Meteor NF Mk12 [Special Hobby 1/72]

[Rémi]

Hi all

 

With the Viggen end, I decided to exit from my stash a recent kit from Special Hobby : The Meteor NF Mk12

 

 

I already build two Meteor from Special Hobby/MPM

 

a Mk FR9

 

 

And the Meteor with Trent engine

 

 

This two kit as the same base (only the fuselage is different). I keep a good memory from this two kit. They are afordable short run kit for the beginner.

 

But the Mk12 is a complete new kit.

 

The first impression are very good. The details level is far

Engines, wheels bay and interior are well detailled

 

The first try fit show some little weak points:

 

- the exhaus nozzle had a ejection pin difficult to sanding

- pins to cente demi fuselage aren't usefull. I cut they

- the wing is little thick on the rear section

 

Initialy I want to make an israeli version but after research, Israel receveid only Mk13 version.

After that, I decided to make the artbox version

 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Rémi

[Rémi]

Cockpit start

The Meteor advantage is that is cockpit is in black.
I paint it with a paint little less black : the tire black.

After a dry brush and a paint in grey for some buttons, the cockpit look like this.
I paint also some gas cylinder in grey. I don't know if it is correct but i will want a few contrast in this black cockpit

 

 

[Rémi]

The advance of the last night

Exhaust nozzle

I use a Gunze Metallic paint (I love this paint) add with a little clear brown

Even if they see nothing after the exhaust close

 

And the cockpit floor and the end of one instrument panel

 

[Rémi]

Cockpit assembly

 

 

And front engine

 

[trickydicky210]

Very nice start, hope it’s a better fit than the MPM kit 

[Rémi]

Yes my fear it that the same difficult that the MPM kit

But my fear have been lifted

I only needed a little sanding.

My only stress moment is when I see that I forgot the panel instrument. But I easely corrected it

I just at a piece under the rear upper panel.

 

 

 

 

With this beautifull cockpit, I couldn't leave it invisible

I decided to cut the canopy
It isn't a easy job especially for the rear

I started by drilling holes for the horizontal line.

With a cutter blade, I joigned all the holes

After it was easy to cut vertical lines

 

 

 

 

Now the wings.

The extrado wing need a cut for the cockpit. I use a dremel to do it

 

 

 

The NF Mk12 form appear with the add of the upper wing

 

 

The Intrado receive the engine

 

[Rémi]

The wing assembly

They need a little help

I cut a little part on the air intake and sand the upper surface of the engine.

I need the help of clamp for mainting the two wings.

 

 

[Wez]

Nice work so far Rémi, I have a couple of these kits, I plan to do one for the Interceptors GB later in the year.  I shall be following with interest.

 

You haven't said which squadron markings you're going to do it in but be warned, the 25 Sqn scheme markings are incorrect, the bars should be silver and black not silver and blue.

 

For those a little too squeamish cowardly clumsy reluctant to carry out the surgery you've done on the canopy, @Ali62 at Aerocraft Models has made a clear resin replacement, it's very good.  You're right, it would be a shame to hide all of that lovely cockpit detail!

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Wez
Links added

[Ali62]

Thank you for the mention Wez I do appreciate it very much.

 

Ali

[Rémi]

After a putty session

 

 

 

I was thinking to assembly the wing on the fuselage

But the wing decided otherwide

The last air intake piece and the exhaust nozzle need putty too.
I think the wing is a legacy of the old MPM kit and need the same attention

 

 

[OutcastJoel]

This is looking really nice so far. I am looking forwards to watching it progress!

[Rémi]

Works on the wing are finish

I add the last piece of the air intake and the exaust nozzle

My putty tube help me for this step.

 

Now I can try to fit the fuselage on the wing.

The wing is too high. I have two solution

The first use a good putty amouth. The second, sand the fuselage.

I choose the second solution

For this solution the rear part of the wing is now too low and I add spacers to correct this.

 

 

[Rémi]

The wing is on the fuselage

It's a hard work. A spent a couple of day at use putty and sand paper.

 

I set the fuel tank behind the fuselage.

Here too, the fit is not good. I used putty and smothed it with acetone

 

I glued the fins. For these parts fit is very well. I only adjust the right fin who is not at the same place that the left fin

 

 

[Wez]

Rest assured Rémi, you may think you're using a lot of filler but you're not using anything compared to what you would be doing with the Matchbox kit.

 

Good work Rémi, I'm learning a lot of useful stuff from this thread.

[Bedders]

This looks great Rémi - lovely work in this interesting new kit. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

 

Justin

[Rémi]

Paint job start

I decided to make the WS617/A of the 64th squadron

 

For the lower side I use the H335 Gunze paint

For the upper side I use the XF82 Tamiya for the Ocean Grey and the H73 Gunze for the Dark Green

 

For now, I only paint the lower side and the first color of the upper side

 

 

[Rémi]

Next move : the paint of the green

For this I scanne the camos scheme and enlarge it at the same scale that my model

 

I cut the green and used it to put patafix sausages

It take 1h30 to do this

 

 

I can paint the green and unmask my model

 

 

 

 

[Wez]

Rémi, are you sure of the colour scheme?

 

Modeldecal 88, 92 and 93 show a medium sea grey and dark green for NF.12s also any NF.11s and NF.14s in the three colour scheme are in dark sea grey (not ocean grey), with dark green and medium sea grey undersides. I believe this to be correct.

 

One last thing, in RAF speak its not 64th Sqn, it is just 64 Sqn.

 

Great work so far.

[Rémi]

I'm based on pics on NF-14 for choosing a weathered color not new

 

[Wez]

NF.12s weren't in that scheme mate and it was dark sea grey not ocean grey

[Rémi]

Sorry for this mistake

It's too late for me

 

[Wez]

9 minutes ago, Rémi said:

Sorry for this mistake

It's too late for me

 

Don't be sorry, it's a bit of a minefield anyway.  Just reshoot the non green areas with MSG.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Wez

[stever219]

Those NF. 12s that were repainted with Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green upper surfaces were treated thus later on in life, so did not have much time left before withdrawal.  The aeroplane in the posted image is presently at Newark Air Museum; she has been outside for some considerable time and, even with the best will in the world, the staff and volunteers cannot keep their exhibits as pristine as they’d like.  OK she’s nowhere near the state of the fire-dump refugees that some modellers depict but she doesn’t really represent the condition of an in-service aeroplane either.

[Rémi]

Thanks for these explications.

I can't repaint only the Medium Sea Grey if I wish fixe my paint.

I must repaint all the model and I haven't the courage

 

[Wez]

8 hours ago, stever219 said:

Those NF. 12s that were repainted with Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green upper surfaces were treated thus later on in life, so did not have much time left before withdrawal.

That makes sense, just as NF.11's got repainted so NF.12's must have.  I've just looked at the Special Hobby instructions and the 64 Sqn jet is indeed in the DG/DSG/MSG scheme, Special Hobby state that the Dark Sea Grey areas as being Ocean Grey which is why Rémi got the wrong steer.

 

27 minutes ago, Rémi said:

Thanks for these explications.

I can't repaint only the Medium Sea Grey if I wish fixe my paint.

I must repaint all the model and I haven't the courage

 

Rémi, you're OK, you don't need to go that far but your dark grey areas need to be Dark Sea Grey rather than Ocean Grey, I know they look superficially the same but they're not and as Steve says, these aircraft were kept pretty clean and weren't too weathered.  Back then the RAF had plenty of aircraft and plenty of manpower so they could easily keep on top of those things.