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Just finished, my Airfix Defiant and Kittyhawk. The Defiant is the outstanding kit that I've tackled recently, maybe ever. Beautifully designed and detailed with near-perfect fit, it was a pleasure to build. The turret is an extraordinary model in its own right. The decals are very good as well. The Kittyhawk is the old Otaki mould which has been in the stash for years. I can't remember where I bought it - I guess secondhand, maybe I was sorry for it with its squashed box. I thought it would be a quick and easy build but both fuselage halves were distorted around the removable engine bay hatches, so I had to use the hatches to coax them back into shape. Then I dropped it on the kitchen floor! The impact shattered the filler on the wing roots so I had to start again there. I did think of the Japanese toolmaker making the zillions of tiny countersunk rivets - what dedication. The worst part was the cockpit glazing which was not very satisfactory. I was surprised that the kit decals were fine after so long. Both are from the box apart from an Eduard harness in the Defiant and a tape one in the Kittyhawk and are brush painted with Humbrol and Revell enamels.

For me, there's something quintessentially British about the Boulton-Paul Defiant. A misconceived oddball that nevertheless went on to find roles that the designer would never have dreamed of. Crews that, despite being outmatched, kept on fighting. I think of it as the fighter equivalent of the Fairey Battle, and I've always had a soft spot for it. So, of all the possible candidates, it seemed a good fit for this GB. I had a four month hiatus from modelling from November last year. I think that helped me consider my approach: it had been all about the detail before, PE, resin. But I'd neglected some basic skills. I finally located my airbrush as well, something I'd never learned to use. So the focus now is on getting good results from plastic. This won't be my first airbrushed kit; that "honour" goes to a Spitfire PRXVII. But it will be my first attempt at camo with an airbrush. And it won't be wholly devoid of aftermarket, as I'm going to try the Eduard steelbelts (I cordially detest PE seatbelts so that could go out the window!) Here's the obligatory uncut sprues: The kit has two very similar marking options: PS-V of 264 Squadron in July 1940, or KO-I of 2 Squadron in September 1940. I prefer PS-V as it has a slight tie-in to my preference to build aircraft that served in bases local to me (in this case, Duxford, where 264 spent some time in 1940, though in July they were at Martlesham Heath). At the time, the squadron was resting and training after its efforts over Dunkirk, and the various photos that I can find show little fading and only some exhaust staining, so I'm not going to weather it too much. Cheers, Chris

Don't smile, Trumpeter is to release a 1/48th Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.1 in 2016-2017 - ref.02899 Source: http://scalemodels.ru/modules/news/img_9587_1449141028_16.jpg.html V.P.

The old original 1960's Airfix B P Defiant. For some reason I found this in my stash and decided to build it, probably to test Halfords matt black spray on plastic. I remember building this back in about 1979 and thinking it was quite good. I have to admit that this time around I wasn't so impressed, a truly horrible kit, wrong shape and badly fitting parts. The big gap between the fuselage and wing was the worst bit.

Hi folk's,I have one or two projects on the go at the moment(to put it mildly) and should know better than to start another but I have,Now I have waited over a year for this kit to arrive at my LMS but he's never been able to get one despite being an Airfix main stockist,so after ordering one from King Kit which arrived Friday last week I now have one in my grubby mits!I will stick my neck out right now and say I think this is certainly in the top three as the best kit in quality that I 've seen from Airfix the only negative is the almost Identical schemes on the decal/colour sheet even a black version would have made me grab another straight away.So Boxart. Some of the beautifully main parts. As you can see I,ve started the basic cockpit detailing. Sidewall detail. So you know me,a relatively quick build of a couple of weeks OOB but I might try a couple of new techniques picked up on the forum and just to liven thing's up a couple of snippets from what I'm doing with Airfix's 1/48 Vb and Spitfire xii. Regards Steve.

Just to announce that I am currently working on the developmental, political and operational history of the Boulton Paul Defiant, for release ( all being well ) late summer 2018. The book is being published by Frontline/Pen & Sword, and will be about 80,000 words in length with 100+ images. But that's a ball park figure as I have been given free reign to make this book as large as possible. Hand over date to the publisher is 1st December 2017. There will be a complete list of claims made by Defiant crews, and a roll of honour listing the 200+ aircrew lost on type; the latter will where possible, have an image of each airman. Other areas covered will include a section on aviation archaeology, and modelling the Defiant. If anyone wants more information, please drop me a line, and thanks for looking. Regards Andy

Morning all,my take on Airfix's 1/48 Defiant,I,ve loved this aircraft for year's ever since building the horrible 1/72 original many moon's ago,after initial success in combat it's flaws were discovered by the Luftwaffe and it was easy prey for their fighter's never the less it held it's own in the night fighter role until the Beaufighter and Mosquito took over.This has to be one of Airfix's finest kit's to date and the only issue I had was the final fit of the turret which may well have been my error the rest was a delight,a background to the build is here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235010022-airfix-148-defiantand-a-couple-of-spits/ Many thank's for taking the time to look.

Good afternoon. My first RFI for a while: Airfix's 1/72 Boulton Paul Defiant. I finished this one sometime last year and I'm finally putting her on here. Painted with Tamiya flat black for the main colour, Vallejo steel for the base coat and a mix of Vallejo zinc chromate green for the primer, using Shuttleworth's - then unpainted - Spitfire Mk.Vc as a reference. Built OOB except the harnesses from spares and the Master gun barrels. Weathered with powdered chalk pastel. Enjoy!

Here are a few images of my completed 1/48 Airfix Defiant Mk 1 made OOB. For the build thread go to the link below: http://www.aussiemodeller.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=11691

My friend is building the new Airfix 1/48 BP Defiant, and he was wondering if there were any aftermarket guns for the turret. I couldn't find anything listed at Hannants, but I may have been using the wrong search terms. Larry in Florida

Good Evening one and all, Just thought I'd share a few pics of this build hot off the bench this afternoon. Airfix new 1/72 Defiant built straight out of the box, my only deviation being a set of Eduard Masks for that pesky greenhouse turret and canopy (there was no way I was doing that myself!). This was an on/off build for me but could easily be done in a couple of days. I chose the night fighter scheme as I like black aircraft and the shark mouth was a bonus. Painted Tamiya NATO black and certain panels picked out in slightly different shades to break up the plain finish. Panel wash was a mix of light and dark grey Flory washes, panel edges and chips done with a graphite pencil, and some pastels for exhaust streaksand underside dirt/grime. Anyway I hope you like her, need to get back to some jets next, enjoy the pic's and feel free to comment/critique as you wish. Thanks for looking, Eng

Hi folks, I'm posting an eclectic mix of some of my more recently completed builds. The reason for the post is that I'm looking at treating myself to a camera for my birthday next week in order to try and get better photos of my models. In the meantime a friend of mine let me borrow his DSLR to get a feel for it before I make a purchase - what follows is the result of my amateurish photography. Hope you like the models if not the photography!!! First up is the 1/72 Airfix Defiant- a cracking kit - and by far one of my favourite British aircraft.... ...followed by the 1/72 Corsair by Revell.... ....and last but not least the 1/72 Ar196 by Revell - I think the overall effect when completed is ok but it was a bit of a tough kit to crack - particularly the cockpit glazing which was a nightmare!! Thanks for looking folks - any feedback is greatly received as always Kris

Hi Everyone, Let me show you the Boulton-Paul Defiant Mk.I – the first of two black/white RAF fighters that I’ve recently completed. On 29th May 1940 this machine (L6957) took an action over Dunkirk as part of 264th squadron (squadron code PS-T). On that day L6957 was piloted by Plt Off Desmond Kay and LAC E.J.Jones was a gunner. A dozen of Defiants were attacked by Bf 109s over the Channel. Defiants fought well and managed to score several Messerschmitts. However, Kay’s Defiant was hit by enemy fire and got its starboard aileron and hydraulics damaged. This caused the gunner to bail out, but Kay managed to fly battered aircraft back to the base. Jones, however, perished in the Channel. The kit is a well-appraised Airfix’s set with addition of Eduard’s photo-etch mainly in the cockpit and gear bays. Also I got some resin parts to replace exhausts and wheels and used brass Brownings by Master. Paints are Hobby Color for DG/DE (perfect match to my taste!) and Vallejo for black and white. Decals are a mix of original Airfix’s stencils and DP Casper set for Dunkirk. I’m not 100% sure that DP Casper has correctly depicted thinner yellow rings on the fuselage sides (perhaps should be same width as blue and white?) and that a narrow yellow ring should be present on port wing. Also I opted to use Airfix’s letters for squadron code having converted “U” into “T”. DP Casper’s letters are too dark and thin. Thanks for looking! Appreciate any feedback! Dennis

Hello out there, I've been building the above kit, in vanilla form, from the 'dogfight doubles' set. So far I've been mighty impressed by the kit and only had a couple of minor niggles, mainly to do with the carpet monster swallowing one of the smallest parts and snapping the pitot tube on the sprue. That's either me being ham fisted or the part being just too fine, probably the former. Now comes my question. When I started to closely study the decal sheet against the kit diagram there are one heck of a lot more very small stencil decals on the sheet than I can find on the kit instructions. Have I missed something? Can anyone help me and point me in the right direction to show me where they all go? FatFlyHalf

Evening all, Having shared more than a few photographs on here over the past few months, I thought it was about time I shared a model! I've spent the last few weeks quietly working away on the new Airfix Defiant for my Battle of Britain project, finally adding the finishing to it this morning. A lovely little kit with no vices at all, the only additions being some Eduard seat belts and decals from the Xtradecal 2010 Battle of Britain anniversary sheet, which I found to be a little disappointing in their application; not particularly receptive to Microsol and prone to cracking rather than conforming, particularly along the fin leading edge. I also utilised Peewit's mask set for the heavily framed canopy and turret as life's just too short! Weathering was kept fairly light, with the cowling chipping applied in accordance to the Xtradecal's recommendations. A new technique to me, I applied some liquid mask with a sponge to the cowlings and walkway over Alclad aluminium prior to painting, and was pretty pleased with the effect after removal, despite the need for a little touching up by hand. All in all, an enjoyable, simple build to ease me back into the swing of things now the airshow season is done and dusted. Thanks for looking, comments welcomed as ever, Cheers, Shaun

Hardly an original subject i know, but nonetheless an interesting one I hope. Defiant by jongwinnett, on Flickr More or less OOB, I'll be using a Yahu instrument panel (just because I can), replacement wheels and Eduard superfabric belts (they do a Defiant specific set). Kit decals, and I will perhaps try again with the camo masks. Plenty of great reference shots on the IWM site: ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER COMMAND, 1939-1945.. © IWM (CH 889)IWM Non Commercial Licence ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER COMMAND, 1939-1945.. © IWM (CH 880)IWM Non Commercial Licence ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER COMMAND, 1939-1945.. © IWM (CH 874)IWM Non Commercial Licence

OOB, Xtradecals, Mk.I Night Fighter. Overall night isn't as easy as you'd think!

Just saw it in the Airfix newsletter. Here is more: http://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/5334/?utm_campaign=563760_Airfix+Kitstarter+New+Additions&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Hornby+PLC&utm_content=Workbench&_$ja=tsid:71284&dm_i=2DJZ,C300,4ATX0G,RZJ7,1 Cheers, Peter

Not a 100% accurate, as the experts will see, but I enjoyed the conversion. Thanks for dropping in, Marc

The Defiant has an odd retractable aerial on its underside, presumably so it didn't get shot off by trigger-happy turretteers. Does anyone know if it had aerial wire strung between that and the front one between the undercarriage when on the ground? It seems to me that it should have, and I can see it on some drawings and models, but I can't see any wire in any photos. For example, it's on drawings here: http://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/frederick-hughes-and-the-boulton-paul-defiant/ But I can't see it in this photo: http://www.atsx91.dsl.pipex.com/images/Eric_Barwell_Defiant.jpg Opinions?

The other part of my Work in Progress post was the newly-released Airfix Dornier 17Z & Boulton Paul Defiant Dogfight Double set, which I finished today: These kits were built OOB as Airfix intended, though I did repaint the stand from the moulded-plastic black to a less obtrusive blue to blend in a bit with the background - I also filled the underside with Polyfilla for stability (even without the landing gear and bomb-load the Dornier model still has a bit of heft about it) and stuck some green felt underneath to avoid getting atomised Polyfilla powder all over my shelf. The aircraft represented in the set are for a dogfight on 26 August 1940 between the 5K+AR (which was apparently the identity of the aircraft salvaged off the Goodwin Sands last year - though there seems to be some argument about this) and L7005 PSoB of 264 Squadron, flown by Sergeants Thorn and Barker, who also claimed a second Dornier and a Bf109 on the same mission - the 109 was shot down whilst attacking the damaged Defiant as it attempted to crash-land near Herne Bay, where it burned out. Sergeants Thorn and Barker both survived the war, although in Edward Thorn's case not by much; he was killed flying a Meteor in 1946. Regarding the Dornier crew, there is a difference in my reference between Airfix and the Luftwaffe Crash Archive (Vol.2) as to survivors, Airfix state that two were killed and two captured, the Luftwaffe Crash Archive notes that Fw. Willi Essmert was captured wounded, Uffz Richard Ritzel and Helmut Reinhardt were captured and flight engineer Gefr Heinz Huhn was killed and is buried in the German Cemetery at Cannock Chase. Cheers, Stew

I have never built a Boulton Paul Defiant but have wanted to for years. I never fancied the original tooling and never got round to getting an MPM one. When Airfix announced their new Defiant last year I was excited to hear this and when I saw one in Antics on Monday I snapped it up and the parts didn't stay on the sprues long after I took the photos shown in this thread. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234974956-airfix-boulton-paul-defiant-sprue-shots/ First job is the interior. It is really well detailed for what you can see through the small opening but I feel there is scope for detail to be added. I plan to keep it as it is and just make up some seat belts or add the pilots. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr I then assembled the wings. The wheel well is nicely detailed although I bet there is scope for some detail to be added. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr The only thing I don't like about this kit so far is the trailing edges. I think they are a little on the thick side. This would be tricky to sort out. I've never had much success at sanding the inner faces of the wing to thin the plastic down. Also the ailerons moulded solid to the lower wing so thinning them would mean losing detail. I'll live with it I think. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr The three photos below show the different configurations you can choose to display the canopy and turret fairings. Canopy closed, Fairings raised. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Canopy closed, Fairings lowered. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Canopy Canopy Open, Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Some of you may notice the turret loses a gun barrel between shots. They are very fragile and need handling with care. Fortunately I had already decided to replace them with Master gun barrels. Just two mins with a pin vice and a 0.5mm drill bit and the new barrels are a perfect drop fit and are a massive improvement over the kit ones. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Here is a shot of the kit dry fitted together. I would say the fit is close to perfect on this one so far. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr I also thought I'd share a diorama base idea I have. When I was in B&Q the other day I noticed they had some very cheap pine corner shelves and I thought they were perfect for displaying 1:72 WWII fighter aircraft and from first impressions it looks like it might work. Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant by Marks CVS, on Flickr Next up painting the interior. Regarding colour schemes I'm spoilt for choice. I have the two nice kit schemes along with the Xtradecal sheet on order. I think I am going to go with a night fighter. I remember seeing a classic airframes Defiant built in a night fighter scheme that was so battered a lot of the original dark green/dark earth was showing through. Not sure if that one was artistic license or if they did get that bad....

Greetings to all. Let me introduce you my latest model. This time it's a purebred Brit.

Ok, here goes my second attempt at posting! Here, folks, is the first model i've completed this year, and the first i,ve posted at BM. Most of you will be familiar with this on by now as i've seen plenty of nice examples posted already. Hopefully you have time for one more! I think this is one of Airfix's nicest 1/72 kits so far, and built up very easily. The only "snag" i had was lining up the fuselage halves, which produced a little step at the nose end. Other than that it was a very enjoyable build.The model is finished in brush painted Humbrol acrylics, and weathered with Humbrol powders. Decals are from Hannants Xtradecal sheet for the Defiant and depicts a machine from the RCAF based at Drem in 1941. Hope you like!

Hi All,yes it is,we,ve already had a brace of these kit,s posted every one first class and in the case of this night fighter scheme a few different methods of breaking up the plain black scheme,I sprayed the airframe NATO black maskoled the panels,then sprayed humbrol acrylic black,once dried the maskol was removed and a very very light misting of the humbrol black applied.I then glossed for the decals and added a thin sky gray wash which looks better in natural light to the few panel lines and rivets. I make no apologies for saying that in my humble opinion this is the best Airfix 1/72 release since their "re-birth" under Hornby,go out and grab one now you will not be disappointed!