A set back. I used the ramps provided with the kit. Now it appears to me looking at most of the photos that I have seen that the ramps were adequate for unloading being that the plane would be sitting on it's skids after landing. However loading, with the wheels the plane sits much higher and the ramps appear to be too steep. In several photos I've noticed they used logs or what ever else was available to lessen the steepness so I scratch built an extension ramp. So here's the set back, paint didn't seem to want to dry so I pulled my over head light down to give it a bit of heat. Then I was summoned away to do something else domestic wise and forgot about it. Result, Poached ramp. Now the ramps that come with the kit appear to be made of wood as they have a sort of wood texture to them and most of the pictures I've seen they appear to be wood. It just seems to me wood would be a bit weak for some of the armour being loaded ?
Oops !
hope you can make some new ramps. The real ones were probably steel frame with wood treads, or surface, which would provide better grip/traction.
The new loading ramps after the...meltdown. Now the next thing in order is how to get this monster to stay on it's feet. Looking at most of the pictures I'm inclined to believe that this bird was so tail heavy they used a prop to hold up the tail until it was loaded, once there was some load in the front it was removed for take off. A few pictures I've seen look like some kind of support system was used. The kit comes with an arrester hook type apparatus on the tail which would contact the ground if the plane were on it's skids after landing. I guess to stop the tail from crashing down after the last tank or whatever was driven out of it. The next order of business is to fabricate a gantry or loading platform for the fuselage doors that will double as a prop to hold the tail up. So far I have not seen anything that would indicate how this was done while loading it while on it's wheels.