SPA Modeler

61 and 63 look to be some sort of electrical switch boxes. Possibly for the radio or bomb systems I would guess. The right seat should be for the bombardier when he is not manning the nose gun, bombsight, etc. down in the glazing. 64 looks to be the oxygen bottle for that station.

Stikpusher wrote:61 and 63 look to be some sort of electrical switch boxes. Possibly for the radio or bomb systems I would guess. The right seat should be for the bombardier when he is not manning the nose gun, bombsight, etc. down in the glazing. 64 looks to be the oxygen bottle for that station.

Thanks so much, Carlos!

I wouldn't want to be in that seat for very long. Couldn't imagine strapping yourself into a pencil in what is basically a dollar store lawn chair lol. Also I've never had CA react that way myself either.

I agree! The observer/gunner chairs look flimsy, and I still have no idea where the observer/gunner rests his feet—except on that beam which is not very much of a foot rest. I am also curious how a crew of five fit within the space.



My other thought or I guess it is a concern would be to set a building deadline in time for Valley Con 2019, which is March 3rd. I think I could use a deadline to finish a model. Normally I would avoid this and just let the building go where it goes however long it takes but maybe a deadline would be good for discipline. I am still debating this decision.

speedgraflex wrote:I am also curious how a crew of five fit within the space.

I would guess four was the normal size of the crew (de facto within the FAF).

If five crew members, my guess would be that the 5th crewmember was the gunner for the bottom gun, and lying there..


- Kari

speedgraflex wrote:Thank you so much, Carlos! I feel a need to do a glue “Bake Off,” get some sample kits and glue with different types. I still do things the “ILM Way,” which worked well except when the CA starts cooking off the finish.

Next up: boxes for the starboard wall—observer’s position. I have no idea what these do.

Oh those are whatchamacallits and thingajigs. Only one way to find out is pull, turn, lift, yank, flip each one and see what it does.

Thanks so much, Kari! I was looking at the upper canopy last night and debating whether I should buy the vac one from Squadron (yes), then open the pilot window as you posted much earlier in an actual photo (flipped I think?). Perhaps? Not sure.

Thanks for the proper nomenclature, Tom!

Floki wrote:I wouldn't want to be in that seat for very long. Couldn't imagine strapping yourself into a pencil in what is basically a dollar store lawn chair lol. Also I've never had CA react that way myself either.

Well, it’s probably more comfortable that sitting on a seat pack parachute in a metal bucket seat all the way to Berlin and back from England... take it from me, packed parachutes are not soft or fluffy in their bag.

Well, it’s probably more comfortable that sitting on a seat pack parachute in a metal bucket seat all the way to Berlin and back from England... take it from me, packed parachutes are not soft or fluffy in their bag.[/quote]
Yeah I don't think that crew comfort was on the top of the priority list for any country during the war.

No but on some aircraft it was a consideration. The B-29 had a sleeper area for those long range missions, and some other long range single engine designs had armrests for pilots seats to reduce their fatigue.