Reviewed by Glen Porter

Mushroom's Boulton Paul Defiant is available online from Squadron.com 

Isn't it always the way? After you've built your model, then out come an excellent reference that you wanted before you started. It's like when you scratch build something that's not available, one of the major manufacturers will bring one out.

Hopefully, some of you haven't yet built your MPM or CA Defiants and if so this is the book for you. No matter which variant you're interested in, Mk.I, Mk.II, Air-Sea Rescue or Target Tug, they're all covered in this one very comprehensive volume.

Beginning with the development of the Mk.I and its sad fall from grace as a day- fighter, its development as a night-fighter, the Mk.II, Air-Sea rescue duties and finally, as a Target-Tug, the text is interspersed with lots of B&W photos and 1/72 scale plans.

Next comes a 50 page “Walk Around”, mostly in colour, showing aspects of the aircraft's exterior and interior that most of us won't have seen before. The book's worth it for this alone.

Finally, very attractive art-work by Artur Juszcak consisting of 38 side profiles and several plan views covering every colour scheme the defiant flew in, RAF day and night-fighters, Polish night-fighters, ASR aircraft in the Temperate Sea Scheme and RAF plus USAAF Target-Tugs.

Every time I see one of these Mushroom books they just seem to be getting better and better. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Mirage IIIO volume.

Thank you Mark, Roger and Mushroom Model Magazine.

Highly Recommended.

All Mushroom Model Publications books are available direct from the publishers, who now accept credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Switch)  

North American distributors are Squadron/MMD, Australian distributors are Platypus Publications. In Europe, the books are available from any good bookshop (via our UK distributors, Orca). Contact MMP direct in case of difficulties. 

Thanks to Roger at Mushroom Model Magazine  for the sample.