my poor skymaster was agressed by felines last year and the prop broke. Being horrible about building models and stalling out when it comes to paint and decals, I actually had started the paint on this one. The problem is I can’t find the missing prop blade although the plane came with four props (two of each different style). to replace the prop would require a lot of breaking and repainting. I just wanted to know what the odds of performing a “prop graft” would be in terms of finish (consider my skills average). aside from cutting the blade off of the other prop, are there any other suggestions?
p.s. no I am not just stalling on painting my a-20. really. okay…i fear the airbrush, and PE parts, but by golly I still drink full flavor beer.
I’ve never done it successfully, but I haven’t had to try in a long time.
Here’s my suggestion: Build a jig to hold the hub and blade in exact alignment. Pin the hub and prop together with a piece of wire. You will have to drill oversized holes in the mating surfaces and fill the gaps with CA. The jig will maintain proper alignment, and the metal pin will give the joint enough strength so that you can file and sand it to the proper shape and finish.
If that’s too much trouble, you could always have one engine running…
Thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think I can work a jig while the prop is still attached to the plane. Between the many moves in my life and my cohabitants always having pets (i am not an indoor pet person) I have suffered many a broken prop. I expect to see an ad on tv one day for a pill that will fix this problem, but for now a broken prop usually seems to mean the end of a model. The only saving grace is that it was a testors kit which means it was inexpensive and somewhat ill fitting. This, of course, is going to lead into a rant directed at testors and minicraft which is love the subject matter of the kits…just a little more QC. off topic, did not minicraft used to be a part of academy?
I have built many props and also fixed those when still on the model. I would suggest just using tube glue to fix the broken blade and hold it in position for a couple of minutes then apply super glue tofimly fix it in position. If you feel unsteady about holding it in position then use tape on the nearest blade to hold the broken blade in position. You can always scrach build a replacement blade from scrap sheet and use the same mounting technique.
Richard
I second the idea of having apiece of wire to help hold the blade in place, but instead of a “jig”, I have had good luck with using some simple kid’s modeling play to hold the blade in place while the glue sets up. It flexible and allows you to make those last seconds little adjustments to get the angle just right, etc. . .
Which props are you using. The ones with the spinner or the others? I ask this because…I may very well have an extra prop from that kit.
Let me know.
Also, I never ever do the permanent mounting bit with the retainer cap etc. I keep my props loose and stick em on with a little white glue when I need to have them on other wise store my a/c w/o props.
Someone could start a nifty little business selling props. I for one cannot scratchbuild them for skit, and whenever I do a kitbash or conversion, which is usually, I don’t have what I need.
Can you find another Skymaster?
The skymaster is a pretty common kit, and I still have the other set of props. I think what I’ll do is just wait and see if the missing prop turn up and then be totally amazed at my first ever perfect prop repair job. I think I might use the white glue method from now on though.