1:72 Defiant Mk.I "A" Camouflage Patterns

Painting masks of camouflage A for the Defiant Mk.I (1:72, AML)

A set of self-adhesive painting masks from the Czech manufacturer AML for spraying camouflage pattern A onto a model of the two-seat Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I fighter in 1:72 scale. The masks carry the broken pattern onto the upper surfaces of the model exactly as the RAF regulations of the day prescribed it, with no laborious redrawing from the instructions and no risk of the pattern failing to meet on the left and right halves of the wing. The result is a regular, symmetrical camouflage with clean edges of the kind that is hard to achieve with a brush.

The real subject

The Boulton Paul Defiant represented an unusual concept of a fighter: it concentrated all its armament in a powered turret with four machine guns behind the pilot, while fixed forward-firing armament was absent. After early successes in the day fighter role it proved vulnerable, and the weight of its service shifted to night fighting and later to training duties and target towing. The day fighters carried the standard British scheme of brown and green on the upper surfaces in the prescribed layout A.

Working with the masks

• First spray the model in the lighter shade of the scheme and let the paint dry thoroughly.
• Transfer the masks onto the model, press the edges down lightly and lay the second shade on in thin coats.
• Lift the masks off at a sharp angle shortly after drying and the edges will stay sharp and clean.
• Keep the unused parts of the sheet on the backing paper for another build.

Who it is for

For modelers who want to achieve a regular camouflage pattern on the Defiant without drawing it by hand. The masks will be appreciated by beginning and advanced builders of British aircraft alike.