Meteor FR.9 questions

[ReccePhreak]

My friend & I are both starting on the Airfix 1/48 Gloster Meteor FR.9, and we have a few questions.

First, was the access "panel" to the gun compartments a completely removable panel, or was it a hinged door? If it's a hinged door, did it have some kind of prop to hold it open. I am considering painting the guns and compartment, but only if there is a door that is secured to the airframe.

Second, was the aircraft (and wings) wired for the rockets, or just the fuel tanks? My friend is doing his jet in IDF markings, and he likes to arm up his models. We figured if the Israelis had the opportunity to fly armed reconnaissance missions, they would.

Larry

[sammy da fish]

Hello I am sure the gun panel is completely removable ie it has Dzus fasteners all around the edge and therefore no hinges I don’t think?
sammy

[ReccePhreak]

4 hours ago, sammy da fish said:

Hello I am sure the gun panel is completely removable ie it has Dzus fasteners all around the edge and therefore no hinges I don’t think?
sammy

Thanks, that makes sense, I guess I will just glue the panel on, one less thing to paint & detail inside. I might paint one of the engines and have that panel removable.

Larry

[neilh]

I'm also building this kit at the moment, hopefully remembering lessons from the Mk 8 I built last year.  I have decided to glue those panels shut too, and just did mine from the inside last night as its easier for me to avoid glue runs that way than wait until the fuselage is assembled.  

[Julien]

100% removable as I have done it on the one im helping to restore. 

 

I have never heard of an FR.9 carrying rockets but I would suspect they could as they only really modified the nose from the F.8

 

If you need any help Larry I have a fair few photos, we also have some in the walkaround section. 

 

Kit needs a fair amount of nose weight. I would recommend the master pitot as the kit one is rubbish

 

 

Julien

[ReccePhreak]

43 minutes ago, Julien said:

Kit needs a fair amount of nose weight. I would recommend the master pitot as the kit one is rubbish

 

Julien

Kit instructions say 15 grams of weight, do you think that is enough?

Larry

[Julien]

1 hour ago, ReccePhreak said:

Kit instructions say 15 grams of weight, do you think that is enough?

Larry

Im pretty sure I put more in than that.  Im sure I fitted in behind the cockpit and under the floor, even the gun bays can be used. The one im helping to restore has steel plates in the gunbays!

[ReccePhreak]

24 minutes ago, Julien said:

Im pretty sure I put more in than that.  Im sure I fitted in behind the cockpit and under the floor, even the gun bays can be used. The one im helping to restore has steel plates in the gunbays!

Thanks, I'll see how much I can cram into the nose area. I don't want to mess with the camera bay, though.

The steel plates you mentioned in the gunbays sounds like our RF-4Cs. When they went cross country during holiday "shopping" trips, we removed the cameras to make room for "baggage" and replaced them with steel plates designed to keep the weight & balance proper. Those same steel plates were "signed out" by personnel during winter, to put in their car trunk (Boot), to help with traction.

[stever219]

There's plenty of room under the cockpit floor in the Airfix FR. 9 for ballast without needing to pack any into the camera bay: I've got some off-cuts of lead sheet that do the job quite adequately but some small lozenge-shaped fishing weights also fit the bill.

Edited April 11, 2021 by stever219

[neilfergylee]

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"!  I cannot find any explicit references saying FR.9s could fire rockets but neither did I find anything saying they could not.

 

This might be useful though.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Neil

[Graham Boak]

I don't think any in-service Meteors were fitted with rockets, despite Gloster's attempts to push the combination.  However it would be most unlikely to have them on FR Mk.9s because it is the job of a recce pilot to come back with the photos, not go playing heroes.

[Black Knight]

The Australians used rockets on their F.8s in Korea

[Graham Boak]

Agreed: I think the Israelis may have used them as well.  I admit to thinking parochially and should have typed "RAF service".  

[ReccePhreak]

On 3/7/2021 at 8:04 PM, stever219 said:

There's plenty of room under the cockpit floor in the Airfix FR. 9 for ballast without needing to pack any into the camera bay: I've got some of cuts if lead sheen that di the job quite adequately but some small lizenge-shaped fishing weights also fit the bill.

I wound up putting ~ 26 grams of weight under & behind the cockpit. I used four 1/2 oz round fishing weights that I hammered flat, so they fit where I needed them. I glued some plastic strips to keep them in place.

4 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Agreed: I think the Israelis may have used them as well.  I admit to thinking parochially and should have typed "RAF service".  

Thanks for that input. Actually, since the Airfix Meteor FR.9 kit still had the F.8 nose parts in it, my friend decided to make it that version in IDF/AF markings. I gave him some spare rockets to use.

[Admiral Puff]

I've found that if you dispense with the detail in the gun bays and replace it with cut-to-fit slabs of lead flashing, you'll need little or no additional nose ballast. On my builds I put in a bit extra behind the cockpit, just to be certain As stever29 said, there's more than enough room without needing to pack the camera bay.

[ReccePhreak]

2 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

I've found that if you dispense with the detail in the gun bays and replace it with cut-to-fit slabs of lead flashing, you'll need little or no additional nose ballast. On my builds I put in a bit extra behind the cockpit, just to be certain As stever29 said, there's more than enough room without needing to pack the camera bay.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, here in NW Florida, Lead flashing is considered hazardous and usually only sold to roofing contractors in 30~50 foot long rolls, from $145 to $200 a roll. 

I will keep using my fishing weights, which I hammer down into usable thicknesses. I have enough of those weights secured under & behind the cockpit.

Larry 

[Admiral Puff]

54 minutes ago, ReccePhreak said:

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, here in NW Florida, Lead flashing is considered hazardous and usually only sold to roofing contractors in 30~50 foot long rolls, from $145 to $200 a roll. 

I will keep using my fishing weights, which I hammer down into usable thicknesses. I have enough of those weights secured under & behind the cockpit.

Larry 

It's still readily available here, although my supply comes from a longish length (about 6'- 7' in your parlance) that came off the roof of my house in Sydney when it was retiled about 10 years ago. I've got enough there to last me for as long as I need!

[ReccePhreak]

I just came up with 1 more question on my Airfix 1/48 Meteor FR.9 build.

1. Since the gun port fairings are still on the jet (But no guns installed), were the gun port opening blocked to prevent air flow into the compartment?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Larry

Edited April 8, 2021 by ReccePhreak
Correct question

[neilfergylee]

1 hour ago, ReccePhreak said:

I just came up with 1 more question on my Airfix 1/48 Meteor FR.9 build.

1. Since the gun port fairings are still on the jet (But no guns installed), were the gun port opening blocked to prevent air flow into the compartment?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Larry

 

The FR.9 still had guns fitted, hence the 'F' in FR.9.

 

Neil

[ReccePhreak]

2 hours ago, neilfergylee said:

 

The FR.9 still had guns fitted, hence the 'F' in FR.9.

 

Neil

Thanks for that info. Completely unlike the RF-4C Phantoms I worked on for over 13 years. 

Larry

Edited April 8, 2021 by ReccePhreak

[Graham T]

On 3/13/2021 at 12:20 AM, ReccePhreak said:

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, here in NW Florida, Lead flashing is considered hazardous and usually only sold to roofing contractors in 30~50 foot long rolls, from $145 to $200 a roll. 

I will keep using my fishing weights, which I hammer down into usable thicknesses. I have enough of those weights secured under & behind the cockpit.

Larry 

Thats STILL not enough to prevent tail sitting with the Airfix 1/48 Canberras!!🤣

[ReccePhreak]

6 minutes ago, Graham T said:

Thats STILL not enough to prevent tail sitting with the Airfix 1/48 Canberras!!🤣

I'll remember that when I get around to working on my Airfix 1/48 Canberra PR.9.

Larry