Pavla have released a resin cockpit improvement set from Pavla Models for the 1/72 Cyber Hobby Meteor F.1. The releases include a full replacement cockpit, pilots seat and two choices of canopy. Pavla Models have also released the two vac formed canopies as a individual item.

C 72104 Gloster Meteor F.1 Cockpit and Canopy.
These items are placed inside a transparent plastic blister package.
Contents.
-1 x spade grip.
-1 x instrument panel.
-2 x sidewalls.
-1 x cockpit floor with front and rear bulkheads, roll bar and rudder pedals.
-1 x pilots seat.
-1 x rear deck for the area behind the pilot.
-2 x vac formed canopy
-2 x support bars.

The seat is a none ejection type, ejection seats were not fitted in the Meteor until the F.8. The spade control grip replaces the control stick of the kit, there is a little thin flash inside the structure. The instrument panel looks the part and has the gun sight mounting cast onto it. Side walls are very nicely detailed and look much better than the superficial kit items. The rest of the cockpit includes a one piece floor with cast rear bulkhead with roll bar, front bulkhead, rudder pedals and the distinctive bulge of the protruding wheel bay and replaces completely the kits cockpit tub. This part does look significantly better than the kit part because of the roll bar and the rudder pedals. The detail looks very good, but there is some thin flash in the roll bar to be removed. Finally making up the rest of the cockpit is the decking behind the pilot seat and a small rod to add to the side console on the right side of the cockpit. There is some grill work on the nose side of the front bulkhead, onto this there are a couple of resin braces to fit. A little surgery to the kit is required, the instructions provide the details. Underneath the cockpit floor is part of the front undercarriage bay where the nose wheel fits when retracted.
Pavla have supplied two separate canopies, both have hinged hatches that was a feature of the early Meteors. One of the hatches has a blister on top. Each canopy comes in two parts, where to cut is fairly well defined. The quality of the canopies is very good, very thin and clear. The frame work is nicely done. Obviously great care will be needed to separate the components when cutting. As they are the canopies feel pretty strong, but once cut into they will need some support on the inside. Not an item to rush and use a fresh surgical blade.
Instructions are well illustrated with black line drawings. There are clear instruction and colour references for all the components.

V 72-88Gloster Meteor F.1 Canopies.
Placed inside a resealable plastic bag, there were no signs of transit damage.

Conclusion.

These are excellent releases from Pavla to upgrade the Cyber Hobby Meteor F.1. If you are going the whole hog, then the complete cockpit upgrade is not one for the faint hearted as the kit is pretty expensive and the kits cockpit is not bad at all. To fit this set there is a bit of surgery to carry out around the cockpit surround. If you are happy with the kits cockpit, then I would recommend the purchase of the canopies.