Beaufighter VIF night fighter: holes in wings?

[Seawinder]

Photos of these planes show at least some with the six holes in the wing leading edges (4 port, 2 starboard). I'm wondering about the corresponding rectangular openings underneath for the rocket launch rail mounts: should these be filled for a night fighter that presumably wouldn't carry them? Does anybody know what the leading edge holes were for? (venting of some sort?)

 

Thanks,

Pip

[Graham Boak]

The six holes in the leading edge were for the machine guns.  Presumably these would also have cartridge exit slots under the wing, as on other types.  Coastal variants did not have the wing guns but carried extra fuel tanks.

 

AFAIK there should be no slots for the rocket rails, on any of them.  I don't think that they were mounted that way.  Possibly mounting plates if the rails were not carried, but you wouldn't expect to see them on night fighters.

[Seawinder]

Thanks, Graham. That clears it up nicely. I think I'll just fill up the slots for the launch rails and leave it at that, not having any reference photos of cartridge exit slots. Anyway, I don't tend to display my models upside down.   😔

[stevehnz]

I'd expect the cartridge ejection slots to have similar placing to the same thing under a Spitfire wing, they both mounted .303 Browning machine guns. This might give you a clue as to whether you're looking at rocket mount slots or cartridge case slots.

Steve.

Edited July 27, 2018 by stevehnz

[gingerbob]

10 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

...but you wouldn't expect to see them on night fighters.

 

Agreed.  On the other hand, a salvo of rockets fired nearby in the dark would sure get the pulses racing in the night bomber!

Edited July 27, 2018 by gingerbob

[Dave Fleming]

The rectangular openings might be the cartridge ejection slots - these were rectangular openings in line with the mg openings (2 on one wing, 4 on the other). You can see them here.

 

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE IN THE LIBYAN DESERT, APRIL 1943. © IWM (TR 901) IWM Non Commercial License

 

 

Edited July 27, 2018 by Dave Fleming

[Seawinder]

Yes indeed, Dave. Having filled all the holes last night, I took a closer look at the Tamiya instructions, only to find that the holes are indeed the cartridge ejection slots; there's a plate that goes over them for the rocket rails. So now I'm drilling the slots back out. As Homer would say, "DOH!!"