Escape Hatch Blank.

[jarndice]

My last Early Tiger I blanked the escape hatch hole using the hatch after filing the hinges off then lots of emery paper to get a flush fit,
Does anybody know if there is such a thing as an Escape Hatch Blank that would take some of the effort out of the job ?

[43rdRecceReg]

Given that ours is already something of a niche hobby, Shaun, removing the escape hatch to create a pre-Dec 1942 Tiger, is likely to be so niche, only a handful of enthusiasts are likely to have attempted it.
At all events, there'll likely be not enough to spur some entrepreneurial tankophile to design a marketable blank for the resultant hole.
I couldn't find such a blank, anyway, even if one should exist.
In the meantime, the search led me back to Jimbobwan's wonderful account of his descent into the dark world of Rctanking, and specifically to that part which details the modding of a Tiger 1 from HL.
Whilst the escape hatch mod doesn't get a mention, lots of other enhancements-including fitting Tamiya mechanical, and electronic components, do
https://jbwid.com/art74e.htm
Although he's not updated the tank section of his site since 2013, much of what he has written remains relevant.