de Havilland Prop and spinner

[Jazzy Jase]

I'm planning my Hurricane build for the BoB group build and the decals I've chosen show the aircraft with a de Havilland Prop and pointy spinner.

The 1/48 Hasegawa kit doesn't include this so I'm looking into aftermarket. No-one seems to make one for the Hurricane, but Quickboost make a de Havilland prop and spinner for the Spitfire.

The spinner doesn't look as pointy as the Hurricane one I've seen in photos though. Am I imagining it? Would they have been identical?

[Work In Progress]

I'm planning my Hurricane build for the BoB group build and the decals I've chosen show the aircraft with a de Havilland Prop and pointy spinner.

The 1/48 Hasegawa kit doesn't include this so I'm looking into aftermarket. No-one seems to make one for the Hurricane, but Quickboost make a de Havilland prop and spinner for the Spitfire.

The spinner doesn't look as pointy as the Hurricane one I've seen in photos though. Am I imagining it? Would they have been identical?

I don't know for sure if it's the same as a Spitfire one, but my suspicion is that the Spitfire spinner may be slightly larger diameter (though am very willing to be corrected if wrong). However, for the £4.70 that Hannants want for a Quickboost Spit prop, you might well be able to find a lovingly pre-owned Pegasus or Airfix 1/48 Hurri I, both of which come with the de H prop and in the case of the Airfix one you then have a whole extra kit you can use another time, as that model comes with the blunt Rotol prop too.

I used a bit of Airfix-based mix and match when I built my de H-propped Sea Hurricane I using the MDS conversion on the Hase kit.

Alternatively if you can find someone who's built a Tamiya Spitfire Vb and used the Rotol prop, they should have a spare de H prop in the spares box that you might negotiate away from them.

[Jazzy Jase]

I don't know for sure if it's the same as a Spitfire one, but my suspicion is that the Spitfire spinner may be slightly larger diameter (though am very willing to be corrected if wrong). However, for the £4.70 that Hannants want for a Quickboost Spit prop, you might well be able to find a lovingly pre-owned Pegasus or Airfix 1/48 Hurri I, both of which come with the de H prop and in the case of the Airfix one you then have a whole extra kit you can use another time, as that model comes with the blunt Rotol prop too.

I used a bit of Airfix-based mix and match when I built my de H-propped Sea Hurricane I using the MDS conversion on the Hase kit.

Alternatively if you can find someone who's built a Tamiya Spitfire Vb and used the Rotol prop, they should have a spare de H prop in the spares box that you might negotiate away from them.

Thanks for the reply. I have an unbuilt Tamiya Spitfire Vb. I'll check out the props later.

If I can use the Tamiya Spitfire prop doesn't that indicate that they are the same?

[Test Graham]

The Spitfire has a larger nose diameter than the Hurricane, so I suspect that the DH spinners are not the same. The Rotol overlaps the Hurricane nose, leading to the loss of oil and resulting fit of an oil spill ring around the Hurricane's nose. However, I'm told that even the Rotol is not exactly the same on the Hurricane and Spitfire......

[Jazzy Jase]

Thanks Graham, I think you're right about the size difference.

I had a look at my Hurricane kit last night and it does include the DH spinner, but not the prop! My Tamiya Spitfire Vb only includes the Rotol prop and spinner.

Looks like I'll be buying the Airfix kit for the DH prop and spinner.

EDIT: Just to confuse myself even further, it appears my kit has a Jablo and a Rotol spinner and not a DH one at all.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Jazzy Jase

[Test Graham]

Jablo is the material the propellor is made from, if not metal. It is a form of resin-impregnated wood.

The majority of Mk.Vb were built with the DH propellor, either the standard one with the stubby spinner of the later Hydromatic one, which I believe has a longer spinner nearer in shape to the bullet-shaped Rotol. The Rotol has the wooden blades that are thicker at the root. Normally. However, things were never quite that simple. In the earlier days DH supplied Supermarine, Rotol supplied Castle Bromwich. What happened when they both were producing Mk.Vs I do not know.