Top Flite TOPA0140 - Manual (Page 54)

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3. Use a belt sander or a rotary tool with a
sanding drum to trim the propellers along the lines
you marked to arrive at the correct outline.
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4. Sand the blades to a uniform contour,
rounding the leading and trailing edges. Sand off
the
boot portion of the blades as well.
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5. Cut holes in your spinner to accommodate
the pegs of the propeller blades. Start with a drill or
a carbide cutter on your rotary tool and finish with
a sanding drum.
Hint: You’ll notice that the hole in the middle of the
spinner at the front (for the bolt that holds it on)
has been filled. You can do this with your display
spinner because it is not for flying and the
propeller blades will hold the spinner on.
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6. Mount the backplate of your spinner to your
engine. Install the propeller hub and test fit the
blades. Make adjustments where necessary.
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7. Wet sand your propeller blades with
progressively finer grades of sandpaper. Prime,
then paint the tips yellow. Finish with a coat of flat
clear paint over the entire blade to blend it all
together. You don’t have to use fuelproof paint
because this propeller is for display only. Paint
your spinner to match your trim scheme.
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Here’s how it should look when your model’s all
done...just like a Spitfire propeller and spinner!
Another method for making a static display
propeller is to join two wood propellers. This may
be more practical for some modelers because
wood propellers are easier to carve, sand and
shape than plastic propellers. Use propellers with
a diameter of approximately 18" to 19" [460 to
480mm].
Notch the back of one propeller and the
front of the other propeller and glue them together.
Use the Spitfire display prop template provided
on the plan to mark the outline on each of the four
blades. Trim the blades to the correct shape and
trim your spinner to accommodate the propeller.
Prime, then paint to match your trim scheme.
GUNS AND ANTENNA MAST
Your guns can be made removable or permanent.
On our prototype we made the guns removable so
there would be less chance of breaking them off
during transportation. You can make the guns
before or after you cover the wing.
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1. Use a 9/32" [7.1mm] brass tube sharpened
at one end to cut a hole in the center of the leading
edge of the wing in the location of the gun. Cut the
brass tube to a length of 1-1/4" [32mm] and glue it
into the wing in the hole you just made (see the
following photo).
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2. Make the other part of the gun (the
removable part) from a 1/4" [6.4mm] brass tube
and a wood dowel. Shape the dowel to resemble a
gun barrel, then glue it inside the 1/4" [6.4mm]
brass tube. This will fit inside the 9/32" [7.1mm]
brass tube you glued in the wing. After you paint
the removable portion of the gun it should fit
securely into the tube in the wing and stay in place
during flight. If not, roughen the gun with coarse
sandpaper or apply a thin coat of CA to provide
enough friction to keep it in place.
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