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1/32 HK Meteor F4


TaffyMan

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Hi Folks - My next one!

 

Really looking forward to this as I have a real liking for the early British jets.

 

The crystal ball tells me that I see a Revel Hunter in my near future and also when Iain (32Sig) finishes his masters at least two EE Lightinings …….. Uhmmmmmm going to be nice!!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

So back to this one, shame it wasn't the Mk8 as that would be my favourite - might do another at some point with the fab Fisher conversion - we will see.

 

Box pick - think we all know what it looks like by now.

 

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:D  Ah ha…….  - in my down time on the Hurricane made and finished the Mini-Me that you get as a gift.

 

Very nice little project - made the nav lights out of a bit of clear sprue. Put the ariels and pitot tube on, made from some brass rod and some thin plastic sheet, Also made up some jet exhausts from some tinned out brass tube.

 

As I said nice project and it gave me a chance to try out my home brew speed silver. The close up makes here look very dirty but she's not that bad at 100% to the eye.

 

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Right moving this on to her big sister. Nice plastic looking forward to this.

 

I started by doing a dry fit of the cockpit bits plus a quick fit into the Fus to see how it goes together. I am happy to say, once cleaned up, the fit is going to be rock solid. Even without any glue there is no movement - good job HK!

 

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I wasn't so keen on the IP as it looks a bit clunky to me. And missing some dials from the pictures I have. So I will attempt to improve it with the help of some very nice Airscale products. :shrug:

 

First I scrape clean the kit part and scanned this into the computer. Using Illustrator I recreated the IP in line work to use as a template. This was stuck to the front of the IP with Spraymount then I drilled through. This was my first c-ockup as I forgot to mark the centre of the circles on the template - and being to lasy to re-doit hence this Doh. :wacko:

 

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So re-did the template and cut the shape out of some thin sheet.

 

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Also you can see I have done a few more - what I hope will be - enhancements to the rest of the pit.

 

Really like these Airscale bezels and cockpit bits of brass - but wow I did find them fiddly!!!!! specially the little switches :BANGHEAD2: AHHHHHHH I gave up, as I think, it was the 4 or 5th one pinged in to the extraterrestrial transport portal that exists around my desk. Once pinged never to be seen again!

 

Dry fitting the cockpit.

 

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Okay started this one back in a mo with some more

 

Taff :D

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Okay back with more

 

Moving on to some paint Yehaaaaa! :clap2:

 

Okay the instructions from HK call for the interior walls to be painted Interior Green? Not sure about this as every Meteor cockpit I have seen, and when you look around the net they seems to be as black as some primeval tar pit!

 

So I am going for black - well not quite black, don't think you will see anything if I do that! So I started with a dark grey and gradually added a bit of black each time as I sprayed. I was trying to build some tonal values in, rather than flat black.

About half way through - the floor is nearly at what I was trying to achieve.

 

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I also was trying an experiment with the IP so I had an aid to line up   the dial decals. Uhmmm not quite! Will have to make it a tighter fit next time.

 

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whilst the pit was drying I turned to the stick.

 

The Kit one seems to have no brake handle and also a circle fire button. I could be wrong but my understanding was that they had moved on to the square-ish weapons selector and trigger by this time. Please correct me if I am incorrect in this, as I am sure others will benefit from the knowledge! To late for me as I have made one up out of some of the Airscale cockpit brass bits stuck together - also cut one of the handles down to fit. Other bits added was some thin aluminium rod and some wires.

 

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Now with all these bits painted I just needed the Postman to deliver to finish it…….. Then he knocked twice and I had all my bits! :thumbsup:

 

Front wheel, Seat and Seat belts - Cooooool.

 

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So painted up and weathered in the seat, made and painted my cushion.

 

Then set to the Seat belts. Oh my, these RB belts really tried me - very fiddly but nice when done!!!!! Lost a couple of bits of the brass PE - pinged in to the black hole never to be seen again….. nearly had to scrap these belts as Radu doesn't give you any spares - so no second chance. Shame I would rather pay an extra couple of quid for some spares and a second go - so please Radu give us some more buckles and bits. Lucky I had a Eduard 1/32 belt set. So even tough the buckles didn't fit as well and it was even more of a fiddle. It did mean I could use them.

 

Cockpit done

 

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Yeah Next - Taff :D

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With the pit done I could now move on to the jets.

 

Okay nothing in the kit here just two empty voids :shrug:  one at the front and one at the back. Bit disappointing really as the price you pay for the kit something here would have been nice.

 

I saw someone on LSM building a Dutch one of these - thick he frequents here as well - Cees - who used some beer cans to tart this area up. So thanks very much I am going to nick his genius and try it myself.

 

Uhhhmmmmm fringe benefit I get to drink some beer.  :thumbsup:

 

So adventure begins!!!!!

 

Started with making a paper template to fit. Scanned this, and added my rivet line etc in illustrator.

 

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Stella not my choice, but left over from a party - it tasted alright!

 

Cut up and my templates stuck on. Riveted through the template in to the aluminium.

 

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So it is at this point you realise that you haven't put the bleeding wing shape thing in!!!!…….. :blowup:  and it doesn't fit with it.

 

So back to the drawing board - or in this case paper template, scan and computer,

 

So take two.

 

016-Meteor-F4_zpsf16a2059.jpg

 

Still works and helps cut out all the space and concentrate the view on the centre.

 

But on checking it agains my photo reference! I realised that the front doesn't go back as fare as the splitter shaped thing. :crying:

 

So whilst I had a re-think I foiled the shape thing, plus put a hole in the front leading edges per my picture refrance.

 

Take 3

 

Re-did the the shape and riveting. This now fits but you can now see into the surrounding void because it is shorter!  :shrug:

 

Okay cup of tea time and another think.

 

Eureka! looking at the reference pics I can now see that the aperture at the back is smaller than the front. Simple or what!!!!!! A very shallow cone with the top cut off.

 

Take 4

 

Re-do all the template and redrawing a couple of times. My maths is crap so it was just a case of fiddling with the paper one's till I got it to fit and work.

 

Ye-haaaa! plus I had used all the aluminium up from the first can - so I got to drink another one…. cool :wicked: :beer:

 

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Still not perfect as it doesn't run straight from the front intake - I have a lip where the real thing doesn't. it is a smooth transition. But that would be more trouble and I can live with it like this and at least it hides the massive void!! Lot of fiddle suppose should of just got the Fisher replacements - would have been a lot easier!!!

 

Okay next up the back - Taff :D

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Last one for now

 

Okay HK engine void 2 the back end.

 

I am sure it wouldn't of taken much to give us a longer plastic tube sealed at one end. So back out with bits of scrap paper to make up a template - same procedure as with the front but at least no redo's!

 

My templates and bits - the bit of doweling is my turned cone making tool! turned using a power drill as a lathe

 

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Painted and ready for assembly. Also a dry fit in the wing.

 

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Not to bad, it is very dark so anyone that is a curios chap or chapess who sneak a peak will at least see this and not an open void.

 

So engine torments over, time to move on to something else.

 

The other place that the kit leaves very empty is the front nose and wheel bay. Yes I know it is meant to have the weight in it but I am going to move it and try and make something more of this area.

 

Right first make the front bulk head. I just used some blue tack forced in for the shape and then traced the half shape on to some paper - flipped it for the other side. Some illustrator work gave me my template. Couple of hours later of fiddling with plastic, aluminium and brass tube, I had this.

 

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Also I have sealed in the cockpit as it occrued to me that by using this as a shelf I could get some lead weights in here!

 

Next issue was how to hide the big seam that would be across the top?

 

My solution was to bend some thin plastic sheet around one of my big knife handles. This was heated in some hot water to give it the curve. After I had cut my shape out I stuck it to one side, making sure that the centre line lined up to the Fus edge, and built the rest of it from bits of plastic. I also drilled the front air and camera holes. This is lined up with the camera and shelf and also stuck to the side.

 

The wheel well - I first filled the big hollow area at the bottom with some liquid filler. Once this had set I dropped in some Mr Surface 500 and let it settle to its own shape and smoothness. The rest is cosmetic makeup of tin foil and some aluminium from mini candle, shaped and some riveting applied.

 

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The wight issue.

 

As I had scraped the nose weight rout this meant a uhmmm tail sitter (not) or something else.

 

The something else turned out to be some curtain weights. I started by seeing what the nose weight came in at. Then I did a test fit to see how much I could get into the front compartment

 

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Okay no where near but I am hopping that as I have got this closer to the front end then I won't need so much to sit just behind the cockpit.

 

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Sitting the nose weight plus some more of the curtain weights towards the front of the wing section. Looking at this now I might scrap the nose weight and just go with a pile of the curtain weights, because I can pile them up further forward closer to the front and finger crossed won't need so much weight. I will have to wait until I have the Fuse and wing sections done then do some pivot testing to see how much I will need!

 

Front end painted and weathered - also the front weights stuck in place.

 

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Wow thats it going!

 

Also just realised that I have no pictures of the under cart which is almost complete!!!!! just a couple of final bits to do on them.

 

So far am enjoying this and it seems to be coming togather okay! So till next time any comments hints and tips always welcome - Enjoy!!!

 

Happy Days - Taff :D

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That's really good work Taff! Excellent problem-solving and determination. Good to see another Meteor being built too.

 

Oh, by the way, I edited your title for the correct spelling of Meteor.

 

Kev

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Wow, great work so far!

 

Cheers Ron - long way to go yet. Pushing on some more today so will post some more in a bit

 

That's really good work Taff! Excellent problem-solving and determination. Good to see another Meteor being built too.

 

Oh, by the way, I edited your title for the correct spelling of Meteor.

 

Kev

 

 

Ta Kev - Lets hope it has the looks of the one you put together! - Talking determination glad to see you finally creaked that front cowling – looked pretty darn good in the pictures.

 

And thanks for the correction.  :blush:  It was pretty early in the morning up here so missed it!!!

 

Wonderful work and explanations. Looking forward to the next installment!

 

Cheers for looking in and so am I. This gal seems to be coming together quite quickly – Seams on the Fus and UC to finish today then the wings

 

 

Taff,

I really like your work. I just built it out of the box but you are really doing the kit justice.

It's a great canvas to work on.

Cees

 

Hi Cees – Thought I had seen you on here as well. Really liked your build looked very cool! Thanks for the heads up on the Dutch decals, which I have got for the stencils, and will be using these on this build.

 

Yep agree about the blank canvas – only wish HK had given a bit more in the engine area. Just the front cone and a longer plastic tube for the jet exhaust would have done it for me! The front wheel bay is full of weight if you follow their instructions so I can understand that but the jets seems to be a miss IMHO. That said minor gripe I just love the fact I have one of my favourite airframes to work from!

 

Super job. I'm toying with getting on of these.

 

Dr Dave - Just do it you know your going too!!!! So stop fighting it and give in to the pleasure...... and feel the plastic :wicked:

 

Till next time

Happy Days - Taff :D

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Taff,

 

True but Profimodeller is already working on sets for the ammuniton bays and resin/brass engine with inlet/outlet piping.|

Sofar the only realy issue with this kit is the high price. Although the fundamental kit is great. It was the first jet I built

in many years, and it made me do the EE LIghting now too.
Cees

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True but Profimodeller is already working on sets for the ammuniton bays and resin/brass engine with inlet/outlet piping.

Based on an email I just received from Profimodeller, I believe these sets are now ready.

 

Kev

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