Background

Although the Airfix 1/48 scale Meteor FR.9 has some great detail, as highlighted by Andys review Eduard has decided it can do much better. They have previoulsy released a number of individual photo etched sets as well as paint mask and brought them all together with this handy Big Ed release.

Big ED Set

The five sets of photo etched parts and the set of masks comes in a very robust cardboard envelope. Inside you will find:

1 x 48882 - Meteor F.8 Undercarriage
1 x 48883 - Meteor F.8 Engines
1 x 48884 - Meteor F.8 landing Flaps
1 x 49937 - Meteor FR.9 Interior
1 x EX623 - Meteor FR.9 Paint Masks
1 x FE938 - Meteor FR.9 Seatbelts

48882 – Meteor F.8 Undercarriage.
The single un-painted photo etched fret [143x80mm] has around 74 parts and they replace much of the plastic detail on the walls and ceilings of the undercarriage bays. So much of the kits plastic detail needs to be removed. The instructions provide details of what plastic detail needs to be sanded back and where to place the PE parts. Some items in the roof of the main landing need folding. It looks complex but the instructions break down the construction into manageable sections. It will look really effective when completed. The front undercarriage bay on the Airfix kit is devoid of any detail so the photoetched parts for the walls will be welcome. The inner sides of the gear doors also have PE parts. Also included on this sheet are detailed parts for the inside of the air brakes, particularly important if you are displaying them open. There are PE actuators included. This is quite a complex set with some folding involved. Some of the ribbed detail has notches in them so parts will inter lock with each other.

48883 – Meteor F.8 Engines
The title is a little misleading as less than half of the 92 parts on this un-painted fret [127x75mm] are for detailing the engine, the majority of the parts detail the engine bay. There are enough parts to detail both engines and bays if you wish. Some of the detail on the plastic parts need removing before the PE parts can be used. On the engine the frame work around the compressor casing and jet pipe needs to be removed as well as the detail on the engine bearers. The kits two plastic engine access panels are replaced with four PE panels. The PE panels need to be bent to conform to the shape of the nacelle. There are a number of PE parts that create the frame on the inside of the panels.

48884 – Meteor F.8 Landing Flaps
The Airfix kit does not come with separate flaps so Eduard has supplied a single un-painted PE fret [91x67mm] with around 24 parts to help you put right this deficiency. Obviously the moulded area representing the flaps needs to be removed. Both the interior of the flap and the flap itself is supplied. The ribs are thankfully attached to both the flap and the parts that make up the roof of the bay. So its just a case of turning the ribs 90° and then bend and glue. You will need to find a length of plastic rod 1mm in diameter to thread through the ribs of the flap itself. The detail again looks superb and definitely worth considering if you want to drop the flaps.

49937 – Meteor FR.9 Interior
There are two PE frets with this set. The pre-coloured PE fret [52x35] features parts for the cockpit including the instrument panel [IP], side consoles, throttles, flaps, rudder pedals, HUD and much more. Some of the plastic detail of the cockpit needs to be removed or parred back. The IP is made up from four parts including the gear activation levers. Some plastic rod is required to supplement the detail [not included].
The un-painted fret [70x48mm] features parts to detail the ejector seat and replace the plastic gun bay hatch. There are four PE panels to add to the sides, rear and front of the seat and there is a part that represents the seat height adjuster. The gun hatch covers are each made up from two parts to create detail on both sides of the cover. There is also a frame for the side window of the nose mounted camera

EX623 – Meteor FR.9 Paint Masks
The single flexible kabuki sheet has paint masks for the windscreen, canopy, the two camera ports and the wheels. The masks for the canopy need to be supplemented with either liquid mask or off cuts from the sheet. There are two masks for the two camera ports and masks for each side of the wheel hubs.

FE938 - Meteor FR.9 Seatbelts
The good looking seat that comes with the Airfix kit can be further detailed with this sixteen part pre-coloured seat belt set [42x35mm]. The only bit of surgery required on the plastic seat is the removal of both ejection seat firing handles. These are both replaced with PE parts that need folding to give a more 3D look. The belts are beautifully detailed. The smallest item is the quick release clasp and there are four of these just in case any disappear.

The Instructions with each pack are very good, simple and uncluttered. There are colour codes such as red to remove plastic detail, blue denotes the photo etched part, the PE part number if in a grey circle means its pre-coloured, if not in a grey circle then its un-painted, etc, etc. The kit parts that are to be replaced or detail added to are numbered. So obviously you need to have the Airfix instructions in front of you as well.

Conclusions

It goes without saying there is a lot of PE detail in this Big ED set for the Airfix 1/48 scale Meteor FR.9. Eduard claim that by buying the Big ED set you will be saving 30% compared to buying the individual sets. It’s definitely worth considering on that basis. It also goes without saying how good these sets are and the amount of extra detail this will add to the Airfix kit. It will go a long way to create a show stopper. There does not look anything too taxing in the way of folding. The most complex looking area other than the cockpit is the wheel bay. Just take your time and buy a PE folding jig.