Frog 1/72 Gloster Meteor F Mk.4

FROG 1:72 GLOSTER METEOR F MK.IV
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Simon Ruston (rec.models.scale)
- A Built up review of this kit exists on this site - see the respective fully built kit review index to locate review

Aircraft:

The Meteor was a typically British, cautiously innovative design and the first jet fighter in the free world. It was also the first jet to be fitted with intake guards, invented by Gloster test pilot Michael Daunt after he was sucked head first into a Meteor during ground running tests. Whilst neither as radical nor advanced as the contemporary Me262 it was at least reliable and had the advantages of airbrakes and a nose-mounted cockpit.

The Mk.IV was cobbled together after a successful world speed record attempt (606 mph) and was the Mk.III with Derwent 5 engines and clipped wings. The larger engine nacelles had been retrofitted to the Mk.III simply because they raised the critical Mach number, thus increasing top speed from 470 to over 550 mph. The wings were clipped mainly to improve roll rate (which was ponderous because of structural limitations) but this also raised the speed. Thus the Mk.IV was born and rapidly entered service post war. It was the worst tail sitter of all the Meteors (which had originally been designed to carry six cannon) yet gave many air forces their first taste of the jet age.

The Kit:

The Frog F200 Meteor Mk.IV was released in 1974 and lasted until Frog went bust in ’77. It next appeared in Novo boxes but then seems to have vanished. Whilst most of the Frog range is still available from Maquette or Eastern Express (amongst others) the Meteor is missing presumed lost by communists?

The upshot is that, in the UK at least, it’s rarer than raw steak. My kit came from ebay and cost more than twice as much as a new Airfix Mk.III. In the US however, the going rate is $5-6 (about three quid) mainly because there are few Frog kit collectors in America.

The pleasant box art depicts two Dutch Mk.IV in formation. Interestingly these machines appear to have the old Derwent 3 engine with the characteristic vent on each nacelle. The kit depicts a Derwent 5 powered machine.

Instructions:

Instructions are simple, pictorial and contain the bare minimum of information. This kit was obviously made to a tight budget. There are no colour call outs for the interior etc but all stages are easy to follow. The painting/transfer instructions (yes, transfers, that’s what they were called in those days!) are on the back of the box and are less than enlightening. Since the whole thing is silver though I can’t foresee any problems.

Painting guide on the box back.

Impressions:

The plastic comes on four thin sprues and is in good condition. There is little flash but then the mould hadn’t had chance to wear when my kit was made. Unfortunately the intervening 25 years have allowed the port fuselage to warp up a treat. Panel lines are raised and applied sparingly. There is a choice of gear doors for the wheels up option, which is nice, and the main wheels are free to rotate – a ‘Frog Special Feature’ according to the box. To my delight there is a stand included. Although it’s neither clear nor multi-pose (like some Frog kits) it is shaped like a stealth fighter!

The cockpit is fairly crude and all wrong. It’s easy to see why Airfix were the major player in the ‘70’s. Frog do give us a nice control stick but the floor is too high and the seat is just silly. The interior of the Airfix MK.III is a much better starting point for detailing. However, Frog at least make an effort to fill the hole behind the seat and also provide rudimentary gun sight detail on the cockpit coaming.

An under belly tank is included, this having a slot for the stand. There is also a slot in the fuselage belly but that one is further back. Hence, if you put the model on the stand using the tank you will have to add ballast. Nose weight is mentioned in the instructions but no figure is given, unless the ‘1’ in the diagram means 1 ounce. Airfix state 8 grams, which isn’t nearly enough, so 1 ounce (28 grams) may be right. The belly tank can be filled with ‘emergency ballast’.

Wings. There are upper and lower halves on each side which unfortunately doesn’t allow the under body shape to be correctly represented. The Meteor has a subtle ‘gull’ shape at the trailing edge root, rather like a Spitfire. We all know what modellers think of Spit kits that omit this feature! Also there is a panel line catastrophe at the port wing root, where the flaps have been added the wrong way round. Oh well, the whole thing needs rescribing anyway. At least the trailing edges are nice and thin.

The engines and spar carry through are represented by single piece blanking plates that look poor and don’t fit. Fortunately, one won’t see much down those big intakes but there will be two long seams to hide. There are no jet pipes inside the rear nacelles.

Undercarriage is pretty crude, but looks sturdier than that on the Airfix kit (which cannot support the weight of the ballasted kit!). The main legs are compromised by the rotating wheels but aren’t too bad. A retraction strut needs adding to each leg. The nose gear is just silly. It looks too small and is toy-like in its crudity.

Main wheel wells are not boxed in and the nose well is shallow. I recommend leaving it that way and using every available cubic mm of space for ballast. Gear doors are ludicrously thick but at least are correctly profiled, unlike the slabs Airfix provide. The under-wing bulges for the wheels seem a tad over done.

Other bits: Drop tanks are provided for the wings and are nice enough, though the pylons are way too thick. The tail planes are plain but are thin enough though they may be slightly under-span. Frog give us a pitot tube and a radio mast but omit the IFF antenna. Canopy is the correct length (unlike the Airfix) but is not really smooth or clear. That famous floor polish will be used on this one.

Fit is generally good. The wings are nice tight fits to the fuselage (indeed the port wing is too tight) though mis-aligned alignment pins cause the majority of trouble. An under length ejector pin has left a lump inside the fin which must be removed to allow a proper fuselage join.

There will be some filler needed here and there but nowhere near as much as the Matchbox NF11/12/14 kit needs. Canopy fits well too.

Accuracy:

At first glance it looks good, but closer examination reveals that it isn’t. Worst offenders are the wing roots, which lack the distinctive fillets, as do the nacelles. The rudder shape is slightly off, the nose too blunt, the lower centre section is all wrong and the rear fuselage a bit too deep .The canopy shape is simplified but reasonable. Thankfully the nacelles look right, as these are the reason I bought the kit. Frog made no attempt to represent the landing light under the port wing.

The minimal panel lines do no favours for realism, especially as some are in the wrong place. The cannon breach covers, for example, are too tall. The airbrakes are quite wrong. Some careful research and a lot of extra scribing will be needed to make a decent job of the surface detail.

Options:

Gear up or down, wing mounted drop tanks and the belly tank. Most RAF machines used the latter as the Meteor had the traditional poor range of all British interceptors. The wing tanks were presumably fitted depending upon the mission, so the choice is open.

Transfers:

Two options are given. First is a Dutch Meteor from 323 Sqn 1950 and second is 263 Sqn RAF 1950. Both are painted ‘High speed silver’ (not natural metal) and no stencilling is apparent. My kit had most of the transfers missing, but the bit that was left showed that they would all have yellowed to the point of uselessness anyway. After market decals for 1/72 Mk.IV are not exactly common. Still, I’m sure the internet will reveal some suitable scheme that can be codged up from available markings.

Conclusion:

It’s old, crude, long out of production and is certainly no Tamiya. It isn’t even as good as the Airfix Mk.III. However, it is the only Mk.IV available anywhere in plastic so I can forgive it an awful lot. At least it isn’t covered in enormous rivets!

Until something better comes along we in the UK must out bid the collectors in order to build this rather average kit. It’s still cheaper than the Aeroclub F.8 or a resin F.IV, but the US price is closer to its real worth. An Aeroclub canopy and undercarriage would no doubt improve things, as would an Airfix interior.

I still recommend it, especially if you buy it in the US!

References:

A useful reference for the cockpit is the “Pilot’s Notes for Meteor 3” reprinted by Air Data Publications. As stated, the Mk.IV was just a MK.III with clipped wings. Not only are there three photos of the interior, there is also a key explaining what everything does.

The January 2004 edition of SAMI has scale drawings of the Meteor T7, which was a MK.IV from the leading edge back.

The internet is full of pictures of the Mk.IV. www.meteorflight.co.uk is a good place to start.

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