Make a Static Scale 3-Blade Propeller
When it comes to scale RC planes, the biggest thing that ruins the scale look of the plane is a “smaller than scale” flying propeller. Many warbird pilots will paint their props the correct color and add the yellow safety propeller tips, but if you really want to get maximum attention at the flying field, nothing beats a static (non-flying), scale propeller. The classic Hamilton Standard 3- and 4-blade propellers were used on many fighter aircraft, and the kit from Nick Ziroli Plans is ideal for many round-nose warbirds like the F4U Corsair and Grumman Hellcat. You’ll need to do a little research to get the diameter correct, but for my Top Flite 86.5-inch F4U Corsair, a diameter of 26 inches was just about right.
The kit comes with three resin-cast propeller blades, several laser-cut plywood hub parts, a pitch gauge, and vacuum-formed front and back hub covers. The whole kit can be assembled with a few hand tools using the included parts, but I wanted to make a stronger and more detailed hub assembly. To do this, I used a couple lengths of PVC pipe from the hardware store as well as a few bits and pieces from the workshop spare parts drawer. Let’s put this thing together.
