+++ FINISHED 06-09-2018! +++ Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I (Airfix 1/72 Dogfight Doubles)

[jrlx]

Ced, Rob,

Thanks for your very kind words,as always It's really a great incentive for me!

Cheers

Jaime

[rob85]

Well if you will insist on doing great work!

Rob

[PlaStix]

Exceptionally neat work again! Very nice.

[jrlx]

Rob, Stix,

thanks for the kind words and interest, much appreciated

Cheers

Jaime

[Fatboydim]

Hi Jaime, great work with the etch parts. Your foot straps on the pedals look a lot better than mine. Very well done.

[jrlx]

Hi Joe,

thanks for your words

when will we see the latest progress on your Defiant? It was shaping up impressively!

Cheers

Jaime

[jrlx]

Dear friends,

I'm afraid I won't be able to finish this one in time for this GB. So I'm asking Mish to move the thread to the KUTA GB, so that I can finish it in a GB with some more time.

I hope I can still get your comments and attention there, which are always much appreciated

I hope I can manage to post the latest progress soon (I've been working on the cockpit, applying the remaining PE bits and weathering the lot).

Cheers

Jaime

[Fatboydim]

Hi Jaime, dont worry. I just about managed to build one model in time. I know you have a busy life. I'll keep an eye out for it in the KUTA GB. Cheers, Joe.

[AnonymousDFB1]

Will be watching this one Jamie, got one in the stash to build

[jrlx]

Hi Jaime, dont worry. I just about managed to build one model in time. I know you have a busy life. I'll keep an eye out for it in the KUTA GB. Cheers, Joe.

Thanks, Joe! It's always a pleasure to get your comments and suggestions!

Will be watching this one Jamie, got one in the stash to build

Thanks, Mish! Hope you can find it helpful for your build

Cheers

Jaime

[jrlx]

Hi again,

 

Here's an update on the progress done over the last two weeks. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I didn't manage to finish this one in time for the BoB GB. Anyway, I'll continue the work here, in the KUTA GB.

 

As explained in my Wick's Bf 109 thread, I did weathering work on my builds, including the Defiant.

 

Here's the starboard inner cockpit wall after weathering and flat-coating. Additionally, the side console was finished with Alclad's Light Sheen coating, as the kit's instructions say it was semi-gloss black:

IMAG2920

 

The port side got a similar treatment, including the Light Sheen coating of the console and quadrant:

IMAG2921

 

The cockpit base and seat after weathering and flat-coating. The seatbelts still have to be applied:

IMAG2922

 

The gun turret base and cockpit's front bulkhead:

IMAG2923

 

I applied drops of Aqua Gloss on the dials of the instrument panel to simulate the covering glasses:

IMAG2924

 

The gun turret is ready to have its masking removed:

IMAG2925

 

That's all for now. Thanks for looking.

 

Jaime

[GREG DESTEC]

More nice work Jaime, keep it up!

[jrlx]

Thanks, Greg. Much appreciated

[PlaStix]

This is still progressing well Jaime. The cockpit detail looks brilliant.

[rob85]

You really have gone all out on what is and excellent kit Jamie

Rob

[jrlx]

Stix, Rob, thanks very much for your very kind words

[jrlx]

Dear All,

 

After a long stay in the shelf of doom, this build is being resurrected for the RAF Centenary GB.

 

Work was resumed by installing the PE seat belts on the pilot's seat. Here are the vertical harnesses:

IMAG5557

 

The buckles on the larger harness were bent with a pair of tweezers:

IMAG5558

 

Straps were glued on the larger harness, right below the buckles:

IMAG5559

 

The horizontal harnesses were taken off the fret:

IMAG5560

 

The vertical harnesses were glued in place:

IMAG5564

 

Finally, the horizontal harnesses were also glued in place:

IMAG5565

 

Next, the cockpit and associated parts were glued to the inner port-fuselage wall:

IMAG5566

 

I found that the instrument panel's back would be visible through the wind-shield, so I painted its back and sides matte black by brush:

IMAG5567

 

After allowing the paint to dry, I glued the instrument panel in place, as well as the control column, which had been knocked out of place:

IMAG5568

 

The fuselage halves were, then, glued together and clamped while the glue cured. I used TET applied over small stretches at a time. The fit was very good. Hopefully, there won't be any serious missaligments:

IMAG5569

 

I could now take care of the wings, which will have PE flaps applied. This implies cutting off the moulded in flaps and filing some inner surfaces, as per the instructions of the PE set shown below:

IMAG5570

 

Since I've already finished a few models with extensive use of interior and surface PE parts, installing the PE flaps will be the novelty and noteworthy aspect of this build.

 

To cut the moulded in flaps off the underside of the wing, I used the micro-saw shown here:

IMAG5571

 

Here's the result: flaps cut off and inner surfaces of the top wing parts near the flaps filed:

IMAG5572

 

To finish with this modelling session, I glued the wheel well part to the underside of the wing and left the glue to cure:

IMAG5573

 

That's all for now. Thanks for looking.

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

 

[Fatboydim]

Great cockpit detail Jaime. 

[jrlx]

1 hour ago, Fatboydim said:

Great cockpit detail Jaime. 

Thanks, Joe! It's great having you around!

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

[jrlx]

Hi again,

 

I've been working on the highlight point of this build: the PE flaps. Here is the PE flaps fret:

IMAG5574

 

I started with the fixed part of one of the outboard flaps. Here it is just cut off the fret:

IMAG5575

 

Contrary to the instructions, I first bent the longest edge:

IMAG5576

 

Next, I bent the lateral edges:

IMAG5577

 

Then, I reoriented the inner ribs vertically:

IMAG5578

 

Finally, the ribs were moved 180 degrees to fit in the corresponding slots. They were glued in place with slow CA:

IMAG5579

 

This same procedure was used to prepare the other fixed flaps. However, the ribs of the larger inboard fixed flaps are made differently, as the ribs come in a separate part:

IMAG5581

 

The ribs were reoriented vertically:

IMAG5582

 

... and, then, glued in place. Here are the two inboard fixed flaps done:

IMAG5583

 

The moving part of the flaps are made up of two PE parts. Here are the parts for one of the larger, inboard flaps:

IMAG5584

 

Using the procedures shown above, I built up the moving parts of the flaps:

IMAG5585

 

IMAG5586

 

The moving parts require a 0,4 mm rod to be inserted through the holes in the ribbings. As I didn't have an appropriate evergreen rod, I decided to use 0,5 mm transparent sewing line:

IMAG5589

 

After some time, including breaking and re-glueing some of the the ribs, I got this:

IMAG5590

 

Unfortunately, I glued some of the ribs in the wrong orientation and didn't get straight lines in two of the flaps. The other two are more or less acceptable:

IMAG5591

 

So, I removed the lines and reoriented the ribs in the two worst parts. Here's the final result.  It's not perfect but I'll leave it like that

IMAG5592

 

IMAG5593

 

Next, I spent several ours iteratively filing the inner surface of the top wing parts, on the area where the fixed flaps parts will be glued, and fry fitting the wing parts and fixed flap parts, to ensure that the top edges of the flaps would be flush with the under surface of the wing. In the end, it seemed I managed to achieve this objective.

 

So, I glued the wing parts together and left them to cure. The fit was very good:

IMAG5594

 

I also glued in place the fairing on the top fuselage behind the gun turret. I had to fill a gap on the port side with CA:

IMAG5595

 

That's all for now. Thanks for looking.

 

Jaime

 

 

 

 

 

[Fatboydim]

Very neat work Jaime. 

[jrlx]

2 hours ago, Fatboydim said:

Very neat work Jaime. 

Thank you for your interest and kind words, Joe

 

Jaime

[CedB]

Nice to see this one resurrected Jaime - following!  

Amazing work on those flaps at this scale - very fiddly!

[jrlx]

8 hours ago, CedB said:

Nice to see this one resurrected Jaime - following!  

Amazing work on those flaps at this scale - very fiddly!

Thank you, Ced! Very kind, as always

 

The flaps are indeed very fiddly and I spent a lot of time filing the interior of the top wing parts, to try and make the flaps fit properly. The end result is not perfect, as the fixed parts of the flaps ended up slightly proud of the undersurface of the wing.

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

[jrlx]

Hi again,

 

It's time to bring this thread up to date, since I've been slowly progressing since the last post.

 

With the wing parts glued together it was time to glue the fixed part of the flaps. Here is the wing just before gluing the flaps, while I was carving away plastic from the flap actuator markings on the undersurface. PE flap actuators will be installed later:

IMAG5600

 

I spent some time thinking about the best way to glue the flaps. CA glue would harden too fast, allowing too little time for corrections. So, I decided to use 5 minute-Araldite:

IMAG5608

 

Here are the instructions: it allows 5 minute working time, hardens in 20 minutes and reaches maximum strength after 2 hours of curing time:

IMAG5616

 

Here are the fixed flap parts ready for glueing.

IMAG5609

 

Before glueing the flap parts, I had to do some additional filing of the inner surface of the top wing parts, since after glueing the wing parts the flaps became again slightly proud of the wing undersurface.

 

After glueing, this was the result:

IMAG5611

 

IMAG5612

 

There are still a few gaps to fill in and the damaged ribs were later repaired.

 

To be continued. Thanks for looking.

 

Jaime