Boulton Paul Defiant.

[Clunkmeister]

I really, really need to do this.

I need to take a brand new kit, fresh off the press, and be one of the first to give it a shot. The detail on this is absolutely incredible, and is exactly what we’d expect from the fertile mind of Peter Castle. Positively brilliant execution of a simple master plan: to bring the 1/32 community probably the only 1/32 scale Defiant we will ever see in our lifetimes.

The prototype needs no introduction at all, as it is a bit of an infamous machine that first caught the Luftwaffe napping, and once it’s weaknesses were figured out, we’re slaughtered completely enough that Fighter Command yanked them from all daylight ops.

it sprang from the drug addled minds of the glue sniffing planning board that gave us such gems as the Hawker Henley, the Blackburn Roc,  and probably the Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn as well.  
The Defiant was rather an attractive machine, especially when put up against any of the aforementioned Blackburn and Hawker jobs.

The kit is nice. Very nice. Superlative. And a quick initial check finds us with a real large scale crate. 

[Clunkmeister]

Time spent with proper nippers will yield beautiful parts.

Cockpit detailing is outstanding. 

[Clunkmeister]

A bit of added wiring and busying up will do wonders here. 

[Fran]

That`s a great start my friend!! Cant wait to see more!!

 

 

[BlrwestSiR]

An incredible looking kit. Great start on it too. 

[crazypoet]

I’m looking forward to seeing you take this to the next level, as always 🙏

[Count0]

Why does nearly every British plane look like it was flown into the ugly tree and then flirted with every branch on the way out?

It applies to nearly all of them, except of course, my beloved Mosquito. Not that they didn't try to ugly it up too, with some of the later variants...

[Clunkmeister]

On 7/6/2025 at 9:20 AM, Count0 said:

Why does nearly every British plane look like it was flown into the ugly tree and then flirted with every branch on the way out?

It applies to nearly all of them, except of course, my beloved Mosquito. Not that they didn't try to ugly it up too, with some of the later variants...

I expect they are “functional”, right?

[Clunkmeister]

On 7/6/2025 at 9:20 AM, Count0 said:

Why does nearly every British plane look like it was flown into the ugly tree and then flirted with every branch on the way out?

It applies to nearly all of them, except of course, my beloved Mosquito. Not that they didn't try to ugly it up too, with some of the later variants...

If the British accidentally designed a good looking aircraft, (despite photographic evidence to the contrary, one did occasionally sneak past the Ministry of Ugly), the addition of a radar pod in the nose generally fixed the issue. (See Sea Hornet vs Mosquito).

I expect early on, the British had the problem covered with the Defiant. The almost vertical heavily framed windscreen, and the bloated pimple of a gun emplacement left very little additional design work required to satisfy the quotient of ugly necessary for immediate serial production.

[PanzerWomble]

I feel you're being a bit selective here transatlantians ...😀

 

 

 

Supermarine, Hawkers and de Hav made some very comely aircraft .... Blackburn ....who knows what they were drinking in the design office ..

[HubertB]

31 minutes ago, PanzerWomble said:

I feel you're being a bit selective here transatlantians ...😀

 

 

 

Supermarine, Hawkers and de Hav made some very comely aircraft .... Blackburn ....who knows what they were drinking in the design office ..

I always was sure that a cheeky intern hid the lofting curves of the Blackburn design office in the early 20s, and then another intern re-discovered them in the 50s, and they had an orgy with them on the Buccaneer …

Anyway, we French, never had that problem of producing ugly aircrafts 🙄

(This one does not count. It was an attempt to grow plants in high altitude conditions … )

 

Hubert

[Martinnfb]

I have lots of  keen childhood memories of Amiot 146 as I was trying to glue the windows not 1/72 scale Smer kit. 

[Martinnfb]

The title of this build should be changed to "When I grow up, I want to be a hurricane"  

 

[PanzerWomble]

20 hours ago, Martinnfb said:

The title of this build should be changed to "When I grow up, I want to be a hurricane"  

 

The Ugly Aircraft Group Build ...? Prizes for the most gopping .

[KevinM]

1 hour ago, PanzerWomble said:

The Ugly Aircraft Group Build ...? Prizes for the most gopping

I am sure our boy Hubert has a few in the stash he likes those down the beaten path.

[HubertB]

38 minutes ago, KevinM said:

I am sure our boy Hubert has a few in the stash he likes those down the beaten path.

I always thought that the Dornier Delphin would make a pretty cool scratchbuilt subject …

http://www.aviastar.org/air/germany/dorn_delphin.php

Hubert

[Count0]

On 7/23/2025 at 1:07 PM, PanzerWomble said:

I feel you're being a bit selective here transatlantians ...😀

You found four. And two are not even good examples! Helldivers are beautiful, if a bit big boned... And leave my beloved Goblin alone!

I don't have enough fingers to count all the Blackburn Assbackwards and Fairey Airapers that fouled up your side of the Atlantic...

[Count0]

On 7/23/2025 at 1:56 PM, Martinnfb said:

"When I grow up, I want to be a hurricane"

A truly underrated airplane. Overshadow by its attention whore sister, the Super (right?) Marine Spitfire.

And just like the real world, while the camera's are pointed at the super model Spitfire, the Hurricanes are getting the real work done, setting up lights, making sure there's film in the camera, and coke in the bathroom...

 

That analogy may have went off the rail's a bit, but you get the idea.

[Clunkmeister]

On 7/24/2025 at 11:01 PM, Count0 said:

You found four. And two are not even good examples! Helldivers are beautiful, if a bit big boned... And leave my beloved Goblin alone!

I don't have enough fingers to count all the Blackburn Assbackwards and Fairey Airapers that fouled up your side of the Atlantic...

The Goblin certainly looks like it’s been gobbling alright,… an entire truckload of marshmallow puffs and chugging Coca Cola by the 2L bottle.

per day

[Clunkmeister]

13 hours ago, Count0 said:

A truly underrated airplane. Overshadow by its attention whore sister, the Super (right?) Marine Spitfire.

And just like the real world, while the camera's are pointed at the super model Spitfire, the Hurricanes are getting the real work done, setting up lights, making sure there's film in the camera, and coke in the bathroom...

 

That analogy may have went off the rail's a bit, but you get the idea.

Truer words and all that…

[Clunkmeister]

A bit of an update, y’all.

I’m proceeding with the cockpit, and I want to point out some amazing things regarding this kit.  A box arrived about 3 weeks after my kits arrived. 
In this box was a Mk.1a main gear set with new tail wheel as well.  Apparently Peter received some reports of early completions of this kit getting decidedly splay legged on the shelf.  The resin used for the gear and other high stress areas is a special much stronger resin, which didn’t hold up as well as hoped.  
So, Peter provided, at ZERO cost to purchasers of this kit, new redesigned gear legs with hollow legs to precisely insert small steel rods.  That oughta hold it!

Also, he sent along cockpit rear view mirrors. They are not in the kit from what I can see, so they are a brilliant addition.

I can say this about this model: it is superbly engineered.  There are rumblings of it being a difficult kit, but having dry fitted almost every component already, (the fit is spectacular), just test fit, trim edges as needed, and assemble.  Approach it like a molded resin kit and you’ll be golden.  
There are quite a lot fewer parts than you may think, but Peter has printed critical areas as 1 piece parts. Some modelers don’t like that, but I do.  I’m more a paint and finishing guy, and if the U/C can be done in 1 part, GO FOR IT!

I love this kit so much, that if I hadn’t come off the worst year I’ve ever had in business, I’d have a dozen of these lined up in my model room.  It’s THAT nice!

The biggest challenge to a successful build is going to be getting the parts off the runners without damage.  I already blew the turret guns part into a crumbly mess, my fault, not the kit.  I dropped the spinner cone, looked for it, and didn’t see it, but sure felt and heard it when I stepped on it.

Peter is very clear to purchasers: “I want these models to be successfully built”, he understands that a full 3D Print kit is new to many, and he will provide at no cost, replacement parts as needed.   
Not all of us are Peter Castle caliber builders, but we’re all competent enough, and everyone here should be able to competently build this model.

Airscale started as my savior AM Company: almost every model I build gets Airscale panel updates. Then they did the updates for the Devastatingly nice Devastator.  
Now we have a Defiant. Then a car door Tiffie!  I’m hoping a Blackburn Skua, a Hawker Henley, and maybe a Vickers Wellesley or Fairey Battle might come along.

Oh, and an actual on-scale P-39.  A properly proportioned P-39 would be truly glorious.

This morning, I’m on the bench.

I thought about being a real Smart Alec and rebuild an Airscale kit’s panel with Airscale instruments. 😂. But honestly, the panel is, as I said before, positively brilliant.

The Defiant was a long, LONG time coming. But I’m definitely a Brit plane fanatic, so these are good times!

[Clunkmeister]

On 7/24/2025 at 3:26 PM, HubertB said:

I always thought that the Dornier Delphin would make a pretty cool scratchbuilt subject …

http://www.aviastar.org/air/germany/dorn_delphin.php

Hubert

Some French designs were no doubt peculiar, with the theme generally being towards flying solariums, but nobody can argue that the French, when they put their minds to it, deliver some extremely beautiful aircraft

Peil Emeraude and Super Emeraude, the Robin series of light aircraft, Sud Caravelle, Concorde, Mirage lll and up, and on and on.

And then there was this little cutie:

 

[BlrwestSiR]

41 minutes ago, Clunkmeister said:

Some French designs were no doubt peculiar, with the theme generally being towards flying solariums, but nobody can argue that the French, when they put their minds to it, deliver some extremely beautiful aircraft

Peil Emeraude and Super Emeraude, the Robin series of light aircraft, Sud Caravelle, Concorde, Mirage lll and up, and on and on.

And then there was this little cutie:

 

That reminds me of a 3/4 scale C-130.