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Boulton Paul Defiant NF.I updates (for Airfix) 1:48


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Boulton Paul Defiant NF.I updates (for Airfix)

1:48 Eduard

 

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Airfix have rereleased their popular 1:48 Defiant as its Night Fighter equivalent, and this is the kit that these parts are intended for.  Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner.  Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point.  As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between.

 

 

Interior (49908)

This first set is a general airframe improvement package, consisting of two frets, one of which is nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass for the constructional elements. It provides substantial upgrades to the cockpit, including sidewall detail, laminated pre-printed instrument panels, plus controls and weapons detailing for the turret. The canopy is detailed with a windscreen hoop with integral rear-view mirrors, while underneath the airframe the radiator is skinned with mesh, the main gear bays receive skins to the sidewalls, and the landing gear legs themselves are treated to additional detail, plus new oleo-scissor links. Bay doors are skinned with more detailed surfaces, and additional detail is added within the bays. Finally, a rudder control linkage is installed in the tail after removing the nub from the rudder leading edge.

 

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Zoom! Set (FE908)

This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above.  Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements.

 

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Seatbelts STEEL (FE909)

In case you don't already know, these belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting.  Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE.  As well as the set of crew belts for the pilot, you also get just a simple lap-belt for the poor old gunner.

 

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Landing Flaps (48958)

This single fret of brass will allow you to build your model with dropped flaps for a bit more visual interest, regardless of whether they were seen that way in real life or not. You will need to remove some areas of the upper and lower wing, as the flaps aren't separate on the kit, although the ailerons are. With these parts removed as per the diagrams, it is relatively straight forward to fold up the bays and the flaps, with only a few lengths of 0.7mm wire or rod from your stocks needed to depict the hinge-point. Each rib is twisted and bent to lie in a pre-etched track, with one separate rib that couldn't be etched captive due to a change in the trailing edge profile. I really like these sets, and they really aren't as hard to do as you'd think.

 

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Masks (EX601)

Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy and turret, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape.

 

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Review sample courtesy of

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@Mike the title states 1/35 rather than 1/48.

 

I have noticed that Eduards etch on a couple of kits now has the seatbelts separate to the cockpit details. Of course that will push the price up if you want both, which is a bit a concern for me.

Is this going to a new thing for Eduard?

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18 minutes ago, Gorby said:

@Mike the title states 1/35 rather than 1/48.

 

I have noticed that Eduards etch on a couple of kits now has the seatbelts separate to the cockpit details. Of course that will push the price up if you want both, which is a bit a concern for me.

Is this going to a new thing for Eduard?

Title changed, Mike was just having a special moment,

 

On the separate belts, the converse is if you just want the belts then it makes it cheaper?

 

Julien

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1 hour ago, Gorby said:

the title states 1/35 rather than 1/48.

I'd been doing 1:35 stuff all day, and my fingers didn't listen to my braincell :rolleyes:

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6 hours ago, Gorby said:

@Mike the title states 1/35 rather than 1/48.

 

I have noticed that Eduards etch on a couple of kits now has the seatbelts separate to the cockpit details. Of course that will push the price up if you want both, which is a bit a concern for me.

Is this going to a new thing for Eduard?

They’ve been doing this for a little while. Obviously a way of squeezing more £ out of us! Though I suppose they will argue that it gives people the choice to just add the belts that are the most visible parts often....

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