Typhoon Car-door Questions

[Wokka2]

Regarding the Airfix 1/24 kit, is the early rounded seat the same as a Hurricane? If so, is the AMS Resin seat the only game in town? At what point did the starboard entry door outer handle move from bottom left to a more upper left position (or vice versa)? Did this change cause the door interior panel to go from a cross imprint as per the kit, to a circle?

[Chris Thomas]

I do not know for certain if the early Typhoon seat was identical to the Hurricane seat but I would be surprised if it wasn't.  Gloster, who built most Typhoons were still using Hurricane seats in their early Meteors.  Sorry I do not know about resin kit seats.

 

I'm not too sure about the door handle either. I've not been able to find any photos showing the handle in any other position than the 'upper left position' and I have have looked across the complete range of car-door Typhoon serials, from Rxxxx to JRxxx.  Perhaps you can reveal the source of your information?

 

The inner door panels, with the circular imprint, were introduced c.mid-1943 and were a casting rather than a pressed item - the aim being to give more stability to the door structure, I believe in relation to the exhaust fume seepage problem.

CT

[Wokka2]

Thanks Chris. Have a look at the 193 Sqn Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pg/raf193/photos/?ref=page_internal

Click on All Photos and Photos 50 and 51 of 85 show both styles of door handle very clearly. Early/late/modified, I don't know. 

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[Wokka2]

Also on this page dedicated to Wg Cdr Bob Davidson http://acesofww2.com/can/aces/davidson/

Edited May 27, 2018 by Wokka2

[Chris Thomas]

Great spot Tom.  I have not seen the cockpit shots of DP-A before, although the others are familiar. 'X' was EK132, the CO's aircraft (later recoded 'E') and the two most likely candidates for 'A' are R7627 and JP499. I would plump for JP499 as the aircraft in the photo appears quite new and R7627 was 8 months old when 193 Sqn received it and had flown with two other squadrons by then.

 

The second photo you refer to - Bob Davidson in the cockpit of JP496 set me looking for the (apparently later)lhandle in other JP/JR serial Typhoons. I found 6 more clear examples. No examples of the earlier handles were found in the JP/JR range but there were many where no handle could be discerned - probably therefore the later type as they are more difficult to see from a distance than the earlier type.  I also found one example of the late handle in the end of the EK serials (EK497).

 

So, there is a possibility that this type of handle was, as you surmised earlier, associated with the door interiors with the circular panel marking.  They are even more difficult to find in photos but known examples are on EK132, JP677, JP853 and JP928.

 

Hope this helps.  Many thanks for alerting us to this hitherto unnoticed modification.  Does your choice of 1/24 Typhoon to model hinge on the door ?.... sorry!

CT

[Wokka2]

Ha, ha, thanks again, Chris. I noticed the different handles several months ago but could find nothing else on the subject of why they were different. If anyone was going to know or have any idea then it would be you! I'm aiming to model R8697 in 1942 so I'll stick with the kit door.

 

Cheers

 

Tom