A Night Fighter Returns

Transcript*

Skit

Hello all. This is David from Sunward Hobbies. So, a few nights ago, I came into the store like normal. Uh, I stayed late. Had to do some inventory checks. And then before I knew it, I I dozed off and the store just isn’t the same. Nothing feels right. I mean, when I tried to leave the store, where the front door normally is was this I have no idea what’s going on. And it seems for every day that I’ve been stuck here, things continue to change. Not for the better. It’s really hard to describe what things feel familiar but not right.

Heat.
Heat.
This is new.

Intro

Well, while I try to comprehend what’s going on here, why don’t we take a quick look at this quote unquote new release from Airfix. It is the 1/48 scale Boulton Paul Defiant NF1. And I call it a new release because technically this is just a reissue of a kit from 2017, which in and of itself was a re-box of a kit from 2016. Uh the only difference being really that the 2016 kit had the standard day fighter colour schemes while this one is the night fighter version. But despite being a reissue, uh, it is a good kit. I know I own it myself.

Brief Plane History

Now, for the real plane itself, it was designed to be a turret fighter, which in World War I may have been cutting edge, but by the time of World War II, it was a very outdated tactic. Uh, the plane’s most distinctive feature is that it has a turret in the back and no forward firing armament.

So, you can imagine that must have been pretty useless. And you’re not entirely wrong. Many people consider the Defiant to be one of the worst planes of World War II, although personally I kind of like it. So, I’d like to give it a chance. So being a turret fighter, its role was essentially to intercept enemy bombers and rather than pointing the aircraft at the bombers to fire, they felt instead that having a 360 degree rotating turret would be more economical. And maybe it was. But as soon as they started encountering BF 109s and 110s, it showed its uh uselessness.

I mean, the turret could technically be rotated to face forward, but uh that took about 5 minutes. And not to mention, they ran the risk of shooting off their own propeller. Plus, when you’re in a dog fight, uh, five minutes is an eternity. Anyway, uh, after learning that lesson, the RAF decided maybe they would be better suited for night fighting operations, which they actually did pretty well. However, by that time it was just decided that the uh newer fighters like the bull fighter and mosquito were better suited for that role. So, the Defiant was soon after retired.

Sprue A (Fuselage & Wings)

So, there’s four sprues here and one clear sprue. Here we’ve got sprue A, which is the fuselage and half of the top wings, as well as a few internal components for the turret and the cockpit floor. And for some reason, this kit has this framing that goes in the wings, which leads you to believe that there’d be like a gun bay or something, but uh no.

Sprue B (Wings, Elevator, Landing Gear)

As you’ll see on the second sprue, uh it slots in here as well as here. it it’s basically just a Wayne spar. Although uh didn’t really need this uh structure. It could have just been like one little piece that juts out, but whatever. Their decision, not mine. So, also on the sprue, you got uh I’m sorry, this is the top half. Uh these were the bottom Uh so top half of each wing, the rudder, elevators, the landing gear bay,
and surface detail is all right. Like middle of the road quality. Uh as I’ve mentioned before, Airfix likes to over exaggerate their panel lines for smaller scales.

Sprue C (Turret & Landing Lear Options)

This net sprue here has got more components for the turret as well as the landing gear covers. Uh, it gives you the option to have different covers for whether your landing gear is down or up, as well as some machine guns, seats, and radiators.

Sprue D (Exhaust Stacks, Propellers & Cockpit)

And then this last plastic sprue has the exhaust stacks, landing gear legs, the propeller, and a few cockpit components like the instrument panel and the sidewalls.

Clear Parts

And then lastly here, we’ve got the clear parts. So, you got your windscreen, your canopy, and of course, your rear turret. And they give you the option for a fully closed turret and one that you can open up.

Decals

Next here we have the small decal sheet with a few roundles, a squadron insignias, as well as a shark mouth for one of the marking schemes.
Let us know in the comments, have you built this kit or any other Defiant model in your life? And uh also let us know uh what’s your thoughts on the Defiant. Do you like it like me or do

Instructions – Jig Tool Mention

you agree that it is one of the worst planes of World War II? So construction starts in the cockpit like always. Uh there’s not that much to it. Fairly simple. Then once it’s all complete, you place it into the fuselage. And this particular kit has a unique uh building method here. This here is I guess supposed to be like a jig for you to insert the turret into.

However, it has these two prongs on it which you leave on once you’re gluing it in. Then the fuselage goes together. And after that, they tell you to cut these prawns off so that each component here is perfectly aligned with the circular shape. I mean, uh, it’s different. It’s unique. might make painting a little awkward, but um hey, when I actually build my copy of this kit, I’ll let you know how it went. Next is the landing gear. Sorry, the landing gear bay, excuse me. And then those weird little uh spars that slip into the top halves of the wings.

Then the wings go together and go into the fuselage. And you got your ailerons going on. And you can position them up or static. Uh you got your radiator what go which goes under the belly and then uh your elevators, your rudder. Uh landing gear goes in and landing gear on this one is particularly simple. Wheels go on and landing gear covers.

Instructions – Turret

And then the turret has almost two whole pages just to itself. This is where they put most of their effort clearly. And like I alluded to earlier, you can have the turret either be fully enclosed or have the back doors slid open. And then also you have the option to display the rear turret facing backward to the side or forward. And depending on which one you do, you have to position this little hump here in the back accordingly as well as this just in front of the turret. Speaking of which, here is where that little hump comes into play.

So whether you have it up or down, you’d have to insert this little jade here. And seeing as though it has the no glue icon here, looks like uh you can have this turret be turnable. I think I guess it would depend on uh which option you go with. All right.

Painting Schemes

Then lastly, you’ve got your propeller going in the exhaust stacks, the uh radar antennas in the bottom, and then here at the end, you’ve got your two night fighter schemes. one from uh Cambridge, England in February 41 and another one with uh the uh special night rounds on the sides from Debben and Biggin Hill, England in December 40, February 41. And you got your stencil data at the back.

David’s Conclusion

In conclusion, Airfix’s Bolt and Paul Defiant Kit is decent. It’s fairly simple to put together. It’s got enough detail in it to satisfy most people.
uh satisfy most people. Of course, uh if you’re a a detail hound like uh myself, uh there’s always aftermarket parts that you can purchase. So, uh that is the end of this video. Thank you very much for watching it. And uh if any of you out there could send police to 1200 Areowood Drive, I’d really like to get out of here, please. Anyway, uh thanks for watching. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, follow us on our socials, and until the next one.

Skit

What the hell?
Adios.

About the Author:

David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.

*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano