So it doesn’t look like we’re going to get a full screen width recording meter any time soon, so how about a log scale option on the meters, then it will at least be possible to watch those important top 6dB more closely.
We certainly have them already in Audacity in both 1.3 and 1.2 - it is possible to move and resize the meter toolbars. I have mine stretched across the screen - half screenwidth for playback and half for record - but if you wish you can stetch them further to make both full screen.
In 1.2 they always appear to revert to the default when you next restart Audacity - but 1.3 remembers the setting via the user’s audacity.cfg file.
To move them just drag them by the horizintal hatched bar at their left - to re-size them, drag the bottom right hand corner.
WC
I can get them half screen width for playback, and half for record, but that’s a far as the will go.
However, I’ve just answered my own question - in 1.3.5 there is the option to display in “dB” or “linear” (selected by right click on the meter), so that satisfies my needs.
Thanks for your reply, I only found what I needed by trying to stretch it further and clicking all over it 
IIRC I managed to get both meters full screen width by floating the toolbar (dragging it off the toolbar area) and then click-drag the bottom right corner outwards and downwards.
WC
Ah yes - got it.
Thanks WC
(Resizing and positioning toolbars has always been a bit fiddly on my machine - I don’t know if it’s just my machine, or whether it is always a bit fiddly, but good to know it works).
EDIT:
Just noticed - it seems that it can only be done while the meter toolbar is floating - as soon as it is docked it jumps back to single height - but that’s not a problem. The main thing I wanted was being able to switch between dB and linear scales, which is there at a simple right click.