Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk I. Finished Pics Pg 4.

[zenrat]

Canopy and Remote Turret Optical Observation Dome mk2 in place.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk 1 WIP 02-10-21 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Flyer]

LOL, good one!

Looks great!

[zenrat]

Thanks BradF.  With the close coupled two seater canopy in place it looks Russian.

[Flyer]

Certainly does, Il-2 or something. 

[NARSES2]

Certainly does, Il-2 or something. 

I can certainly see where you are coming from

[zenrat]

Nearly done.  Just four small pieces to finish painting and attach.  However I have screwed up the paint on them.  It'd fly without them so if they can't be saved without sanding back i'll adjust the back story to fit.

[Pellson]

...so if they can't be saved without sanding back i'll adjust the back story to fit.

The 2nd Spackman rule applies!   

[PR19_Kit]

...so if they can't be saved without sanding back i'll adjust the back story to fit.

The 2nd Spackman rule applies!   

[su27rules]

 

[zenrat]

I saved the parts (they were the undercarriage doors) and I have finished it apart from rigging the aerial wire.
I shall do that tomorrow, take pictures and then post them in the nick of time.


I hope.

[zenrat]

Finished, and posted with 2 1/2 hours to spare ...

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 19 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Defiant PR Mk.1 was a modified variant designed to meet Air Ministry Specification 10/36 for a general reconnaissance aircraft.  The four gun turret dorsal was replaced with a Remote Turret Optical Observation Dome Mk2 mounted ventrally.  In order to provide clearance for the camera turret the radiator was relocated forward to a position under the rear of the engine co-located with the air intake.  An observer/camera operator sat directly behind the pilot under a short canopy.  The only weapon was a rear mounted Vickers K operated by the Observer.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 15 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The camera was mounted in the fuselage of the aircraft with a system of mirrors feeding the image to it from a lens in the turret.  The Observer could control azimuth and declination by rotating the turret and angling the lens within.
The flexibility provided by its turret gave the Defiant PR1 an immediate advantage over aircraft with fixed cameras (such as PR Spitfires) as multiple runs could be made over the subject with the equipment being adjusted in between to provide different angles as required.  Later developments in aerial cameras gave the Observer a viewfinder, allowed lenses to be changed in flight, and allowed a movie camera to be fitted.  The provision of the viewfinder allowed the Observer to become a much more effective photographer enabling panning and zooming as the aircraft passed over its subject.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

PR Defiants proved immensely popular with the RAFs PRUs serving from '41 to the end of the war.  The bulk of the preparatory photo reconnaissance for all major Allied actions being carried out by them.  They served in all theatres being used by all commonwealth air forces plus the Soviet Union and the PDRV.  Only the US didn't adopt them preferring to mount their own version of the RTOOD2 camera turret on Rolls Royce Griffin engined RP-38 Lightning "Y-Wings".

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

After the end of WW2 in 1946 the Defiant PR1 had a second lease of life as an aerial survey aircraft.  A number were also used as flying camera aircraft for big budget movies including John Ford's epic Victory at Waterloo* and Hammer Studios The Battle of Britain**.  The plane shown was part of the three aircraft multinational team for the 1951 expedition to film and photograph the entire coastline of Australia.  A feat whose success in meeting its objectives was overshadowed by the cancers caused by radiation exposure from the Darwin crater overflight.  In 1971 this aircraft was discovered in the back of a hanger at Casino Field in Tasmania from where it was purchased by the Victorian People's Museum of Flight and shipped back to Dadswell Bridge for restoration to flying condition.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 29 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

*Starring John Wayne as Napoleon, Charles Hawtry as Wellington, and Cary Grant as Blucher.  Defiant PR1s were used extensively to film the battle scenes.  The film was a failure in the UK market due to perceived pro French bias.  It was however, not surprisingly very popular in France where Wayne was congratulated on the accuracy of his Corsican accent by De Gaulle himself.
**Hammer began planning the film in 1941 and bought up surplus aircraft as they became available.  When production began in 1947 they had the worlds sixth largest airforce providing employment to many demobilised pilots from both sides, a few of whom had taken part in the actual events depicted and could therefore provide historical detail which would have otherwise be lost.  Because of this the movie is today considered more documentary than pure entertainment and is seen as a valuable education resource.  Nearly 500 hours of outtakes of the aerial photography survived and are preserved at Dadswell Bridge.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 24 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model.

Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.1 (new mould).
Unknown canopy from the Clear Parts Box (possibly Japanese).
Turret is Revell Lancaster bomb aimers dome.

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 23 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Flyer]

Nice! 

[Pellson]

That really is cool! Now - where's the Griffon engined variant? 

[scooter]

So does the Hammer version have the, possibly apocryphal, exchange between Goering and Galland?

[Old Wombat]

Great piece of engineering, Fred!


De Gaulle is also reported, by Le Monde, as stating how inspired the casting of John Wayne was in the role, to capture the physical stature of "le Grand Napoléon".