraft i didn't know exsisted. Your stash is amazing! 😂 George