**** DONE: GB-37 1:48 BP DEFIANT - Helicopters / Military a/c of BoB 1940

[fubar57]

Merci mon amis. This is the best shot I've found. It looks like the inner gear doors are bottom colour, struts are aluminium but the wheelwells look darker than the struts though probably aluminum as well

 

[Wurger]

Here is the same pic but of a better quality. I have enlarged the part of it with the landing gear seen. I think you are right , the inner surfaces were of the same colour the undersides. I would say that's the Sky-S type. Those with the black undersides seem to have them of the black colour what can confirm that idea.

 

[fubar57]

Beauty!!! Airfix calls for black struts and retraction gear but clearly as shown they are not right. Why do I never see antenna wire running between the two poles yet in every line drawing it is always shown? This is one of the clearest images I have found and there is nothing there. Note that you can see the steady wires in the bowser behind...

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Also this photo...

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It doesn't matter whether the line drawing is of a Mk.I or a Mk.II, they always show antenna wire...

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[Wurger]

Humm.. that's still unsolved. I havent't found any info on that. However it seems that the antenna wire could be or not. It might depend on the radio set type and the frequency it worked with. If you have a look at the two pics above and those posted in #142 you may notice that there were two kinds of the antenna mast used. The first seems to be the antenna mast really while the second one looks like the aerial but not the mast rather. Also the wire could have been very thin so no visible mostly. Here below is an enlarged part of image of the second prototype. If you have a close look at this you may notice the insulators for the wire while this is not seen at all. The second enlarged pic is of the Defiant coded EW-A, shows a white line below the fuselage what can be the wire.

 

[fubar57]

Definitely looks like an antenna wire and insulator in the first pic but notice in the second pic the wire seems to plow into the ground on the left...

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[Wurger]

I have the doubt regarding the second pic too. It might be someting on the ground and it didn't have to be the antenna wire at all. Here the entire shot..

 

[fubar57]

I'm thinking maybe the earliest versions had the wire. This is the first aircraft in your Post #144, at a distance from the camera but the insulator is clearly seen, s/n K8310...

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This photo, much closer and I can't see the insulator, s/n N3377

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Somewhere during production it seems they lost the wire

 

[Wurger]

It is very possible. I would say that's the matter of the HF or VHF radio sets. Similar to the Spitfire aerials with the wire and without.

 

[Airframes]

It's possible that the radio was up-graded to a later TR9, and / or VHF sets were possibly fitted, not requiring the wire. The shape of the forward mast, where no wire is visible, looks like it could be for a VHF set, with the antenna rod inside the mast.

 

[fubar57]

Great input as always gentlemen. Looks like mine just got up-graded to a later TR9, and / or VHF set

 

[Crimea_River]

Good plan.

As for landing gear, looks like Airfix used the Hendon exhibit as their colour template. Ignore the red bands - temporary museum parts.

Also, would you consider making your own gear doors? Just cut them from plastic card using the kit parts as templates.

 

[fubar57]

Good shot Andy. Thought about making my own as it is a fairly simple in design but I have nothing on hand. My LHS only has round, square, etc in stock and at this moment Evergreen doesn't take PayPal. I've sanded to doors down and they look much better. Looking at your photo I notice two things: a) the door doesn't line up flush with the wheel well, 2) the curved attachment point at the front of the door. The kit part is a half-moon blob. This I can probably make better, not sure about the door alignment. Anyhoo....the turret.

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A test fit of the clear part. A few other builds had issues here and at first I could not get the clear over the guns but a bit of wiggling and it eased on and off. With careful gluing the guns can still be elevated. I'll add the turret at the end and then the clear part after it's painted.

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Ailerons added and once again a very tight fit with sanding required. I was concerned about the crank on the inner part of the ailerons and wondered how to make it flush but a quick check with drawings shows that it is there...

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[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

Lookin' good....!

 

[Crimea_River]

Loving that turret. Not for large people that one.

 

[Airframes]

Nice work on the turret Geo, and I reckon the gear doors will look fine once thinned down a bit.
A 'trick' I use to make such parts look thinner, is to 'shave' the edges, thinning them with a beveled edge, once the 'flat' parts have been sanded as far as they'll go.

 

[fubar57]

Thanks Andy and Terry. I found this in "Camouflage and Markings: Boulton Paul Defiant" and it show s/n L6957 with antenna, dated Feb. '40. s/n L7013 without antenna, dated mid-May '40. Though these are line drawings I'm thinking this is when the radio change-over took place

 

[fubar57]

Setting up the tail section...

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Thank your sir. All attached and this is where I end. Camp bus in four hours, have a good week gentlemen.