Airfix Defiant in 1/72
Hearing of the new Airfix 1/48th Defiant NF.1., I was minded I had the recent tool 1/72 one in my stash. In fact I've been planning off and on to build this as part of my Battle of Britain series for quite some time but other projects kept getting in the way... so tonight I got it out of the box and made a start.
Without exception the parts are very neatly moulded and there is no flash (Photo 1+2). The surface detail is some of the finest I've seen and follows correctly the line drawings of the actual plane. Construction though straightforward, needs care and attention and hearing the tales of woe from of many who have neglected the need for such care, I decided to dry-fit everything time and time again... So far it seems to be paying off? (Photo 3)
The cockpit is a bit fiddly but looks super once constructed as will the wing with its clever one-piece internal wheel wells (Photo 4).
Build progressed well with major sub-assemblies completed. I am still in awe of the tooling here as the fit is really (almost) good enough to eliminate the need for any filler or sanding... I did say almost! (Photo 5)
In all honesty I'm not sure the modeller is wise to assemble the undercarriage before painting. On the Defiant it is remarkably fragile and only gains any strength when you have attached the wheels and u/c doors - unfortunately in that order. The locating holes in the wheels DO need some enlarging before assembly or you WILL break the leg strut! Anyway, that done a few thin coats of Dark Earth before outlining the green - just to take my mind off things? (Photo 6)
Excuse the satin finish in some photos - helps with the decal setting! I matted this down later. Turret and prop fitted for effect. Re decals they are quite tricky and I was caught by surprise when the U had no fill? (Photo 7)
All in all, a great little kit and recommended to all. Thanks for reading.
Turned out nicely, Ian...good work.
Many thanks. There are a few 'pit falls' I can avoid for the next one but a nice model to build. Airfix have certainly set a new standard with their mouldings. Just awaiting their new Phantom...?
Looks very nice!
Great new tooled kit from Airfix. Nice job on the build of this version, earlier this year I made the all black nicht fighter. A pleasure to build.
Looks good Ian.
Looks very good to me ! I need to get my 1/48 Airfix Defiant going soon... It was a gift to me from Imodeler staff as the random monthly award a while back. I'll start out with a kit review first just like you did. Thanks for the inspiration.
Look forward to that as I too have one in my stash!