The Little World

Decide the section in which you wish to be seated.

The business of the propeller on a scale model kit can be a painful one. Some makers mould them with fine detail but flimsy construction – expect to have to straighten them repeatedly. Some are just hubs and blades and these can be horrible to assemble. Some are just plan crude.

The attachment points for the propellers is also a problem, because no two makers have the same philosophy about whether the things should turn or not. Some kits have complex sleeves and bearings designed to let the prop spin while others have nothing at all – not even a shaft.

Frankly, all I really want is a one-piece prop, a plastic shaft, and a hole in the front of the fuselage near the engine. I have no need to blow on the finished assembly and have it spin like a pin-wheel. I cement the best ones in with PVA and let it go at that.

But Oh!…for a convincing clear plastic disc that simulates a spinning propeller. None yet, but I still hope.