1/48 Grumman Bearcat

[lastvautour]

Drawings have been selected scale and printed. They did not come out correctly, so back to resizing.

Lou

[lastvautour]

The box I am using carried precious cargo. A Boston Cream Pie.

Lou

[Rafael]

worthy of a step-by step, Lou.

[lastvautour]

I will when I start it. A few more projects on the bench.Two Spitfires, a Mustang, A T2 Tanker, an Airtoon f-18 and an F-86 all need to be done before the Bearcat.

[lastvautour]

I will show how I do my propellers starting with this 12' 6" in Aeroproducts A642-G1.

First I select a dowel off approximate size and sand down if needed to make the prop hub and shaft. In this case 1/8 dowel available at most craft store works well. I mark off the blade position and use a compass point to make a pilot hole. Using a twist drill I drill a .060 inch hole to accept the blade hubs holders. Using bamboo dowel of approximately .060 inch I insert the blade hub holder in the prop hub. I will cut those down later. If you look closely at the bottom area of the hub you will see a notch. That was not planned and on my next one I will place the blade hub holders further aft to avoid that problem.

Next is to cut a 1/8 inch long from the same dowel to act as a prop blade hub. I locate the center and use my compass point for a pilot hole and then drill down. I then insert the blade hub onto the blade hub holder. I will make all four blade hubs and test fit before gluing. Should the blade hub hole not be centered, just rotate all hubs until they align. That will be my next post. The three bladed prop was another unfinished project.

Lou

[lastvautour]

Photo 1 - cut enough pieces for two of whatever you are doing. These are 1/8 dowel cut in 1/8 sections.
Photo 2 - using a sharp point do a pilot hole.
Photo 3 - using a 1/16 drill slowly enter the dowel and take care on reaching the other side to avoid splitting the dowel.
Photo 4 - once the first 1/16 in dowel is inserted, place the pilot hole 90 degree and aligned with the existing dowel.
Photo 5 - again slowly drill through the dowel.
Photo 6 - using the same sharp point, do a pilot hole in the propeller hub and drill a 1/16 in hole in the center of the blade hub.

Lou

[lastvautour]

Photo 1 - note the gaps between the parts.
Photo 2 - using a file or other implement shape the end of the blade hub to fit snugly to the propeller hub.
Photo 3 - note the gaps are smaller
Photo 4 - I use wood filler to fill the gaps.

[lastvautour]

Prop blade blanks are 1/4 X 3/16 inches. The prop hub is sanded but needs a bit more putty and the final sanding.

Lou

[lastvautour]

A bit more sanding on the propeller hub and cutout of the blade pattern from the front view. The drawing looks distorted due to the camera angle. I made one blank blade that is ready for shaping.

Lou

[lastvautour]

1 & 2. I marked the side of the blade from the outer center to the inner bottom on both sides.
3. Remove the material between the slanted line and the outer upper edge.
4. Remove the material between the upper edge to the center line on the forward edge of the blade..

Lou

[lastvautour]

Repeat the above instruction with the other side.

1. Sand the blade to final shape, cut the extra wood and drill to accept the propeller hub attachment pin.
2 & 3. I used super glue for speed and strength. The blade hub requires some sanding to smooth things out and fair it to the prop hub. Repeat 3 times.

It is not that complicated of a process and look great. However, I normally mount my models on stands and prefer the prop whirl. I hope this helps you out.

As I have other projects on the fire, the Bearcat post may go dormant for a while. Fell free to asks questions or provide comments.

Lou