Remove Anglian Shootbolts and gearbox

[TigerRob]

I appear to have a broken gearbox on an old (circa 1999?) Anglian window. I believe the gearbox is the old style one here but I cannot for the life of me work out how to remove the shootbolts and get the gearbox out ...

It appears to be teh same system as discussed in this thread https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/jammed-shootbolt.426536/

I can add picture when I'm next home if that helps.

Removing the handle does *not* cause the gearbox to drop out; I can't turn the shootbolts by hand, and don't want to just force them. There appears to be a fitted plastic 'strip' in the bottom channel that connects the gearbox to the shootbolts, but I can't get it to come out.

It's a small window on the second floor and I'm trying to work through the small opening.

Anyone know anything that might help me understand how to get this apart??

Thanks,
Rob.

Edited to add an essential *not* to the problem description

 

[TigerRob]

OK, so scraped knuckles later and I've got one of the end caps off and a couple of photos. Is it just a case of levering out the plastic insert from the channel that encloses the shootbolt?

 

[crank39]

Yes they just pop out