Special Hobby Gloster Meteor TT.Mk.20 (SH72487) 1:72

[Mike]

Gloster Meteor TT.Mk.20 (SH72487)

1:72 Special Hobby

 

 

The Gloster Meteor was the first British active-service jet fighter, and the Allies' first operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936 using the diminutive E.28/39 Pioneer airframe as a test-bed. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27th July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF, although it was initially forbidden from operating over enemy territory for fear of a downed aircraft giving away precious secrets. Nicknamed the ‘Meatbox’, the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in terms of its aerodynamics or engines, but proved to be a successful combat fighter through successive upgrades of the basic design, with several major variants incorporating rapid technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s.  Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces, and it remained in operation for several decades overseas.

 

The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War, primarily intercepting V-1 ‘Buzz Bombs’ as they flew over the British coast, which was a task they were well-suited to.  The F.4 was the first major variant after the initial wartime type, and by the time the F.8, which is considered by many to be the definitive variant, came into service the airframe had been subject to substantial upgrades, shortening the wings that mounted more powerful Derwent 8 engines, lengthening the fuselage by over 30 inches, greater capacity fuel load, and a new tail to improve aerodynamics and prevent instability when ammunition was fully expended.  It was also fitted with a Martin-Baker ejection seat, starting with a Mk.1 that was superseded by the Mk.2 later in production.  Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution in the Korean War, flying many sorties against Mig-15s that were superior in most respects, suffering mounting losses before they were re-tasked with ground attack roles where they excelled due to their ruggedness.  Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts with variable success dependent upon the opponents that they flew against.  Specialised variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photo-reconnaissance and the NF.11 was created as a night fighter, where their outdated technology was less of an impediment, and when they were found wanting in that department, twenty were converted to high-speed target tugs, as the TT.20 in RAF service, while the Danes had a few converted and operated by civilian contractors for their Air Force.

 

 

The Kit

This is a reboxing of a 2019 tooling from Special Hobby, and arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of the subject flying over the sea on the front, and inside are five sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a set of orange 3D printed resin parts in a clamshell box, decal sheet, and instruction booklet in portrait A5, printed in colour throughout.  Detail is good, especially in the cockpit and gear bays, and the target towing equipment is excellent, taking full advantage of the finesse that CAD design can offer when combined with modern SLA 3D printing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the cockpit, adding side walls with extra parts, a dividing bulkhead and rear instrument panel, plus a pair of seats to the floor, then fitting a rear bulkhead, control column and the opposite sidewall to the assembly.  A curved spacer is located under the rear of the cockpit in a recess, adding a nose gear bay insert to the front, painting the bay in silver, along with the recess that accommodates the wheel when retracted, which is found in the base of the cockpit floor.  The completed cockpit is glued into the starboard fuselage, fitting the pilot’s instrument panel and coaming to the front, plus a two-part deck at the rear of the cockpit opening, then closing the fuselage, which has the nose cone and tail fin moulded-in.

 

 

The twin Derwent engines are depicted where their presence will be seen through the intake, which are created from two halves of trunking each.  The engine front is moulded into a circular bulkhead, with accessories mounted in front, and a curved intake trunking section underneath.  The exhaust has a spacer the length of the engine moulded into each half, with a representation of the engine rear sandwiched mid-way between them, gluing the engine fronts to the tubular assemblies and inserting them into the lower wing, which has the nacelles moulded-in.  A section of leading edge is cemented in front of the engine, and intake trunks are pushed into place inside the nacelles, ready for joining the upper wing after it is prepared, firstly by widening the cut-out at the front to 15mm.  The bay detail moulded into the upper wing interior is augmented by adding four wall parts around the perimeter, then the halves can be brought together and glued, fitting intake lips and exhaust cones to the ends of the nacelles to finish them off.  Once the seams have been dealt with, the fuselage is brought in from above, and a 3D printed insert behind the wings is installed under the fuselage with a V-support that projects out to the side behind the 3D printed towing pod, which has a separate spinner glued to the front.

 

 

The elevators are each single parts that slot into grooves on the sides of the bullet-fairing on the tail fin, then the landing gear can be built.  Two main gear legs are needed, making up the wheels with moulded-in mudguards first, then flex-fitting the yoke, and adding the short strut to the pivot, after which they can be glued into the main bays, locating actuators in the bay with the help of the accompanying scrap diagrams that helpfully show which direction the front is using a green arrow.  Both bays have two doors, one each side, with an actuator linking the inner door to the bay to complete them.  The nose wheel is a single part with the strut moulded-in, and it mounts into the bay roof along with a V-shaped door actuator for the two doors on the sides.  An additional door is mounted on the front of the strut after inserting twin landing lights in the recess near the lower end.

 

To keep the target tug in the air longer, a pair of wing-mounted fuel tanks are supplied in halves, with separate pylons, plus a semi-conformal belly tank between the wings.  The model can then be flipped over onto its wheels to install the one-piece canopy, wingtip lights, pitot probe in the port wing, aerial on the spine, and a short whip antenna further forward that you must make from your own wire of 0.15mm diameter.  I often use toothbrush bristles for this type of antenna when needed.  Each wing has a pair of small cylindrical inserts added to the leading edge, and another small part is located on a port fuselage panel over the trailing edge of the wing, with distances from the nearest panel line given to assist with accurate location.

 

 

Markings

There are four decal options included on the sheet, along with an extensive collection of stencils, which are detailed on a separate set of profiles behind the decal option pages.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• WM159/0 40, Royal Navy, equipped with ML G Tugging Device and used for target towing operations by No.776 FRU (Airwork Services Fleet Requirements Unit) in Hurn, UK, 1966-68
• WM148/ V No.3 CAACU RAF, Exeter, 1969
• 508 (WM391), Royal Danish Air Force, Karap Base, 1959
• SE-DCF (WM395/512 of the RDAF), Svensk Flygtjänst Air Base, 1962

 

 

 

The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas.  This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film.  It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain.

 

 

Conclusion

Whilst these target tugs weren’t in front-line operational service, they were still involved in training flight crews for action, with the bangs and crashes following them round wherever they went.  Adding the 3D printed parts to the NF.11 sprues brings this lesser-known Meteor to life.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of