"Röd Niklas": another SPINNERS tribute (A.W. J31/Meteor NF.14, Flygvapnet, F17)

Dizzyfugu · February 01, 2015, 07:09:42 AM

Well, not too long ago, SPINNERS presented several nice British aircraft in Swedish service - beyond sevarl Gloster Javelins there was a Meteor NF.14 that caught my attention...

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14) in Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) service - created ny SPINNERS by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

More here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,18821.1485.html

Anyway, I found the aircraft/cammo combo SO nice and natural, well... "Röd Niklas" was born!

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Gloster Meteor was the first British 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. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations in 1944 with the RAF.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. In order to replace the increasingly-obsolete de Havilland Mosquito as a night fighter, the Meteor was adapted to serve in the role as an interim aircraft. The new night fighter was designed to specification F.24/48 for a two seat, twin-engine, night fighter capable of intercepting contemporary bombers.

Gloster had initially proposed a night fighter design to meet the Air Ministry specification for the Mosquito replacement, based on the two-seater trainer variant of the Meteor, with the pilot in the front seat and the navigator in the rear. Once accepted however, work on the project was swiftly transferred to Armstrong Whitworth to perform both the detailed design process and production of the type; the first prototype flew on 31 May 1950.

Although based on the T.7 twin-seater, the night fighter used the fuselage and tail of the F.8 and the longer wings of the F.3. An extended nose contained the AI Mk 10 Air Intercept radar (the 1940s Westinghouse SCR-720). As a consequence the 20 mm cannons had to be moved from the fuselage flanks into the wings, outboard of the engines. A ventral fuel tank and wing mounted drop tanks completed the Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.11.
As radar technology developed, a new Meteor night fighter was developed to use the improved US-built APS-21 system. The NF.12 first flew on 21 April 1953. It was similar to the NF 11 but had a nose section 17 inches (43.2 cm) longer; the fin was enlarged to compensate for the greater keel area of the enlarged nose and to counter the airframe reaction to the "wig-wag" scan of the radar which affected the gunsight.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

An anti-tramp motor operating on the rudder was fitted midway up the front leading edge of the fin. The NF.12 also had the new Rolls-Royce Derwent 9 engines and the wings were reinforced to handle the new engine. Deliveries of the NF.12 started in 1953, with the type entering squadron service in early 1954. The NF.12 was also exported, e. g. to Belgium, France or Denmark. In RAF service, however, the type was already replaced over 1958–59.

The final Meteor night fighter was the NF.14 (The NF.13 was a tropicalized variant of the NF.11, which served in Egypt, Syria and Israel). First flown on 23 October 1953, the NF.14 was based on the NF.12 but had an even longer nose, extended by a further 17 inches to accommodate new equipment, and a larger bubble canopy to replace the framed T.7 version.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Just 100 NF.14s were built; they first entered service in February 1954 beginning with RAF No. 25 Squadron and were being gradually replaced as early as 1956 with the Gloster Javelin. Overseas, they remained in service a little longer, serving with No. 60 Squadron at Tengah, Singapore, until 1961.

With only few flying hours on the clock several NF.14 were earmarked for being revamped and offered for export. 14 of these aircraft stayed in the UK, though, and were converted to training aircraft as NF(T).14 and given to No. 2 Air Navigation School on RAF Thorney Island where they served until 1965.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on FlickR

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

But some of the young NF.14s In 1955 Sweden ordered 22 of these surplus machines as replacement for its obsolete J30 (Mosquito NF.30) fleet that had entered service in 1948 and which was already due to be phased out. The Meteors were allocated only intended to act as stopgaps, though, just as in RAF service, while the Saab J32 Lansen (specifically its dedicated, radar-equipped all-weather fighter variant 'B') was still under development.

The batch of revamped Meteor NF.14s was gradually delivered and allocated to F 17 at Kallinge and F 21 at Luleå, starting in late 1956 when the first retired RAF aircraft trickled back to Armstrong Whitworth, and the last one was handed over to the Flygvapnet in mid-1957. In Swedish service the Meteor NF.14 received the domestic designation J31 ('Jakt'). The machines differed only slightly from the RAF NF.14, main armament remained the four 20mm cannons in the wings. The external tanks were kept, too, in order to provide a sufficient range for patrol flights.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The J31s career was short and unspectacular, though. When the J32B finally reached the fighter units in 1958, the Swedish Meteors were gradually replaced and retired. Six machines were kept for radar operator training, and in this second line role six machines eventually served until 1965.
Strangely, none of the Swedish J31 Meteors were converted to target tugs. Instead Sweden bought several retired Meteors (T.7 and NF.11) from Denmark and used these aircraft with civil registrations through Svenska Flygtjanst as target tugs.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: Length: 51 ft 4 in (15.65 m)
Wingspan: Span: 43ft
Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m)
Wing area: 350 ft² (32.52 m²)
Empty weight: 12.620 lb (5.725 kg)
Loaded weight: 21.200 lb (9.625 kg)

Powerplant:
2× Rolls-Royce Derwent 9 engines, rated at 3.800lb/16,9kN each

Performance:
Maximum speed: 585mph (511 knots, 942 km/h, Mach 0.

at 10.000 ft (3.050 m)
Range: 875 mi (765 nmi, 1.408 km)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
Rate of climb: 5,800ft/min at sea level
Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft² (218.97 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45

Armament:
4× 20 mm British Hispano Mk. V cannons in the outer wings

The kit and its assembly:
SPINNERS' screenshots basically became the design benchmark for my build, even though my hardware differs a bit in scheme and markings in order to match the narrow, historic slot for this whif. The basis is the A.W. Metor NF.11/12/14 kit from Matchbox.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Concerning the kit there's not much to say. It's a simple kit that has been re-boxed several times and is also offered through Hannants under the Xtrakit brand. Fit is mediocre, how to mount the landing gear is up to the modeler, the cockpit is intended for pygmies (even though with nice dahsboard and radar equipment), you get several sink holes, and the fine, raised panels more or less disappear due to the unavoidable and extensive putty work all over the thing.
Since we have a NF.14 here, the kit was built OOB with the respective option parts. Even the belly and drop tanks are standard, only two pilot figures (HO scale/!:87, I guess) were added for the photo shooting.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Calling it J31 is a bit of a double, since the 31 had already been used for the Spitfire PR.19 photo reconnaissance variant, domestically called S31 (for 'Spaning'). Therefore the J31 was theoretically 'free', even though not really correct.

Painting and markings:
Basically, no surprises here, too, even though mimicking Swedish Air Force colors is a rather tricky task for the ambitious modeler. Especially the "mörk olivgrön/mörkblå/blågrå" scheme from the late 50ies is described with very contradictive suggestions concerning the tones to use, I even found "Blue Angel Blue" (FS 15050!) as serious paint suggestion from Hasegawa.
The colors themselves obviously varied considerably under light conditions and weathering influences: the blue could turn grey or even into a kind of turquoise, and depending on light and perspective the blue tone would even appear like a dull, very dark grey (think WWII German tank grey). The green, on the other side, also ranges from a dark green (FS 34079 is frequently suggested, but IMHO too "green") to a very dark olive drab, and in real life the tone could turn into an almost brownish khaki drab when thoroughly weathered. Much room for interpretation and speculation, even consulting pics of museum and service aircraft did not yield anything conclusive and consistent.

Well, I tried to find a compromise for the upper sides' basic colors for the and settled for Humbrol 163 (Extra Dark Slate Grey, it has that olive drab, reddish touch) and 77 (Navy Blue, which is discernable as a deep, greenish blue; Humbrol 123 is also often suggested, e. g. through Heller, but it's IMHO too dark), while I used Model Master's "French Dark Grey Blue" (an authentic WWII tone; it is much less 'dark' than you'd expect) for the undersurfaces.
The authentic tone for the lower sides is supposed to be FS 36173 (US Neutral Grey), and pics from museum aircraft (e. g. close-ups from an J32E at the Linköping Swedish Air Force Museum) confirm that. But I think that the pure/original tone is much too dark for a 1:72 scale model kit. Pictures of real service aircraft rather appear like a pale bluish-grey, almost like RLM76?

The pattern itself was adapted from a late Saab J32 instead of SPINNERS' RAF scheme with modified colors.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After basic painting the Meteor received serious dry-painting on the upper surfaces in order to create a worn and bleached look, e. g. with Humbrol 86 & 155 on the green, with Revell 79 and Humbrol 230 (PRU Blue!) on the blue as well as some "Italian Light Blue Grey" from Modelmaster on the lower surfaces. A black ink wash was also added to emphasize panel lines and other small details.

In order to add some color variation I painted the drop tanks in Aluminum. The radome was painted in satin black, the landing gear and the air intakes in various Aluminum shades. The cockpit was painted in very dark grey (Humbrol 184) with some medium grey dry painting. Gauges and instruments were added with black clear paint.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Roundels and tactical codes mostly come from an RBD aftermarket sheet from Sweden (great stuff!), which features many options for about a dozen J32 aircraft from all of the type's career. Most stencils come from the Matchbox sheet, though.
The red radome band is personal even though authentic addition. These nose colors were common practice in the Swedish Air Force, matching the tail letter code in earlier times that would indicate the aircraft's division (red for 1st, yellow for 2nd and blue for 3rd), even though this code would disappear with the change to individual aircraft numbers on the fin around 1960.

Finally, the kit was sealed with a coat of matt varnish.

1:72 Armstrong Whitworth J31 (Meteor NF.14); aircraft "Röd Niklas/N Red" of 1st Division/F 17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet); Kallinge AB, Ronneby Municipality, 1959 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Well, "Röd Niklas" is not a spectacular or complicated whif, rather just a color variant - realised in eactly one week from sprues to pics. But the Swedish colors and markings suit the Meteor SO well that it deserved to be taken to the hardware stage, at least as a 1:72 model kit.

NARSES2 · February 01, 2015, 07:44:53 AM

That looks just so

PR19_Kit · February 01, 2015, 07:54:05 AM

I thought this was a forum for models of aircraft that didn't really exist, and I'm sure I saw one of those Meteors in the Linkoping Museum when I was there last.

Super work Thomas as usual, and you did all that PSR work in a WEEK!

NARSES2 · February 01, 2015, 08:09:09 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 01, 2015, 07:54:05 AM
Super work Thomas as usual, and you did all that PSR work in a WEEK!

It's all to do with relativity and that mysterious gap in the space, time continuum. I keep saying it but no one believes me

Captain Canada · February 01, 2015, 08:09:57 AM

Wow...another beauty ! Great stuff indeed. Love to look at all the photos. After a few pops I'd think it was the real thing !

Gondor · February 01, 2015, 08:15:47 AM

Super build as usual.

Gondor

Dizzyfugu · February 01, 2015, 08:22:08 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 01, 2015, 07:54:05 AM
I thought this was a forum for models of aircraft that didn't really exist, and I'm sure I saw one of those Meteors in the Linkoping Museum when I was there last.

Super work Thomas as usual, and you did all that PSR work in a WEEK!

...minus two hours. Work started last Sunday 18:00, just finished the pics this afternoon (kit was done yesterday). But I have to refill the Flux Compensator.

Thanks a lot for the feedback, glab you like it. After all, it's SPINNERS' original idea design, but I found it very convincing, and it's finally a good use for a leftover Meteor in the stash!

And, well, the One-Week-GB does not scare me at all. It's possible!

PR19_Kit · February 01, 2015, 10:26:13 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on February 01, 2015, 08:22:08 AM
And, well, the One-Week-GB does not scare me at all. It's possible!

You could take part in a one DAY GB Thomas, and probably win too!

I'd still be cutting the parts from the sprue.....

pyro-manic · February 01, 2015, 10:38:34 AM

Another great piece of work!

One question: what's an "anti-tramp motor" (in the write-up, it's half way up the fin)??

Dizzyfugu · February 02, 2015, 06:34:36 AM

AFAIK it's a damper that prevents stabilizer oscillation, which might escalate and literally rip the tail apart. Not certain about the technical solution, though, the description almost sounds like an active device, not a passive damper.

DogfighterZen · February 02, 2015, 07:01:23 AM

How can such a long nose look so good on an aircraft?

Looks great in those colors!

Dizzyfugu · February 02, 2015, 08:52:14 AM

Quote from: DogfighterZen on February 02, 2015, 07:01:23 AM
How can such a long nose look so good on an aircraft?
Looks great in those colors!

Doesn't it? The NF.14 IS an ugly aircraft, but the green/blue livery somehow adds a lot of attractivity... what simple cosmetics can achieve (instead of alcohol)!

ChernayaAkula · February 02, 2015, 11:08:17 AM

Nice!

zenrat · February 03, 2015, 02:33:11 AM

Good job.

McColm · February 03, 2015, 07:34:55 AM

Great work