Airfix 1/72 scale
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I

by Roland Sachsenhofer

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I

Airfix's 1/72 Defiant Mk.I is available online from Squadron.com

A single engine fighter with a four machine gun turret on its back? This configuration was not all too often seen and even lesser airplanes with that configuration came into service.

Britain managed to get two fighters of that construction into service. The Fleet Air Arms Blackburn Roc saw little combat use with only a few engagements, but the RAF´s Boulton Paul Defiant should serve throughout all the war years in various roles as day- and, as depicted here, as a nightfighter, later as combat trainer and an air-sea rescue plane.

Being conceived as a “bomber killer” in the years before the outbreak of war, the Defiant provided Britain with an early and bitterly needed night fighter against the Luftwaffes night-time bomber raids, starting in the second half of 1940.

The Mk.II was a specialised version with built-in airborne radar and a few other enhancements for night flying.
My model shows one of the early night-fighting Defiant Mk.I, being flown by the 151 Squadron from RAF Wittering in February 1941.

Building this model from the new Airfix kit was pure and undisturbed modelling fun, the only shortcoming I could criticize have been the wing roundel decals, being printed with an annoying white border- but this problem has been cured by masking and spraying an correct edge.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

If you are interested in the building process and in the models parts, please have a look on the workbench at the JAM Forum:

http://www.razyboard.com/system/morethread-boulton-paul-defiant-mki-airfix-172-raidenjack-2293882-6350187-0.html

As ever, remarks will be appreciated: ro.sachsenhofer@gmx.at

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2016 by Roland Sachsenhofer
Page Created 1 April, 2016
Last Updated 1 April, 2016

Back to HyperScale Main Page