The Sea Shall Not Have Them - Tom's ASR Defiant

[TomW]

So, only a few days late in getting started with this group build!!

Well actually thats a bit of a lie, I started with the rest of you guys on the 27th and have been keeping a photo record like a good boy so apologies for the following mammoth post.



The Kit:





The Contents:





The Aftermarket goodies:







Construction started as it invariably always does with the cockpit:





A comparison of the etch seat with the kit supplied item:




Paint on:





And all folded up with the IP in place:






Looking pretty good for a first attempt at using PE bet you all know it'll end in disaster right?



Valiant wings nose removed from the casting block:




And surgery begun on the fuselage, nose and rudder off:





I've removed the flap from the radiator housing and blanked off the inside to prevent the see-through effect:





Cutting and test fitting the wheelbay roof:






Cockpit in place, it didn't fit at all and needed to be seperated into 4 parts to be teased into place, but i'm still happy with how its come out:





And Finally nose on, this is as far as I've gotten to:






More to happen soon as I prepare to fit the Master turned brass barrels for the turret armament and get on with replacing the rudder and other flying surfaces from plasticard.

Regards

Tom

[Old_Tonto]

That is a great start Tom. I like the interior a lot.

[Dirkpitt289]

I have to say I'm not impressed with that PE cockpit at all. LIKE HELL I"M NOT!!! That looks fantastic. I didn't know they made a PE set for this kit.

[TomW]

I didn't either Dirk till I started looking, the plan was to indulge myself by throwing every AM part I could find at the kit, not something I do very often because its just so expensive!


Progress report:




Wings on and filled, Nose filled and sanded and a little paint in the wheel wells:





More to come this weekend chaps!

Regards

Tom

[lancfan]

looking good.

David.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Looks good. I usually have the same issues with Airwaves cockpit floors and walls and have to hack away at them to get a fit.

[TomW]

Okay then, progress report.

This weekend has mostly been about playing with paper and plasticard to make new flying surfaces for the Defiant.

Here are my cut-out photocopies from the plans I'm utilising attached to the Plasticard:




Once cut out these were gently filed to give thin trailing edges and rounded tips before attaching them to the airframe, I've gone for deflected flying surfaces as this helps to disguise the thinner plasticard replacements:





Next I'll check all the seams over again and hopefully get some paint on

Regards

Tom

[TomW]

All flying surfaces now attached and things start to take shape , The marking option I've gone for is for an ASR (obviously duh ) machine from 276 squadron based at RAF Harrowbeer in mid 1942, the nice change to the norm is that this machine wears Dark Slate Grey / Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky paint with a fetching red spinner and codes, Im hoping that it will look sufficiently unusual on a Defiant, which is an aircraft I've always associated with overall Night or DG / DE paintwork.

First coat of Dark Slate Grey on:






Another coat needed for certain and then I'll mark out the EDSG.

Regards

Tom

[Martin R]

Tom,

Wait a minute, chap. Are both the ailerons drooping? As they are differential controls, one should be up when the other is down.

regards,

Martin

[Dirkpitt289]

Tom,

Wait a minute, chap. Are both the ailerons drooping? As they are differential controls, one should be up when the other is down.

regards,

Martin

Looking good but the mans got a point. The ailerons should be in opposing positions

[TomW]

That is a very good point well spotted gents, I'll be taking a blade to the offending extremity...now which one, left or right??

Regards

Tom

[splash]

Nice work Tom it will look great with a red nose.

Regards Splash

[Jagewa]

Nice scratching Tom.

Cheers
Jim

[JohnRatzenberger]

Let's give Tom some slack. As Airfix forgot the flaps, Tom was trying to provide the pilot with flaperons to assist his landings .... There are other planes with that arrangement.

[Martin R]

Let's give Tom some slack. As Airfix forgot the flaps, Tom was trying to provide the pilot with flaperons to assist his landings .... There are other planes with that arrangement.

Consider some slack duly delivered.

Tom, it's looking good, by they way.

regards,

Martin