neilfergylee Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) I've always had a love for the Meteor. It goes back to 1972 when I bought my first modelling magazine: something I still have as you can see below. It was a fascinating and intimidating article in equal measure. I knew there was a Meteor III and Meteor IV, the marks I and II were a mystery and to discover that there were marks 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, even 20! Meanwhile, the article gave me a glimpse into past treasure with the original 1956 Frog Mk.8 model (regarded as unobtainable - see later) and then described how to build a vacform machine out of wood, aluminium and asbestos (yes, really) that you placed under the domestic grill. At age eleven, you might have well given me the plans to build a moon rocket... Nonetheless, I was hooked on Meteors! Roll forward to 1988 and I was well into modelling and absolutely delighted when Matchbox brought-out this beauty: Now, a little context is required here: in the 1980s, there were no Meteors in catalogues: Airfix's Mk.III was discontinued and Frog's Mk.IV was, well, Novo so in that pre-internet age you found them where you found them. So to get a model with THREE, say it again, THREE variants was a Meteor fan's dream. It was an excellent choice because it was a kit-basher's dream too: combine it with the spares box or accessories and you could pretty-well model any post WW-II version. - PAUSE - 1988 to 2017: house move, climb the career ladder, raise two children (not on my own, naturally) and spend all your spare time involved with this: https://www.e-v-r.com/ - still my obsession - and so scale modelling disappeared from view. I still had all the kits tucked away but I'd lost my mojo. 2017 and the mojo came back. Slowly at first with lots of gentle dipping of toes into the water and a great deal of uncertainty as to what to begin-with. To cut a long story short, I decided to more-or-less pick-up where I left-off with the Matchbox Meteor. I decided to add a couple of extras to jazz-up the model and decided on a standard Mk.11. I had made a start on the model, having painted the rather bare interior black (which had dried glossy - no wonder I'd given-up) I chose to add the Airwaves etched cockpit walls and hack-around the Czech Master nosewheel bay to replace the flat plate moulded by Matchbox. This proved to be a challenge as the resin insert really didn't fit the different profile of a two-seater: So, off I went with superglue, Milliput a razor saw and a lot of nerves and - to all intents and purposes - bodged it together: Meanwhile, I attached the quite beautiful etched instrument panels: I then came to glue it all together. It was a struggle: the etched sidewalls and the resin u/c bay required a great deal of hacking and gluing the whole assembly together took a lot of patience and tape: I then came to add the 'lid' for the Mk.11 and Mk.12 versions. As you can see, the application of filler was a given: the mouldings had slightly rounded edges and leaving them unfilled would have looked terrible: Similarly, the tailplane was provided in two versions and the fit was similarly 'challenging': Meanwhile, I assembled the wings, using the narrow (early) intakes (thank you Matchbox) and filled the HUGE gap in the rear wing fillet. Once the fuselage was glued (it stuck together nicely), it was greenstuff time: As an aside, the orange fillings above are ear defenders! Those small foam thingies that you roll-up and place in your ear does an excellent job of sealing orifices while filling, sanding and painting. So, with the wings on the model starts to look like a meteor: TO BE CONTINUED... Edited January 27, 2018 by neilfergylee Typo corrected. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbrownra Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Watching this with interest. Thanks for sharing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Thank you! Hoping to provide an update this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 First time I have ever seen Airwaves stuff prove half useful. Good work so far. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazontipede Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 She's definitely starting to look like a meatbox! As a bonus, you can also use the ear defenders when you need to get out the chainsaw to beat those Airwaves bits into submission! Definitely a watcher! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Now you know where Freddie Mercury got the inspiration to write "Filler Queen". I know where my hat and coat are: I'll collect 'em on the way out................ Seriously though you're putting a lot of work into that kit and hopefully it'll reward you with a lovely replica of this classic jet. Now if only Airfix would do a 1/48th Meteor Night fighter to go with their very nice Mk. 8.......... 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 God help us, those old kits certainly love their filler don’t they? I’ve just finished an Airfix Vulcan that was the same. All said, you’re certainly beating that into shape-it’s looking great. I hope at some point Airfix offer us a 1/48 variant of the NF version. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 I am genuinely gratified by each and every one of the replies I have received - thank you all. When I was last making models, the hobby was to all intents and purposes a solitary one: I was never a member of any modelling clubs, so other than visits to the local model shop (remember them?) I was on my Jack Jones, being intimidated by photos of the championship-level models in the magazines. Therefore, it is a delight just to get feedback - any feedback will do but this has been really encouraging. So, this week I have been applying paint, courtesy of the Humbrol Acrylic range of spray paints. In my return to modelling, I'm trying to stick to acrylics: it's so much nicer to wash your brushes under a tap, while if you put the paint where it shouldn't, you can wipe it off - bliss. The big problem I had was the wing roots: there was a God-awful seam between the top and bottom of the wing by the rear fillets but there was the inevitable gap between wing and fuselage. I had squared it up as best as I could with a file (plus the same for the tailplanes which I attached using superglue gel so as to prevent drooping) but there was a <1mm gap that was awkward to get-to and not really suited to Greestuff or Milliput. Having done some research, I found that the cyanoacrylate gel I had was a good candidate but, of course, any excess immediately set on the fuselage. This was the result: Now, you can see that by this point I had put the structure together, sanded-down the lashings of filler and attached the canopy using PVA adhesive for later removal before covering it in masking fluid (another old friend that hasn't changed in 40+ years). Once together, rubbed-down and dried I used Humbrol grey primer to see how she looked: Don't worry about the canopy: that will be removed, the cockpit interior completed and then the frames hand-painted. That'll be a test for my eyesight! I went back to the joint line and cleaned-up the cyanoacrylate although I've not fixed it 100%: enough is enough, I'm not submitting the model to the IPMS finals and I hope that the application of camouflage, decals and varnish will reduce the effect which is stark when matt primer is used: I also acquired a tube of Vallejo plastic putty that comes with a really fine applicator. Where have you been all my life? Therefore, after another application of primer to keep things consistent, I went for it and sprayed two coats of Humbrol Acrylic Sea Grey Medium: It's not perfect but I'm reasonably satisfied for my first return to modelling. Note the nosewheel bay, while I was half-tempted to add low-vis two colour pink/pale blue roundels and call it finished! Next episode: Applying the green upper-surface camouflage - do I mask it with paper, masking tape or blu-tack and masking fluid? Or do I bottle it and just add the upper surface camouflage by brush? Stay tuned! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Neil.. AWESOME start ...love it. Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 4 minutes ago, HOUSTON said: Neil.. AWESOME start ...love it. Thank you. Thank YOU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 This is looking very promising! Martian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Coming on superbly! I have one of these to build (and two Xtrakit F.8s) so watching with interest, and some trepidation at the amount of filling required! I used to have issues like yours with filler sticking where it shouldn't - may be too late now but I started using masking tape either side of the crack before applying filler, so any excess would just stick on that and peel off with it. I'm assuming you'll need to add weight in the nose too? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 6 minutes ago, Lord Riot said: Coming on superbly! I have one of these to build (and two Xtrakit F.8s) so watching with interest, and some trepidation at the amount of filling required! I used to have issues like yours with filler sticking where it shouldn't - may be too late now but I started using masking tape either side of the crack before applying filler, so any excess would just stick on that and peel off with it. I'm assuming you'll need to add weight in the nose too? Masking tape - never occurred to me - thanks for the tip! Interestingly, the night fighter Meteors don't need an additional weight as they're so blinking long. Contrast wit the Mk.3 where you need about 3/4 of a ton! Thank you for your words of encouragement. Neil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share Posted February 3, 2018 So, a week on and it's fair to say that quite a lot of my spare time was planning how to apply the camouflage. I had decided to use the Humbrol acrylic spray, s masking was necessary and - to be frank - masking to spray is pretty new to me. I had spray-painted a Vulcan and Victor in about 1983 but they're white! And so the masking began... Blinking heck that was hard! On at least one occasion I masked-off the wrong bit, but after that I flipped it over and masked the underside, applying masking fluid to cover the big bits. The method I used was to apply masking tape, mark it with pencil and then use a scalpel to cut the lines. This worked fairly wall, but the scalpel has to be brand new, it does tend to cut into the surface below and it's hard to follow a curve. Then it was out to the finishing shop (er, garage) and out came the tin and I sprayed: And then the reveal: And so... Plenty still to do: I need to touch-up the results of the spraying and as you will see below, I definitely need to get the radome correct - note green thumb! and of course I still need to paint the canopy and fit-out the interior. Thanks for looking! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Looking good! Great work with the masking. I'm too lazy to do the camo masking, so I spray the grey all over, then handpaint the green. Interesting how similar the upper and lower grey are. I've got one of these to make so watching with interest! Impressive so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Cracking effort on a model with more than its fair share of joins to rub down! It really looks the part now it’s in cammo. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 12 hours ago, Lord Riot said: Looking good! Great work with the masking. I'm too lazy to do the camo masking, so I spray the grey all over, then handpaint the green. Interesting how similar the upper and lower grey are. I've got one of these to make so watching with interest! Impressive so far. Thank you! The masking was quite - er- challenging but I felt it worthwhile. Certainly I will appreciate the availability of pre-cut mask sets! Regarding the grey, in early meteors, they were Sea Grey Medium all over and then had green camouflage on the upper surfaces. This was just the same of WWII night fighters such as the Beaufighter and Mosquito. Later-on, the upper surfaces received a coat of Dark Sea Grey. Personally, I think the Sea Grey Medium looks a little dark when comparing it to contemporary photos but it definitely isn't as pale as Light Aircraft Grey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 11 hours ago, Max Headroom said: Cracking effort on a model with more than its fair share of joins to rub down! It really looks the part now it’s in cammo. Trevor Thank you! Yes, all the filling and rubbing-down has been worthwhile although I think it could use a bit more surface detail, so I'm going to have to have to get a touch creative before the final coat of varnish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Wow, looks like you've returned to the hobby with a bang! Great work, looking forward to seeing this develop further 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 47 minutes ago, clive_t said: Wow, looks like you've returned to the hobby with a bang! Great work, looking forward to seeing this develop further That's very kind of you: I think the one advantage of getting a bit (lot) older is the ability to stop running at things like a bull at a gate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 4 minutes ago, neilfergylee said: That's very kind of you: I think the one advantage of getting a bit (lot) older is the ability to stop running at things like a bull at a gate! Doesn't seem to apply to me, unfortunately 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) I Love It! It really does look good but I tend to agree with you ref: the Sea Grey Medium, I used the Old Humbrol Authentics SGM under my Frog Tiffie as the first model I made when I came back to the toyshop from fixing up my classic car It looks far lighter than that one, do Humbrol sell it as Sea Grey Medium or do they say medium sea grey? I have a real hate on now, for acrylics, they invariably disappoint me so I'm going more back into the Sovereign hobbies and xtracolor ranges nowadays I had a batch of Sovereign's paints last year and have nothing but praise for them Proper colour match and if you use Artist's Sansodour thinners, not much lingering stinky whiffs but decent drying times Which should bring me back to the Meteor, this looks so good I am tempted to de-stash my Frog Meteor and get it on the bench with all my Naval types Proper model shops! Just down the road where we could gather for a natter, happy days Although I recently discovered one in Brum. 😉 Edited February 4, 2018 by perdu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Hi Neil, Welcome aboard, and well done with your Meteor - the NF kit normally gets poor press, but I like it. I've just completed my 7th copy of this kit, an NF14T . Prior to that, this NF13 an aircraft that we have at Jet Age. And in 2007 three simutaneous copies of the NF14T Thanks for that tip about ear-plugs, as a data centre manager - I know were there is an unlimited source of those. As for your camo masking, my currently preferred method is to scale copy the painting instructions to same size the model. (might not work with back of Matchbox), then cut out one shade, stick that pattern to the model - then spray. Bit like this: Some tips here, posts 14 and 15, on 29 May 2017 - for that canopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 On 04/02/2018 at 12:56, perdu said: I Love It! It really does look good but I tend to agree with you ref: the Sea Grey Medium, I used the Old Humbrol Authentics SGM under my Frog Tiffie as the first model I made when I came back to the toyshop from fixing up my classic car It looks far lighter than that one, do Humbrol sell it as Sea Grey Medium or do they say medium sea grey? I have a real hate on now, for acrylics, they invariably disappoint me so I'm going more back into the Sovereign hobbies and xtracolor ranges nowadays I had a batch of Sovereign's paints last year and have nothing but praise for them Proper colour match and if you use Artist's Sansodour thinners, not much lingering stinky whiffs but decent drying times Which should bring me back to the Meteor, this looks so good I am tempted to de-stash my Frog Meteor and get it on the bench with all my Naval types Proper model shops! Just down the road where we could gather for a natter, happy days Although I recently discovered one in Brum. 😉 Thank you perdu! I have a nasty feeling that what purports to be Sea Grey Medium is a wee bit dark. BUT, when you look at most samples, it does seem quite dark: and compares to the paint job on the model: But I'm puzzled and if you look at the excellent model made by @theplasticsurgeon, his is much lighter and, frankly, looks more prototypical: So, I'll just have to see how it pans-out but I'm bothered that following a couple of coats of varnish, things might get even darker! Thanks very much for the tip regarding Sovereign and xtracolour: I'm inherently lazy, hence my preference for acrylics (just wash it off in the sink) but I suspect I'll change given time! Regarding model shops - where have they all gone??? I'm genuinely shocked to see how plastic modelling has disappeared into a niche, although the likes of Games Workshop are booming: there has to be a lesson there for somebody. Thanks again for your kind encouragement - more updates to follow! Cheers, Neil 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfergylee Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 On 04/02/2018 at 20:58, theplasticsurgeon said: Hi Neil, Welcome aboard, and well done with your Meteor - the NF kit normally gets poor press, but I like it. I've just completed my 7th copy of this kit, an NF14T . Prior to that, this NF13 an aircraft that we have at Jet Age. And in 2007 three simutaneous copies of the NF14T Thanks for that tip about ear-plugs, as a data centre manager - I know were there is an unlimited source of those. As for your camo masking, my currently preferred method is to scale copy the painting instructions to same size the model. (might not work with back of Matchbox), then cut out one shade, stick that pattern to the model - then spray. Bit like this: Some tips here, posts 14 and 15, on 29 May 2017 - for that canopy. Thanks for the welcome and I really appreciate your tip regarding masking. One question though: how do you attach the pattern to the model? I had considered doing something similar but couldn't think of how to attach it without potentially leaving a sticky residue. Your models are excellent and a real inspiration. If I can get to a stage half as good, I'll be delighted! Cheers, Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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