Boulton Paul Defiant 1/72 Scale Model

British Mk.II - This is a model of a night fighter that flew against German bombers over England in early 1941. The Defiant was the result of a British theory that fighter planes armed with machine gun turrets would have a tactical advantage over conventional fighters with guns in their wings. When the Defiant went into action for the first time over Dunkirk in May, 1940, it succeeded in surprising the German fighters that attacked it from behind. Luftwaffe pilots, however, soon learned the Defiant was defenseless from other angles and, after heavy losses, the plane was removed from daytime duties in August. It was decided to install AI radar units on Defiants and used them as night fighters, and they enjoyed success in this role during the winter of 1940-41, attacking German bombers from below. The initial version of the Defiant, the Mk.I, used the Rolls Royce Merlin III engine. Like the Hawker Hurricane Mk.II, the Mk.II Defiant was fitted with the more powerful Merlin XX engine. By the end of 1941 the Bristol Beaufighter had replaced the Defiant as Britain's primary night fighter. The Defiant was removed from combat duty in 1942, and many were relegated to training duties, with production ending in 1943 after a little more than a thousand were built.

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