Special Hobby Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.Mk.14 (SH72364) "The Last of Night Fighters" 1:72 Special Hobby

[Julien]

Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.Mk.14 (SH72364)

"The Last of Night Fighters"

1:72 Special Hobby

 

 

Yes that an Armstrong Whitworth Meteor, not a Gloster one.  Gloster did design the Meteor, however by the time the cold was was upon us the RAF had Meteors in the day fighter role but were still using Mosquitos in the night fighter role.  At the time Gloster were heavily into the design of the Javelin for the RAF so it was put to AW to design and build a Night Fighter version (they did build the majority of Fighter Meteors for the RAF as well).  The NF Meteor would come about as an amalgamation of meteor parts already in use, the main body was that of the two seat T.7 but with the later tail of the F.8. The four 20mm cannon were moved into the wing  outer spans to accommodate the AI Mk 10 Radar in the nose.  Like the T.7 the crew would not be afforded ejection seats.  The first aircraft flew in May 1950. Later on the NF.12 would feature a US built APS-12 radar, the NF.13 being a tropicalised NF.11. The final version of this venerable night fighter would be the NF.14 featuring a more modern blown canopy,  Only 100 were built and used operationally only by the RAF although the French Flight Test Centre did use one for testing Radar and electronic countermeasures. Once retired as night fighters they lived on a navigational trainers in the RAF well into the 1960s.

 

 

The Kit

This is a recent new tool kit from Special Hobby, originally released as the NF.11 this new boxing has a new fuselage and canopy for the NF.14 As a new tool the moulding are of good quality with good detail and nice recessed panel lines. The kit arrives on 4 main spures, a smaller sprue and a clear sprue. Construction first begins in the cockpit which builds up to a complete module that slots into the fuselage when built up. The centre bulkhead is added to the floor and then the left side is added. The centre radar console is then built up and installed along with both seats. The rear bulkhead goes on, and in the front cockpit the control column goes in. The right side can then be added. To the underside of this module the nose gear well is then added.  This assembly can then go into the right fuselage. The pilots instrument panel then goes in as does the deck behind the radar operator.  The fuselage can then be closed up.

 

 

Construction now moves onto the wings. Firstly the engines and jet pipes need to be assembled. There is a basic representative Derwent which you will see the front face of through the intake. Behind this there is the jet pipe, and exhaust. These go into the one part lower wing. In front of the engines goes the fairing over the front wing spar which is seen through the intake. Single part intake inners are then fitted.  The aperture for the fuselage at the leading edge of the wing will need to widened slightly.  Moving on the the upper wing the main gear wells need to be built up. The two wing sections can then be joined. The intake leading edges, and exhaust trailing edges are then fitted.

 

 

 

 

The fuselage can now be joined to the wings.  At the rear the tail planes then go on. The main gear units are then assembled and added along with their retraction struts and the main gear doors. Like the real units these are complicated and care need to get them right. At the front the nose wheel and its doors are then added also. To finish off the wing and belly tanks are fitted followed by the canopy, gun muzzles and pitot tube. 

 

 

Markings

The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are markings for four aircraft

 

1. WS810/F No.60 Sqn RAF, RAF Tengah, Singapore 1960.
2. WS775 No.85 Sqn RAF, RAF Church Fenton 1958.
3. WS790/H No.264 Sqn RAF, RAF Linton-on-Ouse 1955
4. F-ZAM (ex WAS747) French Flight Test Centre 1955-1989

 

 

 

Conclusion

It is good to see a new kits of the Meteor Night Fighter out there. Highly recommended. 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

 

[Julien]

Special Hobby  are now also offering a new set of tape masks for it which will help a great deal with the masking.

 

Meteor NF.14 Masks

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[bentwaters81tfw]

Hmm. Looks good. I'm wondering how the gear is arranged. The masking suggests the gear is handed........

[Julien]

2 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

Hmm. Looks good. I'm wondering how the gear is arranged. The masking suggests the gear is handed........

Well spotted, the masks fit the wheels in the kit, which are handed, and incorrect.