RCU Forums - View Single Post - Royal Zero Kit Build into Rufe

07-30-2021, 07:55 AM

#318

southpaw50

Join Date: Jun 2016

Location: Dartmouth, MA

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Royal Zero to Rufe Build

Final Touch: Static Display Propeller. Having already turned a blue foam scale spinner on a hand drill several yrs. ago, I covered it with 2 layers of panty hose knotted at the base, resined, primed & sanded.

Once the blade length was determined & drawn, the outline was transferred in triplicate to 1/4" ply.

The ply stack, "tack" glued together with 2-sided tape and disc sanded as one unit.

Each blade was laminated at the base on both sides w/ 1/8th" ply. Here, one of the blades is shown on end with a circular template used to make the correct root profile to insert into the hub.

Sanding begins on both sides. The ply laminations help to show uniformity between blades.

Among the blanks is the spinner & prop from a Tamiya 1/48th scale RUFE to help show the airfoil twist of each blade.

Blades mounted to scrap pine, ready for the double application of resin. ( The far blade on the right was a trial blank that didn't have the typical blade twist and was rejected.)

Blades mounted in a pine hub, positioned at 120 degrees and then jigged uniformly to the same pitch.

Ready for some airbrushed KlassKote silver.

Silver treatment completed.

Prop tips painted.

Backside of blades painted in anti-glare brown, typical of Japanese aircraft. Some of the blue foam shell can still be seen between the pine hub and outer spinner shell. Blades were later weathered and will be shown in future posts, featuring glamor shots at the pond. Sea trials begin next week!

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