Beaufighter help please.

[Mickc1440]

As the build progresses I'm looking to model the aircraft on the ground with it's waiting crew. There are two crew access panels to model in the open position. Only the pilots door has a small section of ladder and nothing on the navigators. I'm struggling to find a pic to help, the ones I have found have only confused me more. Can anyone help please?

[SimonT]

[ATTACH]350664[/ATTACH][ATTACH]350665[/ATTACH]

Hi Mick,

these are the pilots door with ladder looking from the front and rear
[ATTACH]350666[/ATTACH]
this also shows the gunners hatch - no sign of a ladder presumably as it is nearer to the ground
Looking at the chaps loading ammo they are slightly crouched next to the front door so a chap standing up in the gunners doorway would have the bottom of the fuselage roughly level with his thighs so could probably pull himself up from there (or there could be a foot hold on the back of the door I suppose - can't find any pics from the other side)

[Mickc1440]

Thanks for that Si I'd seen the pilot ones but not the bottom one, it makes sense that the recess in the rear door is a foot step. I managed to find a blurry pic of the ladder stowed which then blocks up the hole in the pilots door but can't see how it works, never mind that's a huge help.

[SimonT]

does this help Mick?


looking at the closed position it possibly pivots on the pins in the yellow circle and they then slide in the channels (red oval)

Best guess - opening procedure is probably something like release lock, pull ladder forward and down so it slides forward whilst pivoting then when the pins reach slots they drop in and lock it in place

[Guest]

Hi Mick his may ormay not help.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n[/ATTACH]
Pete.

[Mickc1440]

Si and Pete brilliant thank you, the ladder doesn’t stow away, thanks very much

[yak face]

Hi mick ,sorry i missed this but heres a bit more info for you . The square recesses in both doors are spring loaded foot steps, in the pic where both doors can be seen open youre looking at the inside surface so you can see the footstep as a recess , the other side ( exterior facing ) is flush . The pic of the aussie beaufighter with the hole in the door just shows that the footstep has ben removed/ lost . The rear door is similar to the front in operation , ie pivoted in the middle and folding down from the front edge so the visible part is actually the inside surface. On the rear hatch the area covered by the front part of the door and visible when it swings down would contain the oil damped struts and latch . Heres a few pics from the modellers datafile hope this helps , cheers tony

[Mickc1440]

Hi Tony, that makes things even clearer thank you