Another one to put into the finished column today. It is the Cyber-Hobby/DML Meteor F3, the first in their new line of 1:72 kits. I went into this model with a bit of trepidation, since I remembered the older DML 1:72 kits, which looked great in the box but were devilish little nightmares to actually build. I still haven’t screwed up the courage to face the He-219. But I am glad to report that the Meteor is an excellent kit, at least from the buildability angle. I am not the one to ask about precise accuracy.
Detailing is outstanding, with busy cockpit and wheel wells. Engraved panel lines are of a proper depth. Assembly was trouble-free, with a minimum of surfacer being used. One thing to look for is that there is not much room for weight in the front end, and although I packed in some BBs, it was not enough to keep it from becoming a tail-sitter. Fishing weights, even behind the cockpit assembly, would have been a smarter idea.
I didn’t want to do another camo 616 Squadron example or the all-white version, having done both with the old Airfix kit. So, after taking a look through the Modeller’s Datafile book, I decided to do the Royal Navy evaluation aircraft. It would look rather different in grey and sky and required just a small bit of modification (building a tailhook). I filched a tailhook from a Sword Helldiver (with the Academy kit, this one has been superceded so I didn’t feel bad about parting it out) and built the rest from plastic strip. The decals came from various Modeldecal sheets. Assembling the tiny serials is always a trial when working with these very small numbers. The only thing that remains is to finish the underwing serials. I didn’t happen to have the correct size in stock, and will need to wait until my next Hannants order to pick some up.
This is completed model #339, finished in January of 2011.
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