SEAC Meteor F2

The Wooksta! · February 14, 2011, 04:00:26 PM

Two other things - keep the airbrakes and the F3 canopy. Production F.2s would have had them.

Finally, for the extended u/c, the best thing would be to leave the attachment stubs in place and use an Aeroclub u/c (failing that, the u/c from the Matchbox horror or the old Frog kit). Fit this onto the stubs and it'll raise the profile at the back. Easiest way to do it and I found it by accident.

kitnut617 · February 14, 2011, 05:13:46 PM

The amount of raise can be determined by the u/c bay doors. On standard Meteors, the bottom edge of the lowered door is about dead center of the main wheel when the weight is on them, on the raised u/c, the edge of the door is at the top of the wheel hub (half a wheel hub higher) The front leg gets raised the same amount and it's mounted a bit further towards the nose tip. The nose u/c leg is actually quite a bit different to the standard front leg.

Gondor · February 15, 2011, 01:27:59 PM

Kitnut617,

What did you use for your engine fronts? I am thinking of using 1/144 engine fronts from a large modern airliner but as I don't build many airliners I am not sure I can go that rout.

Gondor

kitnut617 · February 15, 2011, 01:48:53 PM

IIRC (it's been a while since I started mine), I used a couple of fan fronts from the left over TF-33's that came with the Airfix 1/72 E-3D kit. Or they could have been the rear ones, sorry I can't remember now. I used sprue to make the center hubs though and there should be what I call a 'spider' holding the hub to the outer nacelle too. This 'spider' has either 6 or 8 streamlined arms, I've got an old 'The Aeroplane' which has all the aircraft and engine 'cut-aways' in it, and the Metro-Vick drawing shows these arms but it's not very clear how many there are. They held a permamently fixed FOD screen which was fitted after someone nearly got sucked into the engine during a static test, I think they were called 'Daunt' guards after that because that was the name of the guy who nearly got suck in.

Gondor · February 16, 2011, 03:11:32 PM

Panic over for the engine fronts ... I hope. Realised that I had a pair of Hasegawa F-15 engine fronts in the spares box and they appear to be close enough for me, though only when I cut more plastic will I be able to tell for sure.

Gondor

Gondor · February 17, 2011, 03:10:39 PM

A small amount of progress today, weekdays are terrible for progress for me, I removed the donor engines from their sprue and cut away part of the nasal to wing joint one one of them so I can test fit the engine cowling to the wing spars. Obviously the donor engines are from an Me262 though they will be modified. Not worked out all the details yet but...... the intakes will be removed to the mounting point for the intake cone which will have the new fan front attached to it. The new intake is similar to the normal Meteor intake though smaller and much closer to the front of the engine. The main body on the engine is more curvaceous than the German engine so strips of plastic will be used as a base for filler. I am going to have to modify the upper wing roots so that they fit over the new wing spars or they will not sit correctly and would end up making a right mess. So with the weekend approaching there should be quite a spurt of building on this kit while the paint dries on my other builds cockpits.

Gondor

kitnut617 · February 17, 2011, 03:31:25 PM

I had found that the Metro-Vick nacelles were very much like the BAC 1-11 nacelles, I just had to manipulate the very front edges as they rounded out more. I used a pair of them which I got from Aircraft in Mimiature plus the rear of the nacelles came from an Attacker kit.

Gondor · February 18, 2011, 12:16:52 AM

Quote from: kitnut617 on February 17, 2011, 03:31:25 PM
I had found that the Metro-Vick nacelles were very much like the BAC 1-11 nacelles, I just had to manipulate the very front edges as they rounded out more. I used a pair of them which I got from Aircraft in Mimiature plus the rear of the nacelles came from an Attacker kit.

Which scale is yours built in kitnut617 ?

Gondor

The Wooksta! · February 18, 2011, 01:20:03 AM

I know it's based on the 72nd Frog kit - the pale blue plastic gives it away as a Frogspawn kit.

kitnut617 · February 18, 2011, 06:37:43 AM

It's in 1/72 scale, the kit is an Airfix Mk.III and the only part that is Frog/Spawn Attacker is the last 1/2" of the nacelles. Using an Aeroclub Meteor Mk.I canopy and Meteor u/c (which will suitable altered)

The Wooksta! · February 18, 2011, 09:29:13 AM

Bob, have you thought about moulding these engines up?

kitnut617 · February 18, 2011, 12:36:06 PM

I haven't Lee, but then again, I've never tried doing any moulding up to now. Could be something to try out on ---

Gondor · February 18, 2011, 02:32:41 PM

Latest progress report.

The engines test fitted to the underside of the wings.

A side view of the test fitting of the engines.

Head on shot of the fan front I am using. Going to have to replace the bullet in the centre as it will not protrude far enough from the fan when I add the intake cowling.

There will be filling and sanding in my future with these engines but it will be worth it in the end. I can not believe how much I am enjoying this build. I am really fired up over it and am attempting to do some work on it every night and as much as I can when ever I can !!

Gondor

Gondor · February 19, 2011, 10:29:19 AM

Not managed to do much though I have managed to upload my reference photographs.

From the Front....

From the Right....

Reversed image of the right side...

As far as I know the top two images are the only two published pictures of the Prototype F2 Meteor. I am intending to mark out the pictures I have printed out to scale out the engines before I get too much plastic stuck together. The results will only be a guide but then as this is a Whiff it will not really matter as I am building a "Production" machine!!

Gondor

kitnut617 · February 19, 2011, 11:48:50 AM

There's some others, three quarter views and such. They've appeared in Air-Britain articles and it was either Tony Buttler or Phil Butler who published the articles. I'll see if I can find them but they could be down in the Sea-Can at the other end of the property and is snowed in at the moment.