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Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant 1:48


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Finally staggered over the finish line with this which was started almost one year ago as part of the RAF Centenary GB. Only missed the deadline by a few months or so :blush:.

 

This is the Airfix 1:48 Defiant which needs no introduction. I found the fit was generally all very good, though putting the turret in was rather tight. The plastic is very soft and I managed to break one of the aerial masts while trying to sand it, though managed to stick it back together ok. Aftermarkets were Quickboost resin exhausts, Master .303 barrels and Eduard PE set. I replaced the tip of the pitot tube with some brass tube. I also added rivet detail using a Rosie Riveter as the Airfix plastic looked very bare indeed. Decals were from the kit except for the aircraft identification codes which were from an old FCM Battle of Britain set I bought ages ago during my modelling wilderness years. They just about behaved themselves. Paints were MRP. I'm still very much experimenting with paints being new to airbrushing. I'm not wholly convinced by the MRP DG/DE/Sky colours.

 

This marks the completion of build #3 since I returned to the modelling fold, so i feel I am still learning a lot with each build an adapting my technique and style with each one. There are plenty of mistakes and things I would do differently next time, but this is all part of the learning experience. So far I haven't got round to posting pics of builds #1 and #2 (a very heavily battered Tamiya Corsair and an Ebbro Tyrrell 003), so this is my first RFI...

The build log is here should anyone be interested:

Thanks for looking,

Mark.

 

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Amazing job,........ it actually looks like a real Defiant,...... put an authentic background behind it and you would fool me!

 

Cheers

           Tony

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Thank you all so much for the comments - really appreciated :smile:.

 

On 24/03/2019 at 08:07, sanfrandragon said:

That's turned out beautifully! Great paintwork, did you highlight every single rivet?

Thank you. The 'rivets' on the underside didn't need going over with any kind of wash. Because I primed in black, when I put the sky coat on, the rivet holes stayed quite dark, so I didn't want to accentuate them any more. The ones on the upper surface and fuselage got some Ammo panel line wash, but I kept it quite light. There are a few spots where I used a slightly darker shade to create some variability and suggest a bit more wear & dirt.

 

14 hours ago, tonyot said:

Amazing job,........ it actually looks like a real Defiant,...... put an authentic background behind it and you would fool me!

 

Cheers

           Tony

Thanks Tony. I know my cutting mat doesn't make a very convincing airfield :laugh:. I am planning to make a base for the purpose of taking pictures, but not got round to it yet. Some of the shots I've seen in the RFI section with bases and proper backdrops really make you look twice to check it's not the real thing!

 

Several comments on the gun barrels... It's the first time I've used AM barrels, so I wasn't sure if they would be worth the money. Now, if I had to chose just one aftermarket to boost the kit, it would be the Master barrels. With a Defiant, the eyes are drawn to that turret, so they make a visible difference. Having all the PE in the cockpit is nice, but hardly noticeable on the finished model.

Here's a pic from the WIP showing the difference:

 

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Superb job, those brass barrels make all the difference. Nice job on the paint as well, I like the colour you achieved on the exhaust's, very convincing. I couldn't have been bothered with doing the riveting detail though!

I wouldn't be bothered about the colour shades, no-one would convince me a certain colour would be wrong, the variation would be there with different batches, how it was thinned, etc. I worked in the printing industry for years and there are tolerances for all colour's, even Black and White!

 

:goodjob:

 

Davey.

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