++FINISHED++ Meteor F8 , WK803, 56 squadron RAF Waterbeach 1953

[Redstaff]

Right gents

Time to throw my hat into the ring with an Airfix meteor F8 that I bought at a LMS in Aberystwyth last September, I blame the wife as she left me unsupervised for 5 minutes while she was looking in a gift shop 🤣 I only went in to get a jar of paint, when will she ever learn 😉

Can't decide whether to build it as the box art with the yellow tail or try and modify some decals for a 56 squadron bird to go with the Hunter from the 60's build 🤔

Anyway, here's the obligatory box and runner shots to prove I haven't started it  

Looks a nice well detailed kit, so will probably be OOB except for PE cockpit as I hate painting dials etc

 

 

 

[Col.]

Good to see you're ready to go on this one 

[exdraken]

The PE is probably worth it... also a resin ejection seat!

I think Pavla makes one!

 

[Redstaff]

10 hours ago, exdraken said:

also a resin ejection seat!

Hi exdraken, the ejector seat in the kit isn't too bad to be honest and they even give you interchangeable pads with belts for on the ground or no belts for in flight, but they don't appear to give you a pilot to fly it, which seems strange 🤔

Cockpit tub has fitted together really well though with no gaps and just using extra thin cement  

 

Ian

[franky boy]

Nice choice Ian

 

I was hoping we’d see another Airfix Meteor. Im building an FR 9 for my subject and agree with you that the supplied seat actually looks ok.

 

Watching with interest 

 

James

Edited January 23, 2019 by franky boy

[Col.]

59 minutes ago, Redstaff said:

...they don't appear to give you a pilot to fly it...

Yes I'm disappointed Airfix no longer supply aircrew figures with many of their kits and, as you say, that's strange when they can be built 'in-flight' as an option  

[Plasto]

I have one of these on the go ATM it’s built and mostly painted...

 

Watch out for a few fit issues.. The Nose.. The belly tank, and the wing to fuselage fit needs some help.. oh and those wing fillet pieces also need fettling to get the best out of them.. I also superglued a piece of sprue inside the  rear fuselage along the top seam line to help beef it up for sanding for the seams..  also the windscreen needs some care with the piece that forms the IP cover. Else the windscreen can sit proud...

 

 

[Redstaff]

Thanks for the heads up @Plasto, much appreciated  

[Redstaff]

Made a start on the cockpit tub and lower wings and can say that everything is fitting perfectly at the minute  

I have used the kit bang seat as it is one of the best moulded ones I have seen in a while, I have etch for the dials and will add the etch top seat pull loops at a later stage to stop them getting bent 

 

 

 

[Col.]

You've done a neat job of highlighting all the detail contained in there

[Redstaff]

Thanks Col. Just a bit of dry brushing to pick the highlights out against the matt black. Seatbelts look very dark so may brighten those up a bit, called out grey in book but i think i might use the blue as i did in the hunter to make them stand out a bit more 

[Col.]

6 hours ago, Redstaff said:

Thanks Col. Just a bit of dry brushing to pick the highlights out against the matt black. Seatbelts look very dark so may brighten those up a bit, called out grey in book but i think i might use the blue as i did in the hunter to make them stand out a bit more 

The blue belts sounds a good plan to me. Adding a little colour into the coal-hole of a cockpit should help its visual interest levels.

[Graham T]

with interest having built the FR9 recently.

[John Masters]

Looks like another Airfix beauty.  I'm looking forward to your build!

[franky boy]

Nice work Ian.

 

That cockpit and seat are lovely oob.

 

Look forward to more progress.

 

James

[stever219]

1 hour ago, Col. said:

The blue belts sounds a good plan to me. Adding a little colour into the coal-hole of a cockpit should help its visual interest levels.

Blue would be a better choice than grey.  Blue belts are the seat harness and are laid over middle stone (or near equivalent) parachute straps the colours being chosen to avoid confusion when strapping in.  I believe that the lugs on the ends of the straps, and their release boxes, differ to further reduce the risk of a mix-up.

[Redstaff]

Well that's me decided on the colour scheme then, due to the lack of fit between the fuselage and wings it's going to have to be WL123 H with grey/green and yellow tail kit decals 

as it will be easier to hide the filled joins than the NMF I was contemplating 

I forgot to take any pics before it was clad with masking tape trying to hold it in some sort of shape while the cement goes off, but will take and post when it has had enough time to harden so I can apply the filler

 

Ian 🙄

[Redstaff]

Well it's been a while since I posted as work and playing trains has got in the way

The cockpit is finished and the engines are in and painted.

As you can see on both sides, the wing/fuselage fit isn't the greatest and the panels for the gun bays, 1 fitted lovely and the other one didn't 🤔

 

[franky boy]

Looking good Ian.

 

I found exactly the same with my FR-9 kit that one gun cover is perfect. The other not so.

 

James

[Col.]

While there's obviously been some issues with the fit you look to have tamed it well Ian.

[Redstaff]

48 minutes ago, Col. said:

While there's obviously been some issues with the fit you look to have tamed it well Ian.

Thanks Col.

It's not too bad, I've primed it this morning and can see a few more little bits that need filling, but not much, I'll let the primer harden and do a bit more in the morning.

The engine nacelles were awful as well, but managed to dress those out a bit at a time and not need filler, took me about an hour on each one though, but easier than trying to fill around them

Next known issue is the nose/fuselage joint, I must admit mine looks ok on dry fit, but that can change. It also makes it a bit more difficult as you have to assemble and fit the front landing gear first

I think I was lulled into a sense of false security when I started as the fit was perfect on all parts and now seems to be gradually getting worse as I go along, but overcoming hurdles is part and parcel of the hobby I suppose  

 

Ian

[Colin W]

You've done a great job on the colours for the engines.

Very nice.

The fit of the tail pipes looks a lot better than the Classic Airframes ones which provide just a pipe end and a big empty hole!

 

Colin

[Redstaff]

Thanks @Colin W I painted the pipes silver as per the sheet, but they looked very bright and clean, so I gave them and the intake mesh a light coat of Mig Ammo fresh oil wash which has given it the heat affected look which I think suits it

The tailpipes have another little tube insert to fit in as well, but I have left these out at present so I can fit a piece of dowel in to use as a handle for spraying and will fit at the end

 

Ian

[Redstaff]

Nice quiet morning so I thought I'd get some primer on ready for paint this week.

Seeing as you have to build the nose wheel assembly before fitting the nose, I thought I may as well go the whole hog and fit the main gear as well seeing as it will have to stay on the stand. The undersides being Aluminium and the same for the landing gear as well has helped, I can just pick out a bit of detail and interest after the Aluminium coat. 

Only 1 cock up so far, I fixed the canopy in place and masked, then found the painted gunsight still attached to the coctail stick I had painted it on 😞

The engine covers are sitting a bit high as they're attached with blu tac temporarily, they do fit properly, honestly 

Here's a couple of progress pics of it in Ammo Mig 1 shot primer, great stuff if you've never tried it  

 

 

 

[Col.]

Will you still be able to fit the gunsight?