An Airfix update of Meteoric proportions
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
It could be argued that each and every build project we undertake is in its own way, a little piece of history recreation. Serving as something of a three dimensional scale kit representation of the aircraft, tanks, ships, rockets and other machinery we have read about so many times in reference books, modelling projects help us to bring these facts and historic photographs to life, giving us a scale appreciation of what we have just been reading about. Helping to preserve the legacy of a machine which may have been in service many decades earlier, it could also be said that the average modelling project can inspire a parallel interest in research and the desire to gain a better understanding of the historic significance of the build subject we are currently working on. Unfortunately for us, this can also be responsible for increasing our book collection still further, something which many of us will know can be an enjoyable (if rather expensive) by-product of the modelling hobby.
For those of us who are fascinated by history, we fully embrace the saying that History is not a burden on the memory, but an illumination of the soul, but then we would, wouldn’t we. In this latest blog update, we will be looking back at a significant moment in the history of British aviation, whilst at the same time, looking forward to the arrival of our newly tooled scale kit representation of a later development of that same aircraft type. Announced with the launch of our current kit range, the headline feature in this 186th edition of Workbench is the current status of our new 1/72nd scale Gloster Meteor F.8, an aircraft which was a later development of the first British jet powered aircraft and the only one to see active service during the Second World War.
We will be following this with another stunning reader supplied modelling feature and a model build which is the focal point of a wider diorama presentation, one which depicts a scene from the week’s which followed the Allied invasion of Normandy and a terrifying new destructive threat unleashed by the Germans in reprisal. The build is a representation of the RAF’s determination to destroy this indiscriminate new weapon before it could leave the ground and if you are still contemplating taking the plunge and attempting your first diorama project, this one might just provide the inspiration you are looking for.
A fighter aircraft with no propellers
Although we are revisiting the new 1/72nd scale Gloster Meteor F.8 tooling project for a second project update, all the design screenshots we are showing here are being seen for the very first time and help explain why this is such a significant addition to the range.
In one of the many perks of this fantastic job, we recently had the good fortune to spend a day in the company of the extremely knowledgeable people behind the Avro Heritage Museum, at their impressive site in the grounds of the historic former Avro factory airfield at Woodford in Cheshire. Looking out of their office window on to what now happens to be a massive residential building development, we started to ponder the aviation sights such a vantage point would have allowed in years past. Amongst the many historic aviation developments discussed, the one which stimulated the most discussion was the first flight of the mighty Avro Vulcan, a ground-breaking aircraft which could hardly have been more radically different from the famous Lancaster which preceded it, even though that first Vulcan flight was only taking place ten years after the Lancaster entered RAF service.
We started taking about how for anyone seeing the aircraft for the first time, how this must have been an awe-inspiring sight, if not one which held the very real possibility of spreading panic through the population of the North West. Developed in secrecy, Museum staff told us of how that first flight caused absolute pandemonium in the area, with the police being inundated with calls reporting the sighting of a huge alien spacecraft, one which appeared to be paying particular interest to the airfield at Woodford. After announcing its arrival in such a dramatic manner, it wouldn’t be long before the Avro Vulcan became a regular sight in the skies around this part of the world, as Britain prepared to welcome their new delta jet bomber into squadron service.
These stories immediately got us thinking about the subject of this latest blog update and a new model tooling project which takes Britain’s first jet powered fighter aircraft as its subject inspiration, or to be more precise, a later, more mature derivative of it. Having already proved the concept of his W.1X jet engine and flown it in powering the Gloster E.28/39 prototype aircraft on 15th May 1941, the race was now on to perfect the design and to introduce jet power to the Royal Air Force, the impact of which cannot be overstated. With development taking place under the strictest levels of security, the project would inherit a codename befitting of its importance and ultimate application - ‘Rampage’.
In order to continue this work in secret, yet with the urgency officials now demanded, the project was moved to the Gloster company airfield at Moreton Valence, with the option of also using the nearby RAF airfield at Barford St. John as and when required. This was quite a significant development and one which allowed the test programme to be conducted at permanent sites, both of which had much improved facilities over those they had been used to. As both sites were busy, active airfields, Gloster had new facilities constructed at the ‘quiet side’ of each site, completely separate from the rest of the airfield and away from prying eyes - only those that needed to know where allowed to be in the know!
This is where the similarities between the first Vulcan flight and Britain’s first jet powered fighter come together, the test flying of ground-breaking new technologies. If it was difficult for the Avro team to keep their Vulcan secret and complete a first flight without attracting too much attention, imagine how much more challenging this situation must have been for the Power Jets/Gloster teams at Moreton Valence - they were attempting to introduce completely new technology when the nation was at war, with the added responsibility of potentially providing the Allies with a significant new weapon which held the potential of bringing an end to the war more quickly. From the perspective of an unsuspecting local population, if they caught a glimpse of a Gloster jet test flight, they would be witnessing an aircraft which not only looked, but also sounded completely different to anything else in the sky. At a time when the latest high performance aircraft had growling piston engines and huge propellers, this new experimental fighter had neither.
The simple logistics of keeping this work secret must have been a real headache for all concerned. Whenever an engine ground running or test flight was scheduled to take place, all usual flying activities at the airfield were suspended and non-essential staff not involved in the jet project were sent home for the rest of the day. Following this, the local police would close all the surrounding roads, setting up a perimeter around the airfield which would keep all but a few local residents in this rural area, which is close to the Severn estuary, away from the day’s activities. Supposedly, as this was a matter of the strictest national security, even the most inquisitive of the local population were patriotic enough to keep what they had seen to themselves.
In addition to this, flares would be fired from the airfield moments before a test flight was about to commence and again once the aircraft was safely tucked away in its hangar and significantly, whenever possible, Meteor test flight sorties would take place on days when cloud cover was low. As you can see, they went to some lengths to try and conceal their activities from all but the bare minimum of essential personnel.
Once it became clear that Whittle and his team had managed to produce an operational jet engine design, Gloster Aviation were placed under significant pressure to deliver a new jet powered fighter for the Royal Air Force as soon as possible. Lord Beaverbrook, Britain’s Minister for War Production, insisted upon Gloster that their work on the new jet fighter was of ‘unique importance’ to the nation and how they must now prioritise the project above all others they currently had on their drawing boards. Unfortunately, despite their very best efforts, the new aircraft would go on to suffer a series of unforeseen delays, mainly associated with mass production of the jet engines. Production of the Power Jets W.2 engines was subcontracted to Rover, but they really struggled with the advanced technology, falling behind on deadlines which resulted in a series of frustrating project delays. In order to allow flight-testing to begin, alternative engines had to be used for the Meteor prototype aircraft, with the continued delays later seeing development and production of the engines being transferred from Rover to Rolls Royce. Even though engine tests and taxi trials actually took place in 1942, the Gloster Meteor prototype did not finally take to the skies until 5th March 1943.
Gloster Meteor F.8 - Improving Britain’s jet pioneer
It would be accurate to say that Britain’s first jet fighter was still a relatively primitive design when it originally entered RAF squadron service and the reason for its distinctive appearance and why it proceeded as a twin engined fighter was purely down to the fact that early jet engines were not particularly powerful at the time and were rather slow to respond to pilot’s power input requests. In contrast to this, once the aircraft was up to speed, it was a delight to fly. With no propeller to obscure the pilots view and the aircraft being equipped with a tricycle undercarriage, the view from the cockpit was exceptional both in the air and on the ground and when designers overcame the fighter’s gun jamming problems, it would prove to be an exceptionally stable gun platform.
Undergoing almost constant development, the early marks of Meteor were all based around the first aircraft to enter service, however, the service arrival of the F.8 variant in 1950 saw the Meteor maturing into a truly exceptional early jet, one which would not only see service with the RAF, but also with several other air arms across the world. Looking to keep pace with the latest breed of new jet fighters entering service with the major world powers, the Gloster Aircraft Company wanted to equip the Meteor with greater power and operational effectiveness, whilst at the same time keeping costs to a minimum by utilising as many of the existing F.4 tooling jigs as possible.
The F.8 featured a lengthened fuselage which gave this variant a sleeker, more cultured appearance over its predecessors, with other identifying features being redesigned horizontal and vertical stabilisers and an impressive new ‘blown’ cockpit canopy. From the perspective of power, the F.8 featured the new Rolls Royce Derwent 8 engines, with each one possessing 3,600Ibf of thrust and endowing the aircraft with more power and greater responsiveness. Increased structural strengthening allowed the F.8 variant to be equipped with ejection seats, something many pilots flying the earlier variants probably wished they had access to, as these early aircraft had a poor safety record and claimed the lives of many unfortunate airmen. Offensively, this latest variant was also capable of carrying two 1000Ib bombs or sixteen unguided rocket projectiles, providing the Meteor with a welcome ground attack capability.
Arguably the most effective version of Britain’s first jet fighter, for five years following its squadron introduction, the Gloster Meteor F.8 would form the backbone of the RAF’s fighter defence force, a jet powered equivalent of the Spitfire’s which patrolled Britain’s skies during the Battle of Britain only ten years earlier. With 1,183 aircraft built, the F.8 was both the final single seater fighter variant of the Meteor and the most heavily produced, arguably making this one of the most important British aircraft of the post war era.
This exclusive selection of images show the latest test component frames produced from the new Meteor F.8 tooling and show us what we can all look forward to with the release of this impressive new kit.
For all the aircraft’s many positives, it has to be acknowledged that the Meteor’s introduction was not without its challenges and it would endure something of a troubled service record. With the adoption of new technologies and pilots sometimes struggling to make the transition from piston to jet powered flight, the Meteor had a poor safety record, with many pilots paying for misjudgements or inexperience with their lives. During its RAF service, almost 900 Meteors would be lost in accidents, with pilots and ground crews giving the aircraft the unflattering nickname of the ‘Meatbox’ as a result.
As one of the world’s most successful early jet fighters, the Meteor would also prove appealing to several overseas air arms who were looking for a rugged, capable jet fighter which didn’t cost the earth. Some received former RAF machines, whilst others placed orders for new built aircraft, although it does have to be said that following the introduction of such aircraft as the North American Sabre and MiG-15, the Meteor was undoubtedly beginning to show its age.
The announcement of our new Gloster Meteor tooling at the start of the year was not the first time the Airfix range could boast the inclusion of a 1/72nd scale representation of this famous British jet fighter in kit form, as this classic has been in the range since 1970. Significantly for the development team, this original Meteor has not been part of an Airfix range since 2009 and was therefore very much in their minds for upgrade, even before recent world developments pushed this project even further up the list of potentials. This impressive new kit was designed entirely during Covid lockdown restrictions, with our designers working remotely for long periods of this new model’s development. In fact, this model actually tells quite an interesting Airfix story, one which describes how our design schedule must be maintained under all but the most dramatic of circumstances, including the recent times we all hope the nation will never have to endure again.
The main component frames, this final pair of images show some of the impressive detail the designer has managed to incorporate into this new Meteor kit.
With the Airfix team obviously unable to make visits to museums and airfield sites to gather research information for future new tooling projects during that time, the national restrictions had a significant impact on development thinking and the ability to maintain an active schedule of new design projects destined for future ranges. If we were unable to obtain the new research information we needed, a bit of creative thinking had to be employed to see us through these unprecedented times and we had to consider projects which could be started ‘in house’. With our research files featuring scan data and full Gloster Meteor design information created during the development of our 1/48th scale model kit released in 2015, it made good sense to use this information as the basis for a new Meteor project in the smaller 1/72nd scale - it could be said that the Meteor proved to be the ideal lockdown project.
This latest update from the new Gloster Meteor F.8 tooling project is a first look at the latest test frames produced from the mould toolings and clearly show not only the impressive part count this kit can boast, but also the detail our designer has managed to incorporate into his scale tribute to this aviation classic. With its long, slender fuselage and relatively narrow wings, this variant of Meteor was the most heavily produced mark of the aircraft and provided the RAF with their main air defence fighter during the 1950s - as it performed the same role, could it even be described as the nation’s jet powered Spitfire? Eventually going on to equip no fewer than twenty Fighter Command squadrons and a further ten of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the RAF would never use the F.8 in a combat situation, however, it would be used by the Royal Australian Air Force extensively during the Korean War.
A significant advancement in the continuing development of a new kit which will delight many thousands of modelling enthusiasts, all of the images we have used to illustrate this feature are being published for the very first time, just the latest in our ever increasing list of Workbench exclusives we bring our loyal blog readership. Our next update from this Meteor F.8 project will feature box artwork and scheme detail descriptions, which we will bring you in due course.
‘Operation Crossbow’, in stunning scale form
This stunning diorama build was created by Workbench reader Mike Kelly and depicts a scene from ‘Operation Crossbow’ and the RAF’s attempt to destroy Germany’s vengeance weapons before they could wreak their devastating havoc.
In a recent edition of Workbench, we featured the impressive modelling talents of reader Mike Kelly and his Desert Diorama, where he used several Airfix kits to produce a WWII North African German reconnaissance scene in all its three dimensional glory. Well, we are delighted to say that Mike has been at it again, this time producing a truly enigmatic diorama which features a scene from the weeks which immediately followed the Allied D-Day landings and the RAF’s determination to eradicate a terrifying new airborne threat, even before they had the chance to leave the ground.
Just one week after the successful Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy, the Germans unleased the first of their so called retribution or vengeance weapons against Britain, their V-1 flying bomb, better known to the British population who had to endure them as ‘Doodlebugs’. A terrifyingly indiscriminate new bringer of death and destruction, these flying bombs were launched from sites in France, with launch ramps pointing in the general direction London and other British cities, however, once the V-1 had left its launch ramp, it was on its own, with no way of predicting exactly where it would come crashing down, but with the aircraft having no ability to avoid British defences. Powered by a pulse-jet engine which gave the V-1 its distinctive trademark buzzing sound, the Doodlebug adopted a gyroscopic method of controlling flight stability, travelling at speeds of over 350 mph and packing an 1800lb warhead, but at a pre-determined point or when the fuel ran out, the aircraft fell silent and went into its dive of death. Once the Doodlebug had reached this stage, it was impossible to prevent its devastating intentions and it would spread absolute terror amongst the general population.
RAF photo reconnaissance flights had identified the existence of V-1 launch sites since late in 1943 and initiated the start of ‘Operation Crossbow’, a strategic bombing campaign to destroy the sites and all associated infrastructure. The start of the V-1 bombing campaign in June 1944 saw Allied efforts to destroy the sites take on renewed importance, forcing the Germans to abandon plans for permanent launch sites and having to adopt a much more mobile approach to V-1 operations. Having said that, hundreds of Doodlebugs were still hurled towards Britain and every Crossbow raid was one which had been diverted from attacking other strategic sites in Germany and across occupied Europe, something which probably had the ultimate impact of extending the war somewhat.
Britain’s defensive network would become proficient in bringing down V-1s as they headed towards their targets, with hundreds falling to the guns of RAF fighters, to highly effective anti-aircraft fire zones and by striking barrage balloon cables but ultimately, it would be Allied ground operations securing the Pas-de-Calais region which ended the V-1 threat, taking launch sites out of effective range for a concerted attack campaign.
Bombs away, Mike’s vision has made for a truly spectacular model build.
On speaking with Mike Kelly about his magnificent Operation Crossbow diorama, we had to ask how many of these builds had he undertaken so far, as this was clearly the result of quite some diorama model building experience? We were completely astounded to learn that this was just Mike’s second diorama, with the first being the German Desert Diorama we featured a couple of weeks before and whilst we definitely found that hard to believe, Mike followed this up by modestly saying, ‘They look great from about ten feet away’. We had to ask Mike where he got his inspiration from and he told us it was just from his own modelling experiences, watching various modelling channels on YouTube and having an interest in aviation history.
Mike informed us that he doesn’t have the opportunity to attend very many model shows at all, as he lives on the Isle of Man and getting to the mainland can be both time consuming and expensive - in addition to this, the Island only as one model shop, so the internet really is a godsend. As a result, when he has an idea for a model build and scours the internet to get any help and support he might need. For this Mosquito diorama, he was inspired by stories of RAF Mosquito crews mounting precision high speed bombing missions at tree-top heights and how this magnificent machine was capable of carrying a similar bomb load to that of a B-17 Flying Fortress at much greater speeds and over longer distances. Having seen a kit review of the V-1 and launch ramp on a modelling site and wanting to incorporate the Mosquito, Mike had his inspiration and all he had to do now was to recreate the vision in his head as a model diorama.
Using all his modelling experience and incorporating more than a little trial and error, Mike is pragmatic enough to realise that everyone would probably approach this task differently and whilst he is pleased with the finished diorama, others might point out where he could have made it even better, but that is just one of the reasons why this hobby has such wide appeal for so many people. With the Mosquito displayed at the required tree-top height, the propellers have been replaced by acetate disks, with a faint yellow circumference to simulate the spinning propeller tips. With the bomb bay open, the two pairs of falling bombs are wired together at different angles and having studied wartime photographs, with each paring supported by different lengths of clear acetate rods.
Awaiting their arrival, a Fieseler Fi-103 Flying Bomb is already on its launch ramp, prior to the start of the launch procedure, with the impressive diorama scene expertly finished with a scattering of building rubble underneath the launch ramp itself. The build is magnificent and in addition to recreating a fascinating scene from wartime history, it is also an attention grabbing conversation starter.
Based around the newly tooled 1/72nd scale de Havilland Mosquito B.XVI kit, lets revisit the scheme option worm by this stunning build.
Once the impressive capabilities of the Mosquito had been recognised, the aircraft would be pressed into service performing ever more challenging roles, all of which it executed with ruthless effectiveness. With its ‘non-essential material’ construction, the Mosquito soon earned its famous nickname of ‘The Wooden Wonder’ and was not only the pride of the Royal Air Force, but quickly became coveted by their enemy. Impressed by the performance if this new, fast bomber, the Germans tried hard to develop an aircraft with similar capabilities, however, despite numerous attempts to produce their own Moskito, none of these efforts came close.
In order to discover the secrets of the RAF’s speedy twin, the Germans would even lay elaborate traps for unwary Mosquito pilots, attempting to lure them in to heavily defended areas with the promise of a juicy target, only to unleash a barrage of anti-aircraft fire, hoping to bring a Mosquito down relatively intact, on German held territory. During one such attack, a small force of Mosquitos were sent to bomb a suspected V-1 rocket site in the Pas de Calais area, but Luftwaffe anti-aircraft batteries were waiting for them and opened up as soon as they were in range. The nimble Mosquitos were still difficult to target and all but one managed to escape unscathed from the trap, but the aircraft which was hit is the main Mosquito of interest here.
Taking flak hits on both sides of the aircraft, a huge chunk of the starboard outer wing was blown away, in addition to the aircraft losing its port propeller and spinner, as well as damaging its port main undercarriage. With the damage to either side of the bomber appearing to leave the Mosquito in a state of damaged equilibrium, the pilot skilfully nursed the aircraft back across the English Channel and landed safely on one wheel on the grass runway of a relief landing ground. Testament to the strength of the Mossie, despite the damage suffered by this aircraft, it was initially intended that it would be repaired and returned to service, however on closer inspection, it was found that the damage was too severe and she was written off.
RAF No.571 Squadron was formed at Downham Market on 7th April 1944 and was to operate the de Havilland Mosquito XVI as part of No.8 Pathfinder Group in a highly specialised role. Selecting only the finest pilots, this unit was to use Mosquitos to carry out independent raids against strategic German targets using the 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ bomb. Retaining a position within the night light striking force, Pathfinder Mosquitos not involved in ‘specialist’ missions would revert to the main task of guiding heavy bombers to their targets, work which was still highly demanding and required both piloting and navigational excellence to be possessed by all crews. Underlining the effectiveness of Mosquitos and their crews in these demanding missions, by the end of hostilities, of the 2,681 Mosquito sorties flown by the men of No.571 Squadron, taking part in 259 strike raids, only eight Mosquitos were lost. Although every loss was clearly a tragedy, this represented an impressively low 0.3% loss rate for the squadron.
The modelling recreation of a historic WWII scene - this diorama says more than any 2 dimensional picture could ever do.
One particularly impressive mission which perfectly underlined the effectiveness of the Mosquito and some of the difficult missions their crews were assigned was undertaken by the aircraft featured as our lead scheme option with this new kit. Taking off from RAF Oakington in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1945, Mosquito ML963 8K-K ‘King’ had been loaded with a single 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ delayed action bomb and the crew’s mission was to skip-bomb the weapon into the open mouth of a railway tunnel! Over the past few hours, the Allies had been coming to terms with a strong and determined German counterattack in the Ardennes region (Battle of the Bulge), a breakout which was threatening to derail the Allied offensive. In response to this, Allied bombers had pounded railway marshalling yards in the region the previous night, in an attempt to cut German supply lines and stall the enemy advance.
The final part of this plan was to task RAF Mosquitos with destroying 14 railway tunnels in the area, ensuring that anything not destroyed by the bombing would not be able to deliver its supplies to the front lines, effectively starving the ground units of fuel and ammunition. To achieve this, the Mosquitos would have to approach their target tunnels at a height of between 100 and 200 feet above the tracks, before releasing their bomb in a manner which would send it into the tunnel itself, something which would require great skill and faultless judgement. The crew of ML963 executed their run perfectly, delivering their ‘Cookie’ as intended and destroying the railway tunnel at Bitburg.
It is thought that this rather impressive Mosquito completed 84 missions with the squadron in total, 31 of which were flown all the way to Berlin. She was also the subject of a famous series of colour air to air photographs taken by celebrated photographer Charles E Brown in September 1944, just a few months before her Bitburg Tunnel exploits. It was thought that the aircraft was made available for this photo sortie as she had just undergone repairs at Hatfield and was scheduled to perform an engine test flight. In honour of her photographic fame and the incredible mission she undertook on New Year’s Day 1945, one of the beautifully preserved Mosquitos at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum has been finished in these markings, with a 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ bomb strategically displayed in front of her.
Mike’s Operation Crossbow diorama is simply stunning to look at, however, it was quite distressing to hear that both this and the Desert diorama featured previously are currently stored in his garage, due to a lack of display space in his home. This seems such a shame and surely if there was ever a model show on the Island, both dioramas would prove to be popular exhibits - Mike did say that if we were ever on the Isle of Man, we would be welcome to see his builds in all their glory. He told us that he is currently working on an Airspeed Horsa build and if he decides to build a diorama around this, he will be sure to send us details when it is finished - we can hardly wait.
We would like to thank Mike for sending us this fantastic selection of images and for taking the time to speak with us about the build over the Easter holidays. Between this and his Desert diorama, we feel certain that his builds will have caused many a Workbench reader to contemplate undertaking the diorama building plunge for themselves, especially when learning that these were only Mike’s first and second attempts. What were we saying about modelling effectively recreating scenes from history in our introduction to this week’s blog?
That’s all we have for you in this latest edition of Workbench, but we will be back as usual next Friday with more modelling news, updates and exclusive imagery from the fascinating world of Airfix. If you have any comments in connection with the blog, or would like to suggest a subject to be covered in a future edition, please do drop us a quick line using our workbench@airfix.com e-mail address. The Airfix team would be only too pleased to hear from you. Enjoy your Bank Holiday break, which will hopefully include a few pleasant hours spent modelling.
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