In flight props

[Blitz23]

Hi chaps I have a 1/72 Airfix Blenheim that's been floundering on the shelf of doom for some time, with the 1/48 kit due at the end of the year, which is my preferred scale I've been thinking of maybe modelling my 1/72 kit in flight. Just wondering if anyone had some good tips on how to make props look realistic in flight.

 

Any tips would be appreciated!

[Ozzy]

You could search prop blur, there brass props made to look like they are moving. There available in various scales, and configurations.

[Kallisti]

This is the sort of effect you can get with prop blurs

 

 

That is in 1:72 scale. I've been using them at variosu scales from 1:72, 1:48 and even 1:32 for several years and they can be very effective, much more so IMHO than the plastic disk alternative. This one is 1:48

 

 

Another 1:48 

 

 

and this is 1:32

 

 

You can get them at http://www.propblur.com they aren't terribly expensive.

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Kallisti

[speedy]

I did some on my Beagle Basset some years ago now and it went down well here on BM. I cut some clear plastic to the size disc, then attached it so my copy dremel and whizzed it up and gently sanded it. I then coloured the edges with diluted yellow = result. I'd show you a photo but they're gone in the photobucket gate.

 

Steve.

[Mike]

Mr Prop Blur himself joined the forum a while back, and as you can see they're quite effective when done right   The other option is a disc of clear acrylic with a faint yellow outer edge sprayed on, and perhaps some circumferential scratches put in by spinning it in a Dremel.  I've often thought that just leaving the prop spinner and forgetting the rest would work, but that's just me.

[Army_Air_Force]

My daughter and I used clear acrylic shaped and lightly sprayed on her Dr.I. It gave the blades thickness which the brass doesn't have. It was the first attempt, but I think the technique can be refined.

 

[Kallisti]

13 minutes ago, Mike said:

  I've often thought that just leaving the prop spinner and forgetting the rest would work, but that's just me.

 

To be honest that is pretty much what the human eye sees (or doesn't if get my drift). The Propblur and associated solutions represent the photographic impression of the prop but our brains have seen so many of these photos that it understands what this represents so we see it as if it were a spinning prop. I've shown various models at shows over the years and people are always impressed with how effective it looks in 'the flesh', its better than on a photo as your eyes play tricks on you, especially if you catch it out of the corner of your eye.

 

I tried various versions of the disk solution and they really only work from one angle - straight on. Any other angle and you get all sorts of reflections which ruin the effect.

 

The biggest downside as the above poster has hinted at is that the propblur doesn't represent the thickness of the spinning prop. This is okay at the smaller scales but at 1:32 it is very noticeable as you can see from this side on view of the Spitfire shown above

 

 

However the OP was asking about 1:72 and at that scale its perfectly fine.

[Blitz23]

Wow rapid response thanks guys, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for!  

[janneman36]

This is my Macchi 202 in 1/48 with propblurs....

 

 

 

 

Cheers, Jan  

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by janneman36

[Britman]

If I remember rightly the FROG Tempest V had a clear part propeller disc including spinner. I don't think I have come across that in any other kit.

[Courageous]

I'm not a fan on prop blur, especially in 1/72.

This is the closest I get to prop blur and the guys at my local club agree but it's your taste that counts.

 

Stuart

[FinnAndersen]

Been around small propeller airplanes most of my life and the prop blur isn't what it looks like in real life.

 

IMHO, the only thing that looks realistic is small electrical motors.

If you don't want that (and I fully understand), the best ting is to leave of the propeller blades. If there's a spinner, paint a diffuse black band on it, it should not be solid color.

 

/Finn

[Kallisti]

Of course it isn't what it looks like in real life, but then again most of the models we build don't look exactly like the real thing. What we are trying to do is build a representation of the real thing and with a prop blur you get close to representing what a photograph of the real thing looks like

[FinnAndersen]

3 hours ago, Kallisti said:

Of course it isn't what it looks like in real life, but then again most of the models we build don't look exactly like the real thing. What we are trying to do is build a representation of the real thing and with a prop blur you get close to representing what a photograph of the real thing looks like

Well, I model to get a representation of the real thing, not a photo of same. 

 

When looking at a real plane with the engine working, you can't see individual prop blades, even at idle. A camera may, but not the human eye.

 

My 2 cents

/Finn

[Neil]

Did a 1/72 A-1 Skyraider landing on a carrier deck a few years back, and used an airbrushed clear disc. Link is below:

 

http://www.arcair.com/Gal3/2001-2100/Gal2055-Skyraider-Burkill/00.shtm

 

As mentioned previously, the best way would be a small electric motor spinning the prop, but I was happy to make do with the clear disc. Convenient and easy to do.

 

 

[Work In Progress]

On 24/04/2018 at 7:54 AM, Britman said:

If I remember rightly the FROG Tempest V had a clear part propeller disc including spinner. I don't think I have come across that in any other kit.

This is very much my preferred solution. I like to go with a representation more like what the eye sees rather than what the camera sees. Obviously it's a question of individual choice and I wouldn't criticise anyone goin gdown the prop-blur route, it just doesn't work for me. Of course both techniques are mere approximations and in the modern era of extremely tiny coreless motors anything chunky in 1/72, or just about anything in 1/48 and upwards, can fairly easily be given an actual spinning prop.

[Britman]

That looks magic! 

[Army_Air_Force]

Motors are possible in 1/144 scale too. This is a tiny geared motor I built into a B-17.

 

 

 

[Work In Progress]

wow, that's smaller than I've seen before. Outstanding! Got a source for those units?

[Army_Air_Force]

I got them from Ebay around 12 years ago.