discussion Propeller tip painting

[Olivetti20]

Ive just noticed there are no drawings relating to painting the yellow tips on my Tamiya Focke Wulf propeller..Silly question but are the tips not painted yellow in the 1st place?and if they are,then how far do you paint them in from the tips.
Also what are these called in the 1st place?
Thanks all

 

[Steven000]

If I'm not mistaken the yellow tips were an Allied thing, not on german fighters.
Steven

 

[Olivetti20]

If I'm not mistaken the yellow tips were an Allied thing, not on german fighters.
Steven

Well that makes it easier then.
Thanks

 

[AlanG]

For the most part, Luftwaffe aircraft only have single colour blades.There are the odd exception though. But i've never seen tips painted. As Steven says. That was an Allied thing

 

[dave]

But if you are doing it, paint the tips first. Then mask the tips off and paint the rest of the blade.

 

[Olivetti20]

But if you are doing it, paint the tips first. Then mask the tips off and paint the rest of the blade.

Yepp thanks for that,although it looks like i won't need the yellow after all.Still don't know what they're called though.

 

[Guest]

I think they’re called “yellow propeller blade tips”

 

[stona]

Luftwaffe propeller blades definitely did not have a coloured tip as standard, to see them would be very unusual. They were finished in an all over RLM 70 colour, usually described as 'Schwarzgrun' or black-green. Something often missed is the 30 mm unpainted band at the base of each propeller. It was not always present, but you will see it in photographs, even late in the war. The relevant instruction states.

"When spraying previously unbalanced propeller blades, care must be taken that a strip 30mm wide above the edge of the spinner is not sprayed so that the mark for blade adjustment remains visible."

Like this:




British propeller blades always had a yellow tip. Air Ministry Orders state.

"Propellers are finished by the propeller manufacturer in accordance with the relevant specification. Should it be necessary to refinish a propeller in service the paint usually used is 'night', with a 4 in. yellow band covering the complete tip of each blade."

Hope that helps!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Olivetti20]

Luftwaffe propeller blades definitely did not have a coloured tip as standard, to see them would be very unusual. They were finished in an all over RLM 70 colour, usually described as 'Schwarzgrun' or black-green. Something often missed is the 30 mm unpainted band at the base of each propeller. It was not always present, but you will see it in photographs, even late in the war. The relevant instruction states.

"When spraying previously unbalanced propeller blades, care must be taken that a strip 30mm wide above the edge of the spinner is not sprayed so that the mark for blade adjustment remains visible."

Like this:




British propeller blades always had a yellow tip. Air Ministry Orders state.

"Propellers are finished by the propeller manufacturer in accordance with the relevant specification. Should it be necessary to refinish a propeller in service the paint usually used is 'night', with a 4 in. yellow band covering the complete tip of each blade."

Hope that helps!

Cheers

Steve

Very informative thanks

 

[AlanG]

Obviously there were some exceptions....



P.S. I am actually planning to do the F8 in that winter scheme. Looks great

 

[stona]

There were plenty of exceptions, but the band was only 3cm wide, and is often difficult to see or invisible in reference photographs, including those used by kit and decal manufacturers.
How often have you seen a photograph taken from the perspective of the one I posted?

It's also less than 1mm at 1/32 scale, but that is visible and doable. It's only about 0.4mm at 1/72, good luck with that

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

It's only about 0.4mm at 1/72, good luck with that

Paint the lower end of the blade aluminium, cut a strip of masking tape half a millimetre wide and put it round the blade, then paint the rest of the blade RLM 70.

 

[stona]

Yep, it's that 0.42 mm strip that a bit tricky. On the rare occasions I make a 1/72 aircraft I just don't bother, or pose them in flight without propellers



I'd bet that Bf 110 would have had that unpainted band.

I do 1/32 aircraft cutting a 1mm strip (splitting a 2mm masking tape) which is not too bad.