Special Hobby Gloster Meteor F.8 Prone Pilot (72424) - 1:72 Special Hobby

[Julien]

 

Gloster Meteor F.8 Prone Pilot (72424)

1:72 Special Hobby

 

 

With the increase in speed of early Jet fighters a different command position than sitting was being looked at. By lying prone it was thought the pilots would be less susceptible to G forces. Another advantage would be that the front section of the aircraft would have a lower profile. Bristol looked to adopt this for their rocket powered fighter, and as such the RAF needed this to be tested. WK935 the last production Meteor was to be modified as a test bed. While the standard cockpit was retained a new lower profile prone cockpit was placed on the nose of the aircraft. A Meteor NF.12 tail unit was also placed on the aircraft for better control.  It was found that the pilot was less susceptible to G forces flying like this, however situational awareness and in particular reward visibility was severely limited. In addition while flying prone the pilot could not sit in an ejection seat and would be forced to jettison the rudder control and climb backwards to an escape hatch. It was ruled these two factor outweighed the advantages of prone flight.  The aircraft now site preserved at RAF Cosford if you wish to see a truly unique Meteor. 

 

 

The Kit

This is the the MPM kit re-issued by Special Hobby with a new sprue of parts for the nose and tail, plus a new clear spure. The MPM kit is of the higher short run variety but builds into a nice kit with care. First up the main, and front prone cockpits are built up. Following this the nose and tail of the F.8 fuselage are removed. Not shown on the instructions is that any remains of the nose guns will have to be removed and filled/sanded as needed as these were just flat panels on this aircraft.  The instructions then show the new nose and tail parts being attached to each fuselage half before the cockpits go in. I suspect most modellers will glue these parts together before then attempting to add them to the main fuselage. Even with the extra nose on this one I would also put some extra weight in to be sure it sits nose down. 

 

 

 

The underside of the main cockpit forms the front wheel well and the nose gear can then be built up and added in here. With the fuselage together the tailplanes can now be fixed on. Moving to the main wings the wheel wells are attached to the lower wing. In each nacelle the engine front and airflow splitter over the main spar is added. Then the wings can be joined and added to the main fuselage. The main gear can be assembled and added to aircraft, along with the intake lips and exhausts. The instructions show drop tanks being added, though in all the pictures of WK935 I have seen it is flying without them. The last steps in construction are to add the canopies, a couple of aerials and the pitot tube. 

 

 

Decals

Markings are for WK935 only. With national insignia, serial numbers, and stencils only.  The decals are nicely printed and look quite thin and glossy.

 

 

Conclusion

This is the only kit in 1.72 for this unusual aircraft, recommended if you like Meteors, or prototype/one off airframes. 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Mick4350]

The aircraft was reviewed in the magazine Scale Aviation Modeller International, volume 19 number 6 ( June 2013 ). The instructions don't mention the belly tank, A34 in the fitment on the model, but there are photos on the internet showing the belly tank fitted in flight.

[Julien]

There are also photos of it in flight without the tank. The tank is included in the kit so you can fit it if you want. As always consult your references.

[Natter]

On 2/7/2021 at 9:02 PM, Julien said:

The tank is included in the kit so you can fit it if you want. As always consult your references.

Definitely necessary, especially in this case.  The instructions for the originl MPM F.8 kit are vague about the positioning of the belly tank, and there are no locating marks of any sort.  It will be necessary to check on-line or published photos to get the tank in the correct position if you do wish to fit, as I did with my Xtrakit F.8 (MPM plastic).  As Julien has noted there are photos of the aircraft with and without the tank fitted both on the ground and in flight.  We, the modellers, are free to choose as we wish.