Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Old Wombat on December 14, 2013, 06:06:12 PM
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The Boulton-Paul/Westland Defender Mk.IV - a cross between a Defiant & a Whirlwind.
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Back story for those who are interested:
Due to the less than outstanding success of the (relatively) contemporary Defiant & Whirlwind, the British aircraft companies Boulton-Paul & Westland partnered up to product the B-P/W Defender Mk I. Combining the best elements of their respective designs they came up with a fast twin-engine turret-fighter powered by RR Merlin III engines, armed with 4 x .303 calibre machine guns in the same turret as used on the Defiant & 6 x .303 calibre machine guns mounted in the nose.
Misguidedly tasked as a day fighter the Defender was not quite up to the job. Although it did perform much better than the German Me. 110 it was too slow to out-run & insufficiently agile to out-turn single seat fighters such as the Me. 109 with subsequently high losses. These losses led to the Air Ministry almost cancelling orders for the aircraft but a need for night-fighters caused a stay of execution as the Defender squadrons were re-tasked to this role.
This is where the Defender 1st made its mark, with the Mk I proving to be considerably better & more versatile than the contemporary single-seat fighters & converted bombers. The aircraft of Defender squadrons all bore the legend "Comrades in Arms", as a memorial to those who died early in the war flying in Defiant & Battle squadrons from which most of the original crews came.
The short-lived Mk II trialled replacing the .303 mg’s with American .50 cal mg’s (4 in the nose & 2 in the turret).
The Mk III which replaced it returned to .303 mg’s, with the usual 4 in the turret but only 4 in the nose. This was because the Mk III was fitted with an additional 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannon in a belly pack below the cockpit.
The Mk IV lost the nose .303’s & the turret. These were replaced by an airborne RDF unit & its operator. Although now limited to only the 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannon, the Mk IV was an extremely effective night-time aerial interceptor.
Later Marks were mainly improvements in RDF/radar & engines, although the Defender did spawn the highly successful “Aggressor” fighter-bomber.
The Aggressor was, basically, a single-seat late-Mark Defender armed with 6 forward firing 20 mm Hispano cannon (2 x nose, 4 x belly pack) plus up to 2,000 lb’s of bombs & 8 rockets.
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(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0490-1.jpg)
(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0491-1.jpg)
(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0496-1.jpg)
(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0494-1.jpg)
(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0495-1.jpg)
(http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/GPlachy/Defender/IMG_0482-1.jpg)
Build album slideshow link: http://s459.photobucket.com/user/GPlachy/slideshow/Defender (http://s459.photobucket.com/user/GPlachy/slideshow/Defender)
:)
Guy
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Twin seat, twin engined night fighter in some snazzy night camo :-*
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Stunning!
It fights perfectly with the RAF's needs, corrects two underappreciated airframes by combining them and even manages to look like it was always meant to be in this form.
Bravo!
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Sweet
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Thanks to you all, once more! :))
:)
Guy
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I really like the camo, as for the rest of it I'll just say:
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc10/blounted1/bth_cat-sees-what-you-did.jpg)
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Beautiful!! And quite plausible; I'm tempted to try some of the back-story airframes.
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Beautiful!! And quite plausible; I'm tempted to try some of the back-story airframes.
Go for it! :D
(I was quietly hoping someone would! ;) )
:)
Guy
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Outstanding job converting a single engine in twin!! :) :-*
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That's a great kitbash - plausible and the camo looks great. It looks like a British answer to the Me 110.
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Harmonious silhouette, a pleasure for the eyes, thanks! :-*
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Thank you, gents! :icon_alabanza:
For anyone interested (elmayerle?): My vision of the Aggressor was of the aircraft I modelled minus the spine, with a Spitfire bubble canopy & 2 Mustang engine sections, maybe with a slightly revised tail (this one's a little clunky). The RO's place would be taken by either an extra fuel tank or a slightly smaller tank with more ammunition for the belly-pack cannons.
:)
Guy
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The build is beautiful, from concept to cammo. And the pilots really set the thing off.
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That looks really good Guy, and on top of that, the camo scheme is what I had envisioned for my Twin-Spitfire nightfighter, only I'm using Glossy Sea Blue topside. Now I can see it works ---- :)
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That's one of the most excellent night camo schemes I've ever seen!
You have mad, enviable talent!
Brian da Basher
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..gotta build one now ! Excellent inspiration there. :D
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You know Wombat, this looks like a real could've been, well done my twisted friend!! 8)
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Gentlemen, now that I've got internet service again, I thank you all! :))
:)
Guy
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First thing that comes to mind is RAF 45.5 or 46 --- which is it :)
Cool concept and camo 8)
Camo does just right amount of eye scrambling !
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First thing that comes to mind is RAF 45.5 or 46 --- which is it :)
Cool concept and camo 8)
Camo does just right amount of eye scrambling !
Nothing so late. I'm figuring a 1940/41 introduction of the Mk.I with the Mk.IV entering service around 1943/44 (maybe as early as mid-'43).
:icon_music:
Guy
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Much goodness here .............. :-*
Brent
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Thanks, Brent! :)
:icon_music:
Guy