Gloster Meteor F.8(R)

[kitbasher]

Conversion of a Matchbox NF Meatbox into a single seater.  So how will that be a whiff?  Wait and see!

Bits in the box - it was bought as a part-build at the last ever Hendon model show for £1.  Some additional disassembly required - and there will be some chopping and changing.

[NARSES2]

at the last ever Hendon model show

Hopefully not

[Dizzyfugu]

... and there will be some chopping and changing.

Maybe an extended nose? 

[kitbasher]

Maybe an extended nose? 

You could say that.

[PR19_Kit]

Or even extended wings?

But who'd ever do that to a Meteor, eh? 

[rickshaw]

Or even extended wings?

But who'd ever do that to a Meteor, eh? 

Indeed, hey, Kit 

[kitbasher]

some nitty gritty work this morning:

• reduce the wingtips to F.8 size/shape, cut off the wing guns and fit front and rear engine fairings.
• assemble NF.11 fin and rudder, plus drop tanks.
• chop out the front seat to make way for an ejection seat (taken from a Merlin Meteor F., tidy up the Aeroclub F.8 fuselage decking, refit the instrument panel and successfully lose the control column(!).
• select nose, add weight and fit to fuselage.
• realise some of the unwanted cockpit detail might be good for the Shorts Bronco (http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,45423.msg813546.html#msg813546).
• be surprised how easily the plastic melts - only have to put it within 10 inches of a bottle of liquid cement and it goes weak at the knees!
• and be surprised how weedy the plastic is compared to the original Matchbox mouldings, making it seem like a limited run kit in some respects.
• above said not having actually built any of the Matchbox Meteors I have in the stash.
• appreciating the warnings of the gaps, etc, referred to in all of the reviews of this kit when it first came out.

[kitbasher]

Where I am with the Meteor.  Some cockpit tidying up ahead of fitting the Aeroclub F.8 fuselage fairing.  That'll lead to plenty of filling and rubbing down ahead of fitting the wings and the tailplane, which will need to be prepped before fitting.

[NARSES2]

Good to see your making progress mate 

[The Wooksta!]

You may need to think about some transverse bulkheads inside the fuselage, because that plastic is really thin and the join line with the top can never be eliminated unless you do something to stiffen it.

I've fought that kit several times and I detest it with a passion.

[kitbasher]

You may need to think about some transverse bulkheads inside the fuselage, because that plastic is really thin and the join line with the top can never be eliminated unless you do something to stiffen it.

I've fought that kit several times and I detest it with a passion.

Good tip Lee, tvm.

[The Wooksta!]

Had on - what you using for weapons?  There's a dirty geet radar nose so no guns there and you've deleted the wing armament. 

Ah - four cannon gunpack under the fuselage as the fuel goes in the space formerly occupied by teh radar gadgy?

[kitbasher]

Some initial filling done, fitting the fuselage decking next.

[kitbasher]

Cockpit decking fitted, filled and sanded.  Fin/rudder and one tailplane fitted, filled and sanded.  Wings all filled and sanded and one wing fitted, realised I'd missed some filling around one of the engines so filled (sanding to follow). Wingtips sorted.

[kitbasher]

Wings, tailplane, fin/rudder, etc, all sorted, fitted and PSR done.  Test fitting - Merlin ejection seat still fits nicely and the Merlin canopy does too.

Next up: tidy up the drop tanks and either build up a pair of PP Aeroparts Firestreaks or rob a pair from the Airfix Lightning F.2A that's down to have the Freightdog VG wings and a pair of Odds & Ordnance Genies fitted to it.  By 'eck, the old Airfix Lightning F.1A Firestreaks are weedy in comparison!

And yes, Firestreaks.  The Meatbox is going to be from the Guided Weapons Test Squadron, which in the real world trialled Fairey Fireflashes on Swift F.7s.  Fireflashes were also trialled on Woomera-based Meteors.  Firestreaks on the other hand were trialled on Sea Venoms and RAAF Sabres.