TBF/TBM Italeri kit

[avenger2504]

I'm about to make a start on this Italeri 1/48 Avenger kit. One question though. The port wing has the fold down landing light position under the port wing. However the kit has a cutout and a perspex piece to fit in it on the leading edge of the port wing. Now I am familiar with the early Avengers having been on the restoration team of the RNZAF Museums TBF-1 and I don't see that in my photos.
Heres what I mean:


Was there something on the later TBM-3e? My thought was someone saw a dope patch over the holes for the de-icing boots and thought it was a light (like a T6 light installation). Our Avengers had the boots removed and a patch glued over the holes.
Cheers
Baz

[Second Air Force]

I wondered about that leading edge when I opened my first Accurate Miniatures version of this kit. Do you suppose that the 1/1 scale airplane they used to engineer the mold had a landing light added on in civilian life? It's been quite a while since I looked into this, but IIRC I didn't see the leading edge light on any of the post-war military versions of the TBM during my preliminary research.

Scott

[avenger2504]

I wondered about that leading edge when I opened my first Accurate Miniatures version of this kit. Do you suppose that the 1/1 scale airplane they used to engineer the mold had a landing light added on in civilian life? It's been quite a while since I looked into this, but IIRC I didn't see the leading edge light on any of the post-war military versions of the TBM during my preliminary research.

Scott

I've posted in the main page and apprently there might have been some small light there about 3 or 4 inches square so might not be easy to see. Mind you I saw nothing like that on our TBF during restoration.

EDIT: At last the answer:

TBM's had a visual approach slope indicator light in the leading edge of the left wing. It was in essence a reverse VASI that was visible by the LSO on the deck. The plexiglass lense in the leading edge was maybe 3 X 3 inches square. The light itself was about 2X2 and about 4 inches long. I have one of the lenses somewhere. I'll try to find it and attach a picture. All said it wasn't very large and most of them were just painted over when the aircraft was used in the firefighting role. The lense I have actually came out of the TBM that ended up in Kermit Week's museum in FLA.

Now I can happily fill this in on my TBF model.