While waiting for things to dry on my Bf 108, I started Classic Airframes’ 1/48 Boulton-Paul Defiant. This is the retooled kit, which has a better shape to the fuselage than their original refease. Unfortunately, the canopies are not vac, but injection molded. The pilot’s canopy is one piece, and the plastic is too thick to cut it and pose it open.
This is the day fighter kit, and doesn’t include PE belts. These are from an Eduard set that I had. The cockpit is nicely cast completely in resin. Curiously, there are no rudder pedals. I doubt these would be seen anyway with the closed canopy. The assembled cockpit fits inside the fuselage precisely, and needs no trimming or sanding.
The turret is also completely cast from resin. The relief detail is sharp and clean. The four gun barrels are cast separately, and can be added during the final assembly. You won’t risk breaking them, and they won’t be in the way during painting. Very thoughtful ! The turret also fits the fuselage opening without trimming.
There weren’t any bubbles, defects, or broken pieces in the resin parts. I’m very pleased with this kit so far !
None of the Defiant models have ever got the shape of the fuselage right. I recall there was an article in a British modelling magazine a few years ago that involved extensive modification to the CA kit. Certainly not what most people would want to do. The recent Mushroom Publications book on the Defiant has a walk araound type section of internal and external photographs of the only surviving Defiant in the Hendon Museum. It is probably the best modelling reference for the Defiant at the moment. (www.mmpbooks.biz). If you want accuracy avoid the 307 Squadron markings, thery’re baciacally claptrap. I posted an explanation (very long) on how I came to this conclusion on this forum last year.
As always, very nice job on the office. The Defiant is a nice, often overlooked subject of British warplanes and definately nice to see one being nicely built by you.
This is kind of a more general question, but what do you do with your completed models? Sell them? Display them? If it’s the latter, I bet you have quite a nice display room.
antoni - this is a retooled version of the kit, which was not available a couple years ago. You’re confusing this one with their earlier kit, which had a rounder, fatter fuselage. There is a walkaround of this aircraft at armorama. I never buy books if I can get the reference pics free. If you don’t like the kit, don’t buy one. It looks enough like a Defiant to me, and I won’t let any slight inaccuracy discourage me from building this kit. I like it.
mucker - I display them. One day, I will have a display case built in the form of a 1/48 museum setting. That’s one of the reasons I do all of my builds clean, without chipping or staining. It’s also more of a challenge to have them look realistic without weathering.
mkhoot - it’s a very nice kit. There are no (mis)alignment pins on the major parts, but they fit together well. Mating of the resin to plastic has been trouble-free. I just wish they had provided the option of vac canopies. I bought their Whirlwind kit along with this one, and that has a single-piece injected canopy as well. At least I can cut and open that one.
Pix, your builds always look nicely worn-in and very realistic, at least from my mind’s vantage point. Peoples’ definitions of “weathered” vary, but with all the variations and shades of paint you make use of, your builds have a nicely weathered look to them.
Looks great Pix!! I look forward to seeing your progress on this one-- always though of the Defiant as a neat design that never worked out- but still neat!
FYI, I built the Mk.II NF, I think you’ll find the turret will sit too high without some modification, I took some of the resin off the bottom of the turret which made the height of the turret above the pilots canopy look more like what it should be. I think that’s the only issue I had with it, other than that a great kit and looks great when it’s done.
You should have found a small PE fret in the bag with the clear parts. It’s steel or nickel, not brass. It has the seat belts and some other parts that seem to be for the Mk II (aerials on the wings).
Looking good as always, and an underappreciated subject to boot! I’ll be watching with interest as you progress, this a/c is on my definite acquire list! Thanks for sharing!
