Gloster Meteor F.4

Classic Airframes
 

Reviewed by Brett Green

Classic Airframes has released the second in their series of 1/48 scale Gloster Meteors - the Mk.4.

Although the Meteor F.8 and Meteor F.4 bear a strong family resemblance, there are a surprising number of differences. The most obvious include the vertical and horizontal tailplanes, engine nacelles and canopy. This means that the major components of this kit are substantially different from the plastic in the initial Meteor F.8 release

This latest Meteor comprises 65 parts in grey injection moulded styrene, 9 parts in clear injection moulded plastic, and 13 resin parts.

The quality of the plastic parts is very good. The surface is shiny and smooth (compared to the satin plastic in the initial F.8 release), and panel lines are finely engraved. The recessed detail is very crisp overall, but a little soft on the belly tank and subtle almost to the point of invisibility on the elevators. The dive brakes on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings are well represented by engraved panel lines. Most of the ejection pin marks on this kit are hidden on the inside surface of parts except for one big raised pin inside each main wheel well.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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Trailing edges of most flying surfaces are thin, but the inside surfaces of the rudder halves would benefit from some sanding. The trailing edge of the wing centre section (inboard of each nacelle) also seems a trifle thick but a few minutes with a sanding stick will remedy this area too.

Engineering is thoughtful. The lower centre section of the wing is moulded as a single part, onto which the inside upper wing parts (incorporating the nacelles) are joined. The outer wing panels are secured via a recessed reinforcement strip - much better than the butt-join we might have otherwise expected.

We do get a butt join for the horizontal tailplanes though, so some reinforcement with wire or fine brass rod would be a good measure to prevent later damage.

There are no locating pins, so extra time should be allocated for test-fitting and aligning parts. Also, sprue attachment points are a little thick and located in some prominent areas, so take care when removing and cleaning up parts.

The canopy is clear and thin. Three parts are supplied - the windscreen, sliding section and the rear - so posing the canopy open to see all that lovely interior detail will not be a problem. Sprue attachments are located on the bottom side of clear parts, so care will be required not to damage the canopy parts when removing them from the sprue.

Resin parts are as impressive as we have come to expect from Classic Airframes in recent years. The cockpit is very well done, and accurately represents the floor as being the top of the nose wheel well. These early Meteors were not fitted with ejection seats, so we are presented with a WWII style bucket seat with a cushion and harness cast in place. The instrument panel is a plastic part, and is also well detailed on the front. The rear of the panel is exposed under the windscreen, so some extra detailing with plastic rod and fine wire will be worthwhile. The body of the gunsight is not supplied although the reflector glass is included as a clear part, with instructions to glue it to the top of the instrument panel.

The complex mount for the nose wheel is pre-fabricated, saving the modeller some potentially delicate assembly.

Instructions are logically laid out over 14 steps. Brief notes supplement the exploded view diagrams.

Decals are provided for two aircraft - one camouflaged Danish aircraft, and an Aluminium painted RAF Meteor.

Options include the distinctive belly tank and wing-mounted drop tanks.

In common with earlier Classic Airframes releases, the lack of locating pins will call for extra care and dry-fitting; and a little more cleanup than average will be required; but there should not be too many traps when building the kit.

Some modellers who have already built the Meteor F.8 kit have commented that the installation and alignment of the cockpit and forward wheel well is a little tricky but, once again, test fitting should address this issue.

Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Meteor F. Mk.4 looks like a good prospect for a modeller who feels ready to tackle something slightly more challenging than a standard Tamiya or Hasegawa offering.

Highly Recommended to experienced modellers.

Thanks to David at Hannants for the review sample.

Review and Images Copyright © 2003 by Brett Green
Page Created 21 November, 2003
Last updated 21 November, 2003

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