Special Hobby – 72361 – Gloster Meteor Mk.4 “World Speed Record”

Description:

Gloster Meteor Mk.4 “World Speed Record”

The Gloster Meteor holds the distinction of being the first British jet engine-powered fighter to see operational service. Following the wartime Mk.I and Mk.III variants, the production line introduced the post-war Mk.4 version, known for its enhanced performance. On November 7, 1945, two Meteor Mk.III aircraft, upgraded to Mk.4 standards, were used in an attempt to set the World Speed Record. RAF High Speed Flight Meteors, serial numbers EE454 and EE455, were piloted by Group Captain Hugh Joseph Wilson, CBE, AFC and Two Bars, and Gloster Chief Test Pilot Eric Stanley Greenwood. Wilson, flying the camouflaged EE454, achieved a slightly higher speed than Greenwood in the nearly all-yellow EE455, setting the record at 975.68 km/h. Less than a year later, Group Captain E.M. “Teddy” Donaldson, in Meteor serial number EE549, established a new record of 991.33 km/h and in January 1947, the same aircraft also set the Paris-London speed record.

This kit includes two styrene sprues, a clear injected canopy, a fret of photo-etched engine air intake meshes, adhesive masks for various canopy styles (including the special high-speed metal canopy with small transparent portholes), and a decal sheet for the record-breaking machines serial numbers EE454, EE455, and EE549. EE549 is depicted in two color schemes (camouflaged and all-blue), and features two different styles of outer wing panels, reflecting its later career when it was fitted with a standard Mk.4 short span wing.