Here's a shot of the opening left behind when the doghouse is removed, as viewed from the front, above the windshield:


Here's a shot with the doghouse installed:



You'll notice in the second photo the row of screws along the bottom edge of the doghouse/lid. What I want to do is eliminate as many of those as possible. Even with the screws, the fit and finish isn't as good as i'd like. The real challenge for this is to create a system which not only allows me to slide the doghouse on, but also brings the edges down flush with the rest of the fuselage. Is this making sense, or am I confusing the issue? Do the BVM locator pins provide any holding strength, or are they simply for alignment? One other thing I forgot to mention is that the lid must be completely removable, and the opening cannot be permanently blocked. I need the ability to remove the mechanics when necessary for maintenance, etc. Here's a shot of the fuselage without the mechs installed: