HobbyBoss TBM-3 avenger - little hole in the fuselage, what is it?

[lesthegringo]

Hi all, on the right hand fuselage half, just below the canopy line is a small round hole. It looks like something is supposed to go in it as it is conical with the wide part facing in, but seems unlikely that it is a window or transparency because there is an instrument panel (F37) cemented over it on the inside. The instructions (as far as I can tell, and I looked thoroughly) make no mention of it, and I can't identify any mating part.

 

Any ideas what it is, and whether there is something supposed to go in it? HB's part numbering is wrong in a number of cases, but as the instructions fail to mention it at all I'm at a bit of a loss. Any help given would be appreciated

 

Cheers

 

Les

[gingerbob]

My guess is that it is a port for a signal discharger, and the panel that "covers" the hole has something that looks like it could be a cap over such a hole, though I didn't study carefully to see if the two line up as I imagined they might.

 

Edit: In a TBF-1 manual I found this text:  (manual here: https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/grumman-avenger-tbf-1-pilots-handbook.38589/

 

Quote

Signal Discharge Pistol, M-8: Mounted in a flange fitting on the fuselage skin to the right of the pilot's seat; may be fired by the pilot without removal from the fitting.  Twelve rounds of ammunition are carried in a container above the gun.

 

And a photo of the starboard side in same manual shows what I thought I was looking at- the "star" like thing to left of the wavy clips, which presumably hold the rounds.

 

Note that in a TBM-3 manual the starboard side looks rather different, and I didn't find any mention of such a device.

 

bob

Edited October 8, 2021 by gingerbob

[lesthegringo]

Thanks - very interesting manual, I like it!

 

However I suspect it isn't the solution, and a search around for pictures show that on the Accurate Miniatures version, it is not there at all, and even on the HB boxart it is not there.

 

Here (hopefully) is a picture from another build showing the hole

http://abload.de/img/100_2876bqqz3.jpg

 

I think I am going to plug it, I can't find any references to it and nothing seems to show it should be there.

 

Cheers

 

Les

 

 

[72modeler]

I think that is the port for the flare pistol, which was located on the RH side of the pilot's cockpit- I don't see the port in any exterior or cockpit photos of the TBM, so most likely was discontinued. See the linked photo of a TBF-1 taken from the Squadron TBF/TBM Walkaround No. 25. (Scroll down to see cockpit photos.) Hope this helps. I think the flare pistol and mount were a standardized installation, as it looks the same on other USAAF/USN airplanes. Hope this helps.

Mike

 

 

The flare pistol port is the round structure above the seat, and you can see the clips that held flare cartridges to the right of it.

https://pdfcookie.com/documents/squadron-signal-5525-walk-around-25-grumman-tbf-tbm-avengerpdf-g2wnkj7zx125

[Phoenix44]

Is is this that can be seen on a these photographs? Last one might even just be a hole?