Boulton-Paul Defiant F Mk I
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Kit Review
This is a new tooling from Trumpeter.
Inside their usual style box you will find three sprues of a medium grey-coloured plastic, one of clear plastic and a small fret of etched brass. All surface detail is via engraved lines and this includes all the rivets. The control surfaces all feature 'fabric' effect to one degree or another, that on the elevators is OK, whilst the rudder has pronounced ribs and the ailerons are generally too heavily depicted for mosts tastes we suspect. The interior has the cockpit comprising a floor/rear bulkhead, rudder pedals with compass pillar, seat, control column, instrument panel with decal overlay and sidewalls. Overall detail is OK, but is inaccurate in many ways and not as good as that which you will find in the Airfix kit; the instructions state the region should be painted 'Medium Grey Green', when this is Interior Grey-Green. The turret region has no detail moulded into each fuselage half and the only option you have is with the upper and mid-canopy sections in the 'up' position, as these are all moulded in situ. The mid-canopy section is actually moulded as the framework to each fuselage half, into which the separate glazed panels have to be fitted, and that type of installation is never going to be as straightforward as doing the whole area in clear with the frames to be painted. The tailwheel and yoke are separate and the wheels wells are moulded into the lower wing half, but they are quite deep and well detailed. Each main wheel is split vertically and the hubs are moulded into situ, the tyres do have a tread pattern but the distinctive brush mounted on each oleo leg to clean the tyre is missing. The undercarriage doors are all separate, but lack any real detail except a slight lip around the edge. The exhaust stacks are moulded as separate multi-part units and the tip lights and cover for the landing light are all separate clear components. The big error with the wings is the depicting of landing flaps along the whole of the inboard section of the wing, as the Defiant did not have this style of landing flap (glue them in the 'up' position by removing the tab and deal with the resulting panel lines etc.). The turret is not that bad, being more complex in its construction and detail than the Airfix example. The propeller looks decidedly skinny however.
Colour Options
The kit includes two decal options
• L7009, TW•H, 'Cock o' the North' of No.141 Squadron in day-fighter colours
• N3328, DZ•Z of No.151 Squadron with the shark's mouth painted under the nose in the night-fighter scheme
The decal sheet is well printed, with limited carrier film that is nice and glossy, but as usual with Trumpeter, the colours used for the roundels, codes etc. all seem wrong and too bright. The instructions have the wheel wells on N3328 in grey-green and whilst there are some period images that definitely show a light colour for these regions and the oleo legs etc., there are also those showing these areas in black, so most will probably go with the latter option.
Conclusion
Trumpeter seem to have made a habit of announcing subjects that have been long awaited in the scale, then go and make silly accuracy and/or marking errors that disappoint the modeller. This new Defiant is a good example of a bit of both and that is compounded by the fact that there is already a better and cheaper kit of the type on the market. Overall therefore we have to say that this one is not really worth bothering with, sorry Trumpeter but a little more detailed understanding of the physical nature of a subject is needed before you commit to cutting metal for the moulds in future (especially with RAF/RN subjects it would seem!).
Our thanks to Pocketbond/Bachmann Europe Plc for the review sample, check out this and all other ranges they import by visiting their website (www.pocketbond.co.uk).
This is a new tooling from Trumpeter.
Inside their usual style box you will find three sprues of a medium grey-coloured plastic, one of clear plastic and a small fret of etched brass. All surface detail is via engraved lines and this includes all the rivets. The control surfaces all feature 'fabric' effect to one degree or another, that on the elevators is OK, whilst the rudder has pronounced ribs and the ailerons are generally too heavily depicted for mosts tastes we suspect. The interior has the cockpit comprising a floor/rear bulkhead, rudder pedals with compass pillar, seat, control column, instrument panel with decal overlay and sidewalls. Overall detail is OK, but is inaccurate in many ways and not as good as that which you will find in the Airfix kit; the instructions state the region should be painted 'Medium Grey Green', when this is Interior Grey-Green. The turret region has no detail moulded into each fuselage half and the only option you have is with the upper and mid-canopy sections in the 'up' position, as these are all moulded in situ. The mid-canopy section is actually moulded as the framework to each fuselage half, into which the separate glazed panels have to be fitted, and that type of installation is never going to be as straightforward as doing the whole area in clear with the frames to be painted. The tailwheel and yoke are separate and the wheels wells are moulded into the lower wing half, but they are quite deep and well detailed. Each main wheel is split vertically and the hubs are moulded into situ, the tyres do have a tread pattern but the distinctive brush mounted on each oleo leg to clean the tyre is missing. The undercarriage doors are all separate, but lack any real detail except a slight lip around the edge. The exhaust stacks are moulded as separate multi-part units and the tip lights and cover for the landing light are all separate clear components. The big error with the wings is the depicting of landing flaps along the whole of the inboard section of the wing, as the Defiant did not have this style of landing flap (glue them in the 'up' position by removing the tab and deal with the resulting panel lines etc.). The turret is not that bad, being more complex in its construction and detail than the Airfix example. The propeller looks decidedly skinny however.
Colour Options
The kit includes two decal options
• L7009, TW•H, 'Cock o' the North' of No.141 Squadron in day-fighter colours
• N3328, DZ•Z of No.151 Squadron with the shark's mouth painted under the nose in the night-fighter scheme
The decal sheet is well printed, with limited carrier film that is nice and glossy, but as usual with Trumpeter, the colours used for the roundels, codes etc. all seem wrong and too bright. The instructions have the wheel wells on N3328 in grey-green and whilst there are some period images that definitely show a light colour for these regions and the oleo legs etc., there are also those showing these areas in black, so most will probably go with the latter option.
Conclusion
Trumpeter seem to have made a habit of announcing subjects that have been long awaited in the scale, then go and make silly accuracy and/or marking errors that disappoint the modeller. This new Defiant is a good example of a bit of both and that is compounded by the fact that there is already a better and cheaper kit of the type on the market. Overall therefore we have to say that this one is not really worth bothering with, sorry Trumpeter but a little more detailed understanding of the physical nature of a subject is needed before you commit to cutting metal for the moulds in future (especially with RAF/RN subjects it would seem!).
Our thanks to Pocketbond/Bachmann Europe Plc for the review sample, check out this and all other ranges they import by visiting their website (www.pocketbond.co.uk).
