Thanks all, and you know Kirby, I think there is something seriously wrong here ..... it's actually going better than I expected, and I'm actually slightly ahead of the estimated build schedule !
Considering my recent performance, or at least the run of mishaps and bad luck, I really expected to have to fight with this one, especially as it's a 'limited run' kit, with all that entails, and the pre-build inspection and trial fitting suggested I might have a lot of work and fiddling to do when it came to fitting the cockpit.
OK, there was a bit of fiddling to do, of which more later, and there's still some way to go yet, with time for more than one c*ck-up along the way, but overall things have gone quite smoothly and, so far, there haven't been any paint problems, fit foul-ups or alignment alarms.
With mixed-media kits of this nature, extra work, and especially planning and multiple trial fitting, is to be expected (if 'instant model' is a desired goal, then buy a die-cast !), and the quality of production in this kit certainly helps in reducing the work load in those areas, at least. But if I had to single-out one area where the kit could be improved, it would be the instructions.
These are illustrated in the common format of 'exploded' drawings, with the numbered parts shown with arrows indicating where the parts locate, along with 'scrap view' side or plan elevations to aid alignment in some areas, which are useful.
However, as there is a total lack of locating points for the internal parts fitting, within both the fuselage and engine nacelles, some additional notes providing spacing measurements, or even alignment reference points for these, would be very welcome.
When fitting the cockpit assemblies, the rear 'tub' is relatively simple to align and fix in place, with a large area of contact between the tub side walls and the fuselage. The front cockpit assembly however, is far from straightforward, as the instructions drawings are relatively vague, and the areas of contact extremely limited.
As it was impossible to actually
see where the sidewalls contacted the fuselage, if indeed they do make contact at all, and with the only visible contact being a
very narrow, horizontal strip between the front and rear tubs, and along the bottom edges of the nose wheel bay walls, it was necessary to make numerous test fittings, checking the fore and aft and vertical alignment by eye, whilst at the same time trying to 'dry fit' the other fuselage half over the assemblies, without the aid of locating pins to hold the fuselage together.
This exercise was essential, as it was the only way to establish reference points for the alignment of the front cockpit tub, allowing for the raked angle of the instrument panel, the fit and alignment against the front bulkhead of the rear cockpit tub, the correct positioning of the nose wheel bay, and the alignment and clearance of the nose wheel mounting frame, which protrudes from the forward edge of the main fuselage section at this stage, making it very vulnerable to damage.
Bearing in mind the fairly delicate nature of some of the resin parts, especially the vulnerable nose wheel frame, and the fact that the sub-assemblies have to be fixed in place using CA adhesive (or the messier, but slower-setting 2 part epoxy), meaning very little time in which to glue, locate and align, it would have been extremely useful to have some hints or a guide as to where/how/when etc to fit these assemblies.
This may seem to be slightly 'nit-picking', and of course I do appreciate that these kits are designed and intended for the use of experienced modellers, and notice to this effect is actually included on the box and in the instructions, but these stages are fundamentally crucial to the remainder of the build, as the fit and alignment of the nose section, and some other parts, could very possibly be compromised due to even slight incorrect location and / or alignment of the cockpit sub-assemblies, and I suspect the same will be true of the internal components for the engines - a stage I have yet to reach.
This is not meant as a criticism, but rather as an 'observation', which might help others tackling this kit, or one of the other CA Meteor kits which utilize some common parts, and I can't help but compare the CA instructions to those of the Magna Models Stirling conversion kit I just finished, where guidance notes and measurements, along with locating diagrams, are clearly presented to aid correct fitting of he conversion parts.
Anyway, after that diversionary ramble, it's back to the build, and the (quicker than expected, despite the above) progress to date, with the cockpits assembled, painted, and fitted into the starboard fuselage half.
PICS 1 and 2. An 'Oops' moment when removing the resin seats from their casting block !
The small well in the base of the seat, designed to protect the seat-type parachute pack closing pocket and the 'ripcord' pins inside it, from damage, had its base destroyed on one seat, as the resin here was wafer thin, and peeled of as the seat came free from the block.
This was very easily repaired, by using CA adhesive to attach a thin scrap of resin 'flash' to the seat underside.
PIC 3. This is the rear bulkhead for the nose wheel bay, with the finely cast 'tubular' nose wheel mounting frame, in the process of being removed from its casting block. Around 18 mm of solid resin had to be sawn through, which took around 20 minutes with a razor saw, carefully checking that the cut was accurate and not infringing into the bulkhead itself. The two diagonal braces were early casualties, which I half expected due to having to hold the part by the frame whilst cutting.
Both of these snapped off, fortunately with clean breaks at each end, and were easily re-attached with CA once the part had been cleaned-up and fitted to the front of the cockpit floor. This was another part with very little contact area on which to apply the CA adhesive, and fairly vague instructions as to exactly where it should fit but, after trial fitting, when the center line was marked, in pencil, on the bulkhead and the cockpit floor, it was fitted in place and glued without any major hassle.
PIC 4. Assembling the front cockpit, with the nose wheel frame repaired. As with the rear cockpit assembly, this was assembled up to the stage shown, and then the parts were painted and detailed, the seat harness added from painted paper and the seat fitted, before modifying the plastic control column from the kit (the correct shape resin part was missing from the sealed bag), painting it, and fitting it in place.
PIC 5. After comparing the plastic instrument panel with the resin part, I decided there wasn't much advantage in using the latter, and in order to save time and effort, removing the resin part from the block, the plastic part was painted and some very basic detail picked out and the instrument faces glazed with Humbrol Gloss Clear.
PICS 6 to 8. The front cockpit was painted overall in the 1950's vogue colour scheme of 'Restful Black', using 'scale' black for the main structures, with individual consoles and fittings painted in 'true' black, and then given a coat of semi-gloss clear after picking out switches etc in various lighter shades. Some paint wear was applied, by stippling and dry-brushing, using a mix of very light grey with a touch of silver.
The kit (plastic) control column had the Spitfire-type circular grip, which was cut down and carved and shaped to more or less resemble the 'pistol grip' type fitted to the later Marks of Meteor, and the column thinned down to a more scale appearance, before painting and fitting in place. The seat was then glued onto the mounting frame, and the port wall fitted and glued with CA.
The instrument panel was fitted immediately before final fitting of the cockpit assembly into the fuselage, in order to avoid damage when test-fitting.
Attention then turned to completing the rear cockpit assembly, and fitting it into the starboard fuselage half, before commencing the long and sometimes fiddly task of trial fitting the front cockpit assembly, using the rear cockpit as an alignment reference, shown in the next post.