A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: DETAILS, DETAILS…

Today has been a day during which I planned to finish all of the Meteor’s construction and then add any remaining details that I felt needed to be in place.

9th February 2026

For the first time in what feels like weeks, it didn’t rain today. Not only that, it was relatively mild and the afternoon went on just a little longer as the first evidence of lighter nights became evident. Small victories in a protracted battle to get through this interminable winter.

Despite being my first day back at work after the weekend, the day was split by a coffee date with my mother. I don’t catch up with her anywhere near enough, so gave her a shout yesterday to arrange a hour or so at the local garden centre for a coffee and a chat. She also needed to do a little food shopping as well, so killing too birds with one stone, we had our coffee and then popped to Lidl for her shopping and a few things we needed for our evening meal. Mum dropped off, I got back to work.

Today has been a day during which I planned to finish all of the Meteor’s construction and then add any remaining details that I felt needed to be in place. This involved the completion of the engine and then the undercarriage, all of which could be tweaked with some simple additions that would ‘improve the image’ somewhat, as that most knowledgeable of modelling authors, Ray Rimmell may have written back in the day.

The Derwent engine(s) in the kit are nicely detailed from the box, so could have been used as-is. Despite that, my need to be different kicked in and I decided to add a few small structures and associated pipes here and there that though not entirely comprehensive, would at least hint at a degree of attention paying, if little more than that. Truth be told the creation of these small details though fiddly, was hardly difficult. A few punched disks of plasticard, some lengths of rod and strip, twists of lead wire and a collection of Anyz’s superb pipe connectors covered most bases. It was then simply a matter of look and do, replicating what I could see in the multitude of reference images I found on the interwebz.

The undercarriage was similarly easy, needing little more than the addition of brake pipes and a few nuts and bolts here and there. Simple though these details were, they certainly improved the look of the undercarriage legs and will I am sure looking pleasing once painted. That said, the undercart beneath the Meteor is hardly a showy part of the aircraft’s design, being all-but hidden behind those curvaceous engine nacelles, but at least I’ll know they are there, as someone is sure to point out…

Once I’ve taken my granddaughter to school in the morning I photograph everything built so far and then fling some paint over these smaller parts. I’m particularly looking forward to the ASK seat that I revealed last week, as am I the engine that I completed this morning. With both being essentially one piece, they will be tricky to paint, but all being well, with a steady hand, some carefully airbrushed baselayers and finely painted a acrylic details, everything should come together. Well, that’s the plan…

See you tomorrow.