Fw190s with metal prop blades

[stona]

Here is an interesting detail I've just discovered. Missed by most modellers including myself,until now. This applies only to metal propeller blades,many 190s had wooden blades....one more thing to check!

Translated order:

"When spraying previously unbalanced propeller blades care must be taken that a strip 30mm wide above the edge of the spinner is not sprayed (see sketch) so that the mark for blade adjustment remains visible. This area must be protected with masking tape before spraying....."

Here's the sketch:

And here is what it looked like on the real thing:

The devil is in the detail!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Odd to think that an engine as powerful as the big radial BMW would use a wooden prop! I would have thought it would have pulled it to pieces.

[stona]

Wooden propeller blades were quite common. Here is a piccy of one from an Fw190 during restoration.

The blade is laminated. The leading edge is metal,painted black and let into the wood. The blade would have been covered in cloth doped to the wood and then painted RLM 70 (I've got the instructions for how that should be done somewhere). Weathering such a propeller with "chips" would be nonsense. Fw190Ds usually had the wooden paddle bladed propellers fitted. Here's a picture of what happened when they crash landed. Nothing bent here!

It's smashed itself to pieces.

Steve

[stona]

I found this photo showing the construction of a wooden propeller blade.

Dioramists can have more fun with metal ones.

Cheers

Steve