dai phan Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) Greetings and Happy Holidays to all, While I am waiting for the slat sets to arrive from Taiwan that could be the end of the month, I went ahead and order this kit and accessories for my next project. Pending on the arrival of the F-86 parts I may start this kit or build this and the Defiant concurrently. The night fighter version will compliment nicely with my night fighter Hurricane. This project will have the CMK engine set. Dai Edited December 6, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 (edited) Hi all, While waiting for the KASL slat kit to arrive on the F-86, I went ahead and started on this project. So far the fit is good. One very odd thing is there are call outs for paint numbers on the instruction sheet but there is no reference to what these numbers mean? Hard to believe such omission that was not caught prior to printing. Luckily British interior consisted of green and black panels so easy to figure out. The CMK engine is very simple and the engine sits on the block so there is no headache should the engine mounts on the truss assembly. The Eduard PE set oddly does not include the seat belts. Dai Edited December 23, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 Greetings, When using the CMK engine kit, do NOT cement the V struts until the firewall is cemented. The mating surface between the firewall and the struts is pin head. You will knock it off in no time by handling. When the firewall is cemented, the struts cannot be knocked off. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Weasel V Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 Great start as usual Dai. It'll be a nice complement to your Hurricane. Maybe a Blenheim If and a Beaufighter I to complete the early British night fighter team? The Defiant is one of those concepts that was proven to be outdated even before it entered service but has held a fascination for modellers ever since. The original 1/72 Airfix kit from the mid 1960s was very popular and it's, much needed, 2014 replacement was obviously successful enough to persuade Airfix to tool this 1/48 version a couple of years later. Will keep an eye on your build as I have the same kit in the stash although I may build it as one of the evaluation aircraft used by II(AC) Squadron to see if it was suitable for the Army Co-operation role in place of ther Lysanders. Short answer - it wasn't; after a short time with Curtiss Tomahawks, they flew the Mustang I until late in WWII. 13 hours ago, dai phan said: One very odd thing is there are call outs for paint numbers on the instruction sheet but there is no reference to what these numbers mean? Hard to believe such omission that was not caught prior to printing The numbers are for Humbrol paints since Humbrol is part of the Hornby Group (along with Airfix). The call out is stated in the "Assembly Icon Instructions" section at the bottom of page 2 of the instruction booklet so it's easily missed. The required Humbrol paint references are also on the side of the box lid next to the marking option profiles. HTH, Jonathan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 (edited) Happy Holidays friends, Continue on with the build. The fit is good and I had to trim a little bit of the front of the cockpit floor to make room for the resin firewall. I really appreciate the instruction that shows the correct placement of the parts in different colors. Dai Edited December 24, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barkin mad Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 A fine start. Bonus points for choosing a left field subject as well.👍 This could be a fine exercise in weathering if you want.......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) Merry Christmas everyone, Continue working on the project. So far the fit is good without any surprises. The turret is a work of art and Kudos to Airfix designer team. I like the fact the turret is removable after the whole airframe is assembled to make painting easy. You need to do some light sandings at the turret surface where it touches the fuse so it can rotate freely but still with friction. On the bottom of the fuse, there is a ovoid panel line where the wing joins the fuse and I am not sure if this exists on the real aircraft or not. So far I am quite pleased with the fit and engineering. I wish the surface details can be a bit more finesse rather than being clunky. Dai Edited December 26, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) Hi all, There are long sink marks on the top wing that must be filled and sanded. I apply a layer of medium CA then sanded smooth. Dai Edited December 25, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) Hi alll, This is the walk around link to the ONLY Defiant left in the world. I cannot wrap my head on this one thinking there is only ONE left in the entire world. Dai IPMS Nederland - Walk around - Boulton Paul Defiant Edited December 25, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Niels Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 23 hours ago, barkin mad said: A fine start. Bonus points for choosing a left field subject as well.👍 This could be a fine exercise in weathering if you want.......... Nice pic of 256sq Defiant Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) Greetings, Start priming to correct any surface imperfections. And that is when I discover an issue with this kit. There are many sink marks on the wings, landing struts, wheel well covers that I will have to address before I can paint. Luckily they are in areas that I can sand. I find the issues rather are below standard of today's technology. I am sure Airfix is capable and I hope they can bring it up a notch and clean up the tooling. Dai Edited December 25, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) Hi all, The kit's decal is too thick so like usual I ordered after market. There are not many to choose from. Dai Edited December 25, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Great looking build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 26, 2023 Author Share Posted December 26, 2023 (edited) Greetings, Of note is the kit can have either raised rear deck or flat deck. The deck is retractable so I choose the deck to be raised. Since this is a movable piece there should be a fine gap between the deck and the fuse. But on the kit the gap is rather big so I had to apply some putty. Not accurate but much better than an un-scale gap. The Mk II designed for night fighter has taller vertical tail but both day time and night time kit versions have identical tooling. I am not sure if the NF depicted on the box art refers to the Mk II or not? Dai Edited December 26, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) HI all, Started painting the today. I use Silly Putty to mask off the bay. Do not wait too long or the putty will sag. The joint line between the fuse and the deck should be touching but not joined as the deck is retractable. Think of it as control surfaces. I did not know this so I applied putty to the joint (you need it as there is sizable gap). So I had to use a scriber and run over the joint line a few times to give a "removable" joint illusion. I use Mr Color Flat Black MC 33 as it is way durable than Tamiya's. Dai Edited December 28, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barkin mad Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 You may not have needed to mask off the bays, many Defiant NF had all black bays, covers & upper part of the gear from the factory. Especially so if they were built aft Nov. 1940. ----------------- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) Hi all, I used Eduard''s mask but I am unable to get sharp edges this time. However when installed on the model, these defects are not evident. There are multiple masking pieces to apply but do not need to. They can cut down numbers of masks and still get the desired result. Like 2 pieces to mask a square area. Dai Edited December 29, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) Hi all, The plane is now ready for the clear coat and application of decals. The engine and canopies are just tacked on for photo shot. Dai Edited December 29, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 11 hours ago, barkin mad said: You may not have needed to mask off the bays, many Defiant NF had all black bays, covers & upper part of the gear from the factory. Especially so if they were built aft Nov. 1940. ----------------- Yes I was wondering about that as the one in the museum has all black bays. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) Hi all, Clear coated and waiting for the Defiant decals to arrive. The Mr Color C33 flat black is much more durable tham Tamiya's. Dai Edited December 30, 2023 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted January 3, 2024 Author Share Posted January 3, 2024 Greetings, Defiant decals are in. Expect to wrap this project up this weekend. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted January 4, 2024 Author Share Posted January 4, 2024 (edited) Greetings, I could only locate one photo of the Defiant engine. This will give you an idea to dress up the engine as it is very bare and basic in details. The scratches on the fuse and wings can be easily duplicated with Prisma grey or silver pencils. Dai Edited January 4, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted January 6, 2024 Author Share Posted January 6, 2024 (edited) Hello friends, Applied the decals today. I use the Xtradecal and the decals are thin, strong and respond to Mark Fit Strong. However they suffer from off registry on some decals, wrong spacing and sizing. Also the clear film is affected from solution as you can see from the photos. I think once the clear coated applied, wash, weathering the issue will be resolved. I do not understand why many decal companies got the decals wrong with references easily are at hand. It seems like the illustrator just looked at the photos once then draw from memories ! I had to trim way oversized rudder decals to make them acceptable. Dai Edited January 7, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted January 14, 2024 Author Share Posted January 14, 2024 Hi all, Weathering time. The Prisma pencil works very well over the black base. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DIO Posted January 15, 2024 Share Posted January 15, 2024 (edited) Nice one. Check the national insignia on the port side. It is not sitting well in the wing panel line. I have never made those pencils work for me. Edited January 15, 2024 by DIO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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