The Little World

I now know my least favourite scale modelling task: making up propellers from separate blades and hubs.

I have just completed the gluing on two propellers for the Lockheed Electra Junior and am waiting for them to set. The maker decided to do the hubs in resin and the blades in styrene – so I can’t use regular cement to join it all up. The glue job is epoxy resin.

I am rather proud of the fact that I drilled the two mounting holes in each hub exactly 180º from their opposite number and was able to pass a drill bit through the completed tunnel. The jig has been based upon this straight line so the blades should be aligned. The main question will be whether epoxy will hold the little stubs firmly enough.

I’ve done this before with a styrene hub and blades – and it was a three-bladed prop, so that jig was a masterpiece of geometry. It looked alright in a Czech sort of a way so I’m hoping the Lockheed will also pass muster.