andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 4, 2021 22:28:27 GMT
Good evening Chaps, Thanks Paul, I can thoroughly recommend it. I have had a few issues with finer parts that I'll come on to but on the whole it is a fun build. Thanks Robbo, you know me, I like to make an entrance! Cheers Marco. Artificially fast really if I'm honest. Finished this build yesterday and there was a pause while I awaited paints. Progress to follow shortly. Thanks Boots, I learnt from a previous failed attempt that the motor gets tested at virtually every stage to ensure the build doesn't damage it. Steve & Sniper, thanks very much chaps. So, here we go again. Airframe is set nicely and it is time to fit the canopy. Over the past few years I have found that fitting the canopy first makes it easier to hold to mask up for paint. Pictures 1 and 2: Canopy fitted and the interior of rear fairing painted with light interior green. ![](https://i.ibb.co/BnY28W4/Defiant-canopy-1.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/z60LPBw/Defiant-canopy-2.jpg) Picture 3: As mentioned above a quick test of the propeller before setting to with the paint. ![](https://i.ibb.co/1QPV1sv/Defiant-propeller-test-fit.jpg)
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 4, 2021 22:46:18 GMT
With construction virtually complete except for small details focus shifts to painting... Picture 1: I used Humbrol spray primer for this, the first time I've strayed from Halfords. A very nice finish so I was impressed with it. ![](https://i.ibb.co/DYnGjDn/Defiant-primed.jpg) Picture 2: The build paused for a while as I had run out of Humbrol 90 Sky. Ordered some and as soon as it had arrived, sprayed the defiant along with three Airfix Hurricanes (another BoB project). ![](https://i.ibb.co/1v07Tms/Defiant-basecoats-1.jpg) Pictures 3 and 4: I realised I'd run out of spray cans and didn't want to wait for another delivery so I used a hairy stick to get two coats of Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth on. ![](https://i.ibb.co/gVtFCmB/Defiant-basecoats-3.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/fQyF1pH/Defiant-basecoats-4.jpg) Pictures 5 and 6: Once cured for a couple of days, I masked with BluTac and two light coats of Humbrol Dark Green were sprayed on ![](https://i.ibb.co/3RFr7m4/Defiant-basecoats-5.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/yqmvMc9/Defiant-basecoats-6.jpg) Pictures 7 and 8: Masking removed and very pleased with the results. ![](https://i.ibb.co/sFtMNsT/Defiant-basecoats-7.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/nPHVqLH/Defiant-basecoats-8.jpg) More tomorrow. Andy
|
|
|
Post by tommygunn on Nov 5, 2021 0:18:42 GMT
That's brilliant work on the camo scheme.
|
|
|
Post by Paul B on Nov 5, 2021 4:55:46 GMT
Looking good in colour ![8-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png) . Maybe, just maybe, I might crack mine open shortly
|
|
|
Post by Snipersmudge on Nov 5, 2021 8:52:41 GMT
Liking that colours look good.
|
|
|
Post by Ian H. on Nov 5, 2021 9:12:00 GMT
Andy, a very sharp looking Defiant thus far!
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 5, 2021 18:45:03 GMT
Thanks very much TG! The old BluTac method of masking has never let me down. Cheers Paul. I can thoroughly recommend it. It's a really nice kit to build. Thanks Sniper, I'm very pleased with the colour balance even if it meant m ixing paint manufacturers. Ta for that Ian With the basecoats done, and clearcoat applied, it was time for markings. The kit offers either L7013 of No.264 Squadron in day camouflage or an all black aircraft N3328 from No.151 Squadron. However, last year I did a Battle of Britain diary on FB for the 80th Commemoration and one of the stories compelled me to choose something from another squadron, No.141 out of West Malling. I'll tell the story in full at the end of the blog but in the meantime the chosen aircraft is L7009 "Cock o'the North" The decals were from a Czech company, ROPo.s. which I had not used before. I was very impressed although I nearly came a cropper with the nose art. The film is extremely thin and quite sticky and because I wasn’t careful enough, the writing ‘Cock o’ the North’ doubled over and stuck to itself. My recovery attempts were disastrous and the text was unusable. I had a go at hand painting the remains and the results are in the close up Picture. Having learned this painful but valuable lesson, thee rest went on beautifully. Once they’ve all cured, detail painting and matt varnish follows. Picture 1: Port side decals. ![](https://i.ibb.co/wNcPt13/Defiant-decals-1.jpg) Picture 2: Close up of nose art with hand painted recovery of text. ![](https://i.ibb.co/mhY9zNM/Defiant-decals-2.jpg) Picture 3: Decals from above. ![](https://i.ibb.co/XpS1SfZ/Defiant-decals-3.jpg) Picture 4: Starboard decals. ![](https://i.ibb.co/3vYhbGf/Defiant-decals-4.jpg) At this point it was put aside to dry out completely before final details such as tailwheel, aerials assembly and propeller. More shortly. Andy
|
|
|
Post by Marco on Nov 5, 2021 18:46:15 GMT
Lovely work!!!
|
|
|
Post by Paul B on Nov 5, 2021 18:54:27 GMT
Cool beans indeed Andy and a bloody good job on those decals ![](http://www.allsmileys.com/files/smiley-central-emotions/5186.gif) The night fighter version from RAF Wittering, is the one I shall go for. Simple reason, I was born and bred in Stamford ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) .
|
|
|
Post by Robbo on Nov 5, 2021 19:40:18 GMT
Lovely painting Andy
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 6, 2021 13:37:50 GMT
Good afternoon all, Thanks for the kind words Marco, Paul and Robbo. Most appreciated Here's where there were a few issues... I didn't really think through the location of the stand that I had planned. It came directly out of the ventral radiator intake which meant it fouled with any aerial wire. Therefore I've not added it. Additionally I managed to snap the two aerials while they were still on the sprue ![>:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/superangry.png) so after a failed attempt to repair them I made new ones from thick plasticard. A few paint touch ins and then a matt coat were completed and then I removed the masking and she was done. The last thing to do was solder the wires to the battery box to finish it off. Here be pictures of the finished article and some in-flight pictures will follow in a final post with the historical context. Hope you like them. ![](https://i.ibb.co/PgDb0CY/Defiant-Finished-1.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/Gn44c96/Defiant-Finished-2.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/5RtcMmY/Defiant-Finished-3.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/GHSJCMR/Defiant-Finished-5.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/pK3WnZ7/Defiant-Finished-7.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/L53yXVs/Defiant-Finished-10.jpg)
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 6, 2021 13:46:54 GMT
No.141 Squadron, had arrived at West Malling on 12 July 1940. One week later, at 1230hrs on the 19th, twelve Defiants were ordered to patrol 20 miles south of Folkestone off Cap Gris Nez on the French coast at a height of 5,000 ft. Three machines were left behind due to mechanical trouble therefore only nine carried out the patrol. Flying in sections of three in line astern they went to their patrol line. There was no warning from control when, a quarter of an hour later, at 1245hrs, they were bounced by a swarm of over twenty Bf109s from III/JG 51 (based at Saint-Inglevert but operating from Les Melettes near Guines). III/JG 51 was commanded by Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft who spotted the Defiants far below flying in tight formation. They were identified correctly by R/T as Defiants and therefore ‘easy meat’. The Messerschmitts moved in efficiently out of the sun for the kill, attacking from below and astern, where they were at no risk from the gun turrets, knowing that they could not be brought to bear on them. Trautloft recalls 'I aimed at the right Defiant......my guns fired... pieces of the Defiant broke off and came hurtling towards me…I saw a thin trail of smoke, then suddenly just this fiery ball'. Plt Off Loudon gave warning and the squadron broke to port and turned to deliver a beam attack, their most effective attack position. Two Defiants were seen to immediately dive vertically into the sea. Realising what was happening the squadron whipped into steep left and right turns giving their gunners split-second chances to get their sights on the 109s. Sgt. Powell was the first to send one down in flames. Two other Defiants were shot down in this first attack. The gunners, clamped in their claustrophobic turrets, went down with their aeroplanes. One pilot, Plt Off Gard’ner in L7016, and one gunner, P/O Farnes in L7001, baled out and were picked up by rescue craft. P/O Gard’ner was wounded and taken to hospital at Canterbury. P/O Farnes was uninjured. A cannon shell smashed into the engine of P/O MacDougall’s Defiant, L6983. White glycol mingled with black smoke in a long plume as it spun down towards the Channel. MacDougall ordered his gunner, Sgt. Wise, to jump and was about to follow when the engine picked up. He circled twice over the water, watching Wise swim strongly towards the coast of France. He was never seen alive again and his body was not recovered. In L7001 P/O (later Flt Lt) Loudon was caught in the cross fire of two Me109s. His gunner, P/O Farnes, got in three bursts before he baled out. P/O Loudon struggled home with his Defiant ablaze and crashed in Hawkinge village. In hospital five bullets were removed from his arm. P/O Farnes was picked up from the sea. The remaining Defiants dived for the cloud, but Defiant L7015 was caught. Sgt. F Peter Atkins bailed out. P/O Rudal Kidson was killed, his body was never recovered. Three Defiants L6999, L7014 and L6983 made it back, two of them damaged, one beyond repair. Only one, L7014, badly shot up, landed back at the home base West Malling. Altogether, in the space of a quarter of an hour, six machines had been destroyed and ten men killed. The losses would have been even greater if Hurricanes from 111 Squadron had not arrived to scare the Messerschmitts off. 111 Squadron reported that four Me109s were shot down, ultimately all four confirmed. Two days later what was left of the Defiant Squadron was sent back to Prestwick, Scotland. The subject of this model, L7009 was flown by Flt Lt DG Donald with P/O AC Hamilton as his Gunner. Donald kept the aircraft aloft to allow Hamilton to bale out, but was killed when the aircraft crashed at Elms Vale Road, Dover. Hamilton sadly drowned. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning... We will remember them. ![](https://i.ibb.co/d2sXbrn/Hamilton-AC-portrait1-opt.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/MpR7DZz/Donald-IDG-cutting1-opt.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/QCbpT8m/Donald-IDG-grave1-opt.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/9VYmRDR/Hamilton-ACgrave2-opt.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/8Pm8LHs/BP-Defiant-19.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/c8bssQ1/BP-Defiant-18.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/6bR9vbf/BP-Defiant-9.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/GvVKBJM/BP-Defiant-8.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/2MnftVM/BP-Defiant-17.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/1KBD7Dh/BP-Defiant-7.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by Snipersmudge on Nov 6, 2021 14:36:17 GMT
excellent build and excellent bit of history. You really have got to hand it to those brave chaps who went up in obsolete aircraft and probably knew they would more than likely not come back.
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 6, 2021 14:56:40 GMT
Thanks Sniper,
Brave chaps indeed.
Lest we forget...
|
|
|
Post by Robbo on Nov 6, 2021 15:03:18 GMT
There you go again with your real looking photos, absolutely amazing even the blur of the propeller, how?
|
|
|
Post by Ian H. on Nov 6, 2021 15:12:54 GMT
Andy, the Defiant really looks amazing and thanks for sharing the historical background of this crew and airframe. I really enjoy reading the history behind these missions and machines.
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 6, 2021 15:17:04 GMT
There you go again with your real looking photos, absolutely amazing even the blur of the propeller, how? Because it is real Ian! Motorised with a 3.7v motor. You can't beat the real thing... Andy
|
|
andyclaesens
Sprue Cutter
The grass is always greener in a minefield...
Posts: 377
|
Post by andyclaesens on Nov 6, 2021 15:19:18 GMT
Andy, the Defiant really looks amazing and thanks for sharing the historical background of this crew and airframe. I really enjoy reading the history behind these missions and machines. Thanks very much Ian. I find it fascinating and sad at the same time. Last years Battle of Britain commemorative blog on Fb was a sobering thing to produce. Andy
|
|
|
Post by Ian H. on Nov 6, 2021 15:33:52 GMT
Andy, the Defiant really looks amazing and thanks for sharing the historical background of this crew and airframe. I really enjoy reading the history behind these missions and machines. Thanks very much Ian. I find it fascinating and sad at the same time. Last years Battle of Britain commemorative blog on Fb was a sobering thing to produce. Andy I am sure. But at the same time so important to never forget the heroism and sacrifice. Thanks once again for sharing the photos and story.
|
|
|
Post by Paul B on Nov 6, 2021 15:49:25 GMT
Awesome build Andy, and a good piece of history to go with it ![](http://www.allsmileys.com/files/smiley-central-emotions/5186.gif)
|
|