Completed - 1/48 Boulton-Paul Defiant

[Dave W]

I finished this one last night.Despite it being a limited run multi media type kit it went together well and didn't give me any real problems.Ive not done any weathering so it looks pristine.But I'm really pleased with it.It's finished as a mk1 on the strength of no.264 squadron in June 1940 operating out of RAF Duxford.

[Guest]

Outstanding build Dave you should be proud of that one,a lot went into it.

Top marks from me & great build.

John

[Ian M]

Top marks for that one Dave. It looks very good indeed.

Ian M

[Guest]

For those new to the Boulton-Paul "Defiant"...

In the mid 1930s, there emerged great enthusiasm for a 2 seat fighter in which all of the armament would be concentrated in a power-operated turret. Such a fighter (protagonists claimed) would be able to tear through enemy bomber streams and wreak havoc.

The first two "defiant" prototypes flew in August 1937 with a 768 kW Rolls Royce Merlin I inline engine, and once the usual bugs were worked out, the "Defiant" F.m.k.I entered service in December of 1939.

After early encounters with the luftwaffe, in which the Defiant scored some success because of its unusual layout, further operations quickly revealed the deficiencies of the type, vis-a-vis, turret weight and drag which impaired its dogfighting ability and also left the pilot without any fixed forward firing armament.

It was then decided to convert all existing fighters to the night fighter standard, with the prototype AI.Mk 6 radar.

Total production run of all types was 1075

[Guest]

Nice build Dave, I can remember having one of these as a kid, brought back memories.

[Alan 45]

Nice build Dave I like this

[papa 695]

A cracking build Dave Job well done

[eddiesolo]

Echo the chaps on this one, a very nice, quality build indeed, well done.

Si

[Guest]

Very nice Dave, you should be proud of that one. Cheers Derek

[spanner570]

Mighty fine build Dave. Well done.....

[Guest]

Beautifully done Dave, a real top job.

[flyjoe180]

Beautifully made Dave, we could see from the build that it wasn't straight forward or easy, but the final result is well worth the final effort. Great build.

[monica]

great build Dave , in the end all your hard work has paid off

[yak face]

Great job Dave , I know the kit wasnt easy but you sorted it no probs, nice to see a defiant in camo too , cheers tony

[Dave W]

Thanks everyone for all your kind words.Ive got another Classic Airframes kit in the stash (HE51)and I'm tempted to build it next.But I will probably do something a bit easier first.