Air Ministry Specification F.9/35 required a two-seater day and night "turret fighter" capable of 290 mph at 15,000 ft. Several manufacturers responded, and eventually prototypes were ordered from Hawker and Boulton Paul, resulting in production of the Defiant. Supermarine designer R. J. Mitchell also put quite a lot of effort into a proposal based on the Spitfire, coming up with a few special tricks, like a remotely controlled turret for better aerodynamics. In the event, Supermarine was really too occupied with developing the Spitfire to get another project going, so the Air Ministry gave the job to Boulton Paul, who already had a working turret in production.
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This model was made from drawings in Morgan and Shacklady’s Spitfire: the History. The kit is an old Airfix mk. 1, suitably modified with a vac-formed canopy and under-nose radiator, and the strange non-ejector exhausts. The markings are similar to those of the prototype Defiant.
Enjoy the photos.
Ole A. Hoel
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