S5 modeller Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Hi chaps. This is going to be my entry into the group build. Hk models 1/32 meteor f.4. I picked this kit up last month, whilst on holiday in briddlington, from croppers models. I've been itching to start it since, and this group build has given me the perfect excuse. Everything comes nicely packaged in a sturdy top opening box. Comes with a massive 1 piece lower wing! 2 individual upper wings. Notice the open engine hatches on the nacelles. I think they might have been intending to supply engine details, but none are included in the kit. There are a couple of really good aftermarket engines, but they are too expensive for my liking. The transparencies are nice and clear, a nice touch is the tape over the main canopy, to protect it from scratches. Nose weight is included too. Decals look nice, although there aren't many of them. As an added bonus, there is a 1/144 meteor kit included, with a little stand, but no decals. Looks to be a nice kit overall, but for a kit this size the parts count is lower than I expected. Matt 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 That does look good - the 1/32 Meteor, the smaller one might be fun too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 Well hello again. I've made a start on this beast of a kit. You'll have to excuse the haphazard way I'm building it, I'm trying to work in sub assemblies, and get as many ready for paint as possible. For a random start I glued the engine covers onto the nacelles. Thought this would be easier to do before fitting the upper wings to the lower, so if they needed supporting from below I'd have access. I needn't have worried though, they fit like a glove. Hope this bodes well for the rest of the kit. I removed the belly tank from the sprue, so I could drill the required holes in the bottom wind/fuselage insert. I then assembled the tail rudder. This is where the kit showed me the first of the problems I might face. There is a slight gap, and a step along the base. When I dry fitted it together the gap was noticeably bigger, and I had to scrape the mating faces to improve the fit. Once the glue has fully set, I'll sand and fill the step and any resultant gap. I've cleaned up the main parts of the Cockpit tub, and given them a coat of white primer. Also removed the instrument panel. There's some nice, but feint detail on the dials. I purchased some 1/32 airscale instrument decals to use especially for this build, as I don't think I can paint up the dial faces and make them look nice. That's about all for now, just got to decide what colour to paint the Cockpit. I've had a hard time finding any colour photos to guide me. The instructions call out interior green for Cockpit, and matt black for the instrument panel. Don't know if that's right or not. Matt 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Matt, I would have thought that by the time the Meteor IV was built the cockpit would have been black rather than Interior Green. https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1600&bih=708&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=Is7MWvyuC8fGgAaPlr6oAQ&q=meteor+iv+cockpit&oq=meteor+iv+cockpit&gs_l=psy-ab.12...15682.20298.0.23503.9.8.1.0.0.0.73.473.8.8.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.PPqHifnkug8#imgrc=FNyaXO52T5kubM:&spf=1523371576608 https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1600&bih=708&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=Is7MWvyuC8fGgAaPlr6oAQ&q=meteor+iv+cockpit&oq=meteor+iv+cockpit&gs_l=psy-ab.12...15682.20298.0.23503.9.8.1.0.0.0.73.473.8.8.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.PPqHifnkug8#imgrc=KOtiftTKqys0dM:&spf=1523371576605 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 I suspected that it might have been the case, I did find examples with both colours mind you. At least that makes my job easier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 God that look's a superb kit Matt,I'll be following this one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 That looks a cracking kit. Can’t wait to see what the pit looks like under a coat of paint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 Afternoon chaps. It's been a while since I updated my build, work and other stuff has gotten in the way. I took advantage of the blistering weather we've had the last couple of days here in sheffield to break out the airbrush. I'm using the rather brilliant ultimate black primer for the Cockpit. I love this stuff, and since discovering it thanks to this forum, it's my go to primer now. Sprays beautifully and even a cack handed novice like me can't fail to get good results with it. I've sprayed the Cockpit parts and the engine faces with it. Even though I got a couple of runs in the wet paint it's dried out smooth and even. You'll have to excuse the poor quality of the photos as my camera didn't like trying to capture all the expanses of black. Think I need to source some better lighting for my photo setup. Any how here's the pictures. This last picture was taken with my light on, you can see how it makes everything yellow. Next up, maybe some detail painting, and trying to apply the airscale decals to the instruments. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Yep - following this as well. Although I classify myself as mainly a 1/72 modeller there are times I see these large kits and really want one. The F.4 Meteor is one of my favourite versions and I love the mix between the new HSS and wartime roundels and codes that was so prevalent with this version - kinda new meets old in a weird sence. I realise that this is quite boring in comparison to the latter squadron bars era, but that's me I guess. Good luck with this build. If I stop myself from buying one before you've finished, I would have done well. Cheers.. Dave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 Thanks for the comments guys. Dave, if you could pick this kit up cheap, I'd say go for it, but not at full retail. It's a nice kit so far, and not overly large in 32nd,but the low parts count and lacking details make it not worth the asking price of £79.99. More on the lack of details, and cut corners below. Whilst I'm trying to sort out the names of all the instruments in the panel, so I can fit the correct decals in place, I decided to take a look at the upper/lower wings, engine nacelles and such. I've removed the parts for the port wing assembly, and temporarily fitted them together. This is what we get. This is what we should get. On the face of it, it's not too bad. Taking a more oblique view we find it somewhat lacking. Now, as far as I can see there's two solutions. 1. I could splash out on the excellent fisher models correction set... http://fishermodels.indiemade.com/product/gloster-meteor-corrected-long-chord-intakes-132-scale?tid=3 This would be the easy way out, but to be honest, after the cost of the kit I can't afford the expenditure. 2. I could remedy the situation on the cheap, which suits my wallet better. My ingenious solution involves this, a length of pvc plumbing pipe. It's the closest size I could find, and it was in my shed. The bore is too small, and needs enlarging to match the mouth of the intake ring. Trouble is the outside diameter is too small to produce a good fit in the ring recess. I'm currently working on a solution to this issue. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 S5, before you go too far with this, best to check your references. I believe that the correction set also fixes the rather large oversized engine intakes (large bore) that AFAIK was only introduced when the F.8 was on the production line. The F.4 should have the small bore intakes, however I’m going by memory here rather than consulting anything proper. Anyway, I agree that full retail is probably way too much for what’s provided, but the fairly low parts count is not a bad thing IMO. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 Cheers for that Dave. When I purchased the kit I checked numerous kit reviews and the general concensus was it was a pretty accurate kit. I didn't see any evidence of the intakes being wrong, but I defer to anyone who has knowledge on the subject. I myself am not very knowledgeable on any real subjects. Saying that, the conversion kit is beyond my price range, so to be honest I'll probably stick with the kit parts, as I don't have the skills to correct it. Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 On 4/24/2018 at 4:52 PM, S5 modeller said: Trouble is the outside diameter is too small to produce a good fit in the ring recess. I'm currently working on a solution to this issue. Ah, weren't those Fisher bits for the 1/32nd scale modeller, I'd be in for the T.7 conversion set. Those Meteor F.4 nacelles as well. Matt, can't you work with the outside diameter of that PVC plumbing pipe as a mold on which to heat-press two halves of styrene sheet? The diameter would be close enough to the one you need. Following your build, my mate. Cheers, Unc2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 (edited) Hi uncle uncool. The fisher bits are indeed in 32nd scale, and designed for this kit, I just can't justify spending this much on this build. Anyhoo I've ditched the pvc tube idea, as by the time I'd opened it out to the ring diameter there was next to nowt left of it, plus the acres of plasticard I was wrapping around it. Decided to go a different way. As I'm a machinist working in a machine shop on shifts, I thought it would be remiss of me not to take advantage of the odd lathe sitting around. So one afternoon, on my last late shift, I knocked up these two steel tubes... They started off as a scrap bar end, turned down on the od to fit snugly in the nacel rings, and bored out to match the internal diameter. Didn't cost me a penny and only took an hour or so of down time whilst my cnc lathes were running. They are the exact length to fit right to the rear of the wing spar/intake splitter. I just need to cut a section out of the tubes to fit over the splitter/wing spar. Also started to sort out the flaps, as they're the other parts stopping me closing the wings up. Hmmmm, got exactly the same issue with the rudder. Gaps to deal with. Nice placement of ejector pins. Also seems to be a ridge or hump of excess plastic just inboard of the outer edges. Cue lots of scraping and sanding. On a side note, the post man delivered some essential supplies Saturday... A nice set of brassin wheels to replace the kit parts, as they are devoid of any tread. A pair of gyroscopic gun sights. Some rather nice seat belts. A new set of decals, as I've heard the kit ones are quite bad, over thick and the white areas are see through. Edited May 5, 2018 by S5 modeller 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 4 hours ago, S5 modeller said: Hi uncle uncool. Anyhoo I've ditched the pvc tube idea, as by the time I'd opened it out to the ring diameter there was next to nowt left of it, plus the acres of plasticard I was wrapping around it. Decided to go a different way. As I'm a machinist working in a machine shop on shifts, I thought it would be remiss of me not to take advantage of the odd lathe sitting around. So one afternoon, on my last late shift, I knocked up these two steel tubes... They started off as a scrap bar end, turned down on the od to fit snugly in the nacel rings, and bored out to match the internal diameter. Hi, Matt! Awesome! Wish I had the possibility to turn my own pieces for my builds too. Just how much weight do you think those steel tubes are going to add to the kit? Looking good! Nice selection of aftermarkets as well. Cheers, Unc2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 25 minutes ago, Uncle Uncool said: ... Just how much weight do you think those steel tubes are going to add to the kit? Looking good! Nice selection of aftermarkets as well. Hopefully enough to make this large bird sit up straight and not have to add any more to the nose. Thats a nice selection of AM bits you've bought yourself. She'll look the goods with all these additions. Cherrs.. Dave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 6, 2018 Author Share Posted May 6, 2018 Thanks Dave and uncle uncool. I think this is the bare minimum needed to bring this kit up to an acceptable standard. Eduard do a very comprehensive etch set, for the Cockpit and exterior, but I'm not sure it would be much of an improvement on the kit parts. I'll weigh the tubes tomorrow, if I can find my scales, hopefully with these and the supplied nose weight a tail sitter can be avoided. On another note, does anyone have a layout for the gauges on the instrument panel? I have a nice set of airscale instrument decals and want to get the correct ones in the right places. Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 6, 2018 Author Share Posted May 6, 2018 11 hours ago, Uncle Uncool said: Hi, Matt! Awesome! Wish I had the possibility to turn my own pieces for my builds too. Just how much weight do you think those steel tubes are going to add to the kit? Looking good! Nice selection of aftermarkets as well. Cheers, Unc2 HI, quick update. I weighed both tubes and they will add 85 grams of extra weight to the kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 14 hours ago, S5 modeller said: On another note, does anyone have a layout for the gauges on the instrument panel? I have a nice set of airscale instrument decals and want to get the correct ones in the right places. Hi, Matt! Well, we, as a country, had the bliss of having this aircraft in the Argie Air Force service back in the '50s. Same type you're building. Airscale instrument faces will be such an awesome addition. 7 hours ago, S5 modeller said: I weighed both tubes and they will add 85 grams of extra weight to the kit. Any sort of metal landing gear legs to go with this weight, Matt? Eagerly following your build, my mate! Cheers, Unc2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Thanks very much for the picture, it'll come in very handy. I'm hoping the kit gear will be up to the job, as it's rather chunky in this scale. No work today I'm afraid, as it's a bank holiday, so the time honored British tradition of burning meat over a BBQ is being observed. Got a good supply of Guinness to get through too. Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 Afternoon chaps. Had a look at the instrument panel this morning... Trying to decipher which gauges go where. Going to have a few problems as the kit panel bears little resemblance to the real thing.... Going to go for a best guess / interpretation of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 This build might help - with a shot of an IP from the F4's pilots notes http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=59243 Scroll down to post 5 I suspect the IP in the photo above might be from an F8? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 Thank you very much Robert Stuart for the link, it's very helpful. Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 Morning chaps. Thought it was time for a little update. Not a very good picture, but I've given the instrument panel a couple of coats of future, ready for the instrument decals. Whilst that's drying, I decided to move onto the landing gear. I broke out the eduard instructions... The molded mudguards need removing, to allow the resin parts to be fitted. The kit parts for the nose wheel. As you can see the mudguards are molded in two sections, and would leave a rather awkward seam to deal with. So out with my jlc razor saw, which I purchased recently and have fell in love with, to cut off the offending parts. Offending parts removed, and both halves glued together. When the glue is dry I'll offer up the resin parts. This is the reason for the brassin parts. As you can see the kit wheels, although nicely made with good hub details, are totally devoid of any tread! You might get away with this in 1/72nd scale, but in this large 1/32 scale I think it's pretty inexcusable. Matt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Hi. Does anybody know if there is a supplier of 1/32 stencil decals for the meteor? The only ones I can find are from pheon decals, but they won't sell the stencils separately, and as I've already purchased some aftermarket decals I don't fancy having to buy another set. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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