1/48 Airfix BP Defiant

[Chris G 29]

Hope you don't mind a stupid question, but does the ram / piston lift the metal fairing above the glazed panels between pilot and turret ? If so why ?

OK two questions !!!

I've just found an answer to my own questions :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIIqY81T67E#t=473

Hope the link works, doesn't show the ram unfortunately.

Sorry for the interruption to the thread.

Loving the build.

Chris G

Edited May 8, 2016 by Chris G 29

[Kahunaminor]

Hope you don't mind a stupid question, but does the ram / piston lift the metal fairing above the glazed panels between pilot and turret ? If so why ?

OK two questions !!!

Loving the build.

Chris G

Hi Chris,

Yes, it raises and lowers the airfoil to a point level with top of the forward canopy to allow the guns the traverse through a full 360 degrees. In the lowered position, it allows the guns to move through and fire in the forward arc above the props. Without the moveable airfoil the shape of the turret adversely affects the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

A this video should be better at explaining it:

Edit: As my kids would say "jinx"! Apparently typing at the same time!

Regards,

[GMK]

Wow. What an amazingly complicated, intricate, and unintuitive nightmare of a turret! A lot of respect for those who had to operate it on combat - a lot of contempt for those who accepted it for service! At least the engineers who designed it have the Nuremberg defence!

Looking forward to seeing this build continue.

[Kahunaminor]

​

Welcome back,
Progress has been steady. The central canopy was attached without incident. The mechanics will just be seen through the glazing so at least it will give an impression of workings, even if it isn't 100% correct. The front canopy, landing lights, covers and the ID lights have been affixed and masked. The ID lights had small holes drilled on the inboard faces and red/green paint added in the holes:

The underside has been sprayed Tamiya XF21 Sky. The lower escape hatch and flare chute doors (missed by Airfix) were scribed using the 48 scale plans in the MMP book. I used the retracted wheel covers as masks for the painted wheel well interiors:

The MLG covers are two piece but are moulded as a single unit. I took an ultra fine saw to the joins and deepened them to better reflect the original:

The turret main canopy and doors were masked inside and out and painted MM Flat Black. Once these were dry, I shot a protective coat of Testors Dullcote out of a rattle can over them. Then the interior maskings were removed and the main canopy clipped into place over the MG mechanisms. Tamiya Extra Thin was run around the base and this was left to dry overnight. The exterior masks were removed from all glazings and the doors placed in the open position, with Tamiya Extra Thin again run just around the bottom joins:

It is all starting to fall into place as the masks arrived in the post this morning:

Regards,

[Silver Fox]

Lovely work, the care and attention to detail is clear. I especially like the little touches like using the razor saw on the gear doors, it adds so much t the finished aticle.

One word of warning, I found that the open turret doors fouled the retractable section of the cockpit. I had to re-assemble the doors in the closed position to get I to fit. It is undoubtedly my fault but still worth checking.

[Kahunaminor]

Lovely work, the care and attention to detail is clear. I especially like the little touches like using the razor saw on the gear doors, it adds so much t the finished aticle.

One word of warning, I found that the open turret doors fouled the retractable section of the cockpit. I had to re-assemble the doors in the closed position to get I to fit. It is undoubtedly my fault but still worth checking.

Thanks for the heads up. Dry fitting without the canopy needed a little bit of wiggling and I can see it will be a tight fit. The rear airfoil is merely tacked on for painting and can be removed to fit the turret. Hopefully, I can do it without too much damage.

Regards'

[MickE]

Looking good, great detail so far.

Mick

[Calum]

Lovely work big guy. Turret is looking great.

[JimHead23]

Excellent. I'm learning a lot about this kit.

May I ask where you bought your masks from?

Regards

Jim

[Kahunaminor]

Excellent. I'm learning a lot about this kit.

May I ask where you bought your masks from?

Regards

Jim

Hi Jim,

I got them from Miracle Masks in the UK. Mal is well known for his work. He has a Facebook page you can look up or email him at [email protected]

Regards,

[Martian]

That turret looks really classy!

Martin

[Tzulscha]

Haven't seen the Airfix Defiant this side of the pond just yet but I am looking forward to it.

I have a couple of copies of the old Classic Airframes kits but this looks like a LOT easier build.

Looks like it's really coming together there, keep going, I'm itchy to see the final result

[Kahunaminor]

Masking the camouflage commences. Orientate the masks the same as the instructions and number them accordingly. You don't have to do this step but I think it avoids problems.The instructions are quite detailed....even I couldn't stray too far:

Buy some shares in Tamiya tape... Pilot's canopy tacked on with Micro temporary adhesive and a thin Tamiya tape strip added to the front interior as an extra guard against spray getting inside. Foam to seal the turret opening:

A coat of Humbrol 29 Dark Earth was sprayed over the entire upper fuselage and wings:

Whilst that dries, I commence to paint the Eduard Brassin exhausts under a couple of coats of Gunze H76 Burnt Iron:

The interior of the wing fillet step, I have detailed it from the blank piece you are given by chiselling out and pin drilling:

I will try and await overnight to let the DE dry totally before I commence to add the masks. Thanks for looking in.

[Kahunaminor]

In the time honoured tradition of "The Karate Kid" and the words of Mr Miyagi, "Masks on, masks off." I found the instructions immensely helpful as they explained how the masks go on. I think just the pictures themselves would leave it to some guesstimating which may adversely affect the result. Having said that, I did find the no.2 mask didn't want to fit 100% and I had to add a small piece of tape to ensure coverage:

However as this was the first time I have used Miracle Masks and this was one of the first masks applied, I tend to believe it was "user error". The remaining masks fit as described and they are well engineered and easy, as long as you follow the instruction sequence:

Once applied and checked, I shot Aeromaster RAF Dk Green in a couple of thin coats, gently building opacity:

By the time I had disassembled, cleaned, reassembled and checked my airbrush, the masks were ready to come off. They were gently removed and replaced on the mask sheet, ready for the next Defiant in A scheme. I removed all the masking and was left with nice, well defined demarcations:

There are a couple of minor scratches to touch up and I may have to widen the Sky near the tail a little but this is where she sits for the night before a gloss coat and decals:

Regards,

[viper-30]

Looking very good indeed

Terry

[Wezra]

Looking splendid! Where did you buy the masks?

[Kahunaminor]

Looking splendid! Where did you buy the masks?

Many thanks,

I got them from Miracle Masks in the UK. Mal is well known for his work. He has a Facebook page you can look up or email him at [email protected]

Regards,

[Wezra]

Many thanks,

I got them from Miracle Masks in the UK. Mal is well known for his work. He has a Facebook page you can look up or email him at [email protected]

Regards,

Thanks for replying, I was just about to edit my post and say got the answer from a previous post!

But thank you anyway!

[Martian]

I agree about the sky near the tail but otherwise you have produced a really neat camouflage job there,

Martin

[Fishbed]

I agree about the sky near the tail but otherwise you have produced a really neat camouflage job there,

Martin

Don't be to neat with the line. If you look at the photos on the IWM site, you will see that while the demarcation like between the sky and upper colours was straight by the engine (follows a panel line), the line on the rear fuselage was quite soft and "wobbly" where the earlier silver finish had been over-painted free-hand.

http://zoom.iwm.org.uk/view/301837&cat=photographs&oid=object-205126775

for example

Not that I've done that on the one I'm doing, but may go back and re-work it a bit.

Tim

[Kahunaminor]

A bit of remedial work done on the sky undersurface. It was only a small correction but what had been seen could not be unseen and I had to do it. I probably could have curved it out a tad more but better left alone than risk buggering it up:

The airframe received its gloss coat of Future (Pledge One Go) in preparation for decals.The antenna rods and tail wheel was added and the lot up on cocktail sticks to dry:

I added brake lines from 0.3 lead wire and secured them with thin strips of Bare Metal Foil. The MLG was then temporarily set into position and the retraction struts attached to the main legs and cemented at the join and allowed to set. They should now be just drop in. Once set, they were removed and MM Flat Black over all followed by Future to seal the enamel to the lot:

The exhausts were painted Gunze H76 Burnt Iron, a coat of Future and then my first use of AK Interactive Exhaust wash. It is an enamel wash. I am not sure I like the result as yet, I will let it go overnight and have a look with fresh eyes:

Regards,

[Martian]

You are making a classy kit look even classier!

Martin

[Greg B]

Looking good matey

[Chris G 29]

Love the paint job. Looks so crisp.

Really nice work.

Chris g

[Kahunaminor]

The decals are on and over coated with Pledge (Future) before an overall Flory wash:

The MLG have been washed with AK Interactive Landing Gear Dust effect and the excess removed. The chrome on the oleos has been added by Bare Metal Foil cut to size:

Time to make little notes so as not to forget the little stuff, IFF antennas, wheel scrapers and bits!

Regards,