Models of the Month No.2 - July - Whacky Contraptions

This month is something a bit different - namely subjects which are a bit unconventional. The madder, the better.

First up is the Boulton Paul Defiant in 1/72 scale. Relying on a two-seat fighter where only the man in the back of the plane has the guns is the kind of thing that could only be cooked up in the UK. Suffice to say it didn't work in the day fighter role.

In the night-fighter role it fared a bit better and arguably served to train up crews in the dark arts of engaging targets in the pitch black using the limited technology at the time. It rapidly fell by the wayside once the 'definitive' Night Fighters such as the Beaufighter and Mosquito began to be employed.

The model here is one such night-fighter version. The matt black scheme is courtesy of some automotive spray paint combined with a finishing coat of satin varnish to seal the decals and generally prevent fingerprints when the model is handled. This is Airfix's recent tooling - compared to the older tooling it is much easier to put together and it builds up into a smart little model.


Next up is a pair of Horten 229s (but only one pictured) - a flying wing design powered by jet engines. Currently one is finished - the other in the stages of assembly and prep just before painting. Both of these are Revell 1/72 kits. They went together without any fuss and are highly recommended if you want a kit that pretty much builds up out of the box.

These are very much 'Luftwaffe 1946' models - e.g. never flew operationally so a certain amount of creative license is allowed when it comes to colour schemes, markings and camouflage (within reason). Quite easy to mask off for spray-painting - since they are essentially just a flat wing!

Next up is the Messerscmitt P 1099, another offering from Revell in 1/72. I've never heard of this before - another 'what if' design of late-war Germany. The wings and engine pods are basically scale replicas of the Me 262 with a different fuselage. The plan with this one is to do a splinter-type grey/green colour scheme.

Finally - the Heinkel He 115 Seaplane. The Germans built a fair few flying boats / seaplanes / floatplanes of various types and this is one of the more successful models. Consider that this is similar in size to a medium bomber like the He 111 or B-25; it is not a small plane by any means.

Ignore the mess around it - was halfway through a clearout!

The kit is from Revell, which in turn is a reboxing of a Matchbox tooling that has been knocking around in one form or another since 1976. I can report that it is a pretty decent model kit - it fits well, the parts are all reasonably free from flash or flaws and the finished result looks very respectable.

The main issue was in lining up all the supporting struts for the floats as well as the crew access ladders. Thankfully resolved using some borrowed clothes pegs and patience.

Next week - another madder contraption - the Arado E 555.