1/48 Airfix Defiant NF.I night fighter

[Richard Cawsey]

The first kit I have actually gone out and bought for several years: £17.50 from Antics, Gloucester (other recent builds have relied on my diminishing stash).

It was practically faultless, a far cry from the old Airfix kits I knew and loved. The only part that needed a little fettling was the instrument panel. The gun turret is a nice little kit in itself. It is a snug fit but can be removed and replaced quite easily.

 

Just a few minor changes were made: two support tubes and the turret fairing actuator were added inside the rear canopy, and for the gunner a joystick and a foot step on the side of the fuselage. The seat straps are just strips of masking tape. Some of the panel lines had a lump of polyfilla rubbed over them to reduce their depth.

 

The model is in the markings of N3328 / DZ-Z of 151 Squadron, RAF Wittering, 1941.

The only photo I have found of N3328 is from the starboard side. On the port side I ignored the instructions and used a little artistic licence by giving it a low-visibility roundel and a kill marking, and making the code Z-DZ instead of DZ-Z, as the code letters were larger than on most night-fighter Defiants and the turret would otherwise get in the way.

 

Pictures of night-fighter Defiants show many of them were very weathered. To get a chipping effect on the paint, selected areas had patches of aluminium foil stuck on, then covered with a layer of paint which was gently attacked with the edge of a piece of sandpaper to expose some of the metal. On other areas, dabs of aluminium paint were used, but this wasn't nearly so effective.

 

I was tempted to use the AI Mk.IV radar aerials which are provided on the kit sprues, but they are a bit too chunky, and I have no information on what the receiving apparatus in the cockpit would have looked like.

 

I can feel another one of these coming on. Next time a Battle of Britain scheme, and not quite so much weathering. . .

 

 

 

[Wulfman]

Very good build on the Defiant, like the weathering !

 

Wulfman

[dnl42]

Excellent work!

 

And it looks quite good with the shark mouth! 

[RMCS]

Niiiice