Author Topic: Wood Propellers from Doug Craner  (Read 3734 times)

Offline Des

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Wood Propellers from Doug Craner
« on: December 30, 2012, 10:41:01 AM »
LAMINATED WOOD PROPELLERS

FROM DOUG CRANER

FIRST LOOK REVIEW BY DES DELATORRE

A new range of hand made wood propellers are now available from master model maker Doug Craner in the UK, Doug is a perfectionist and takes pride in his work which is evident in these magnificent propellers.  All the propellers are in 1:32 scale and initially will cover the most popular German range including the Heine - Axial - Propulsor - Astra - Niendorf and BuR. A full range of allied propellers will follow soon.

All propellers are thoroughly studied from contemporary photo's and colour matched to existing examples. The timber used to construct these propellers is a combination of Ash and Mahogany.

The first example is a 1917 - 1918 Heine propeller.





This propeller is beautifully made and finished with timber which exhibits a very tight in scale grain, colour contrast between the timbers gives a very realistic appearance. The propeller has been stained then finished in semi gloss.



The close up photo shows the superb tight grain which results in a very scale appearance, the variations in timber colours throughout the propeller is something which cannot be duplicated with the coloured pencil method of replicating laminated propellers. Each lamination of this propeller is very defined, the photo of the side of the propeller really highlights the laminations.



I have mounted this propeller onto my Wingnut Wings Hansa Brandenburg W29 just to give an indication of what the propellers look like on a model, it is not the correct propeller for this particular aircraft but it shows how good the propeller looks, it finishes the model off beautifully.





The second review sample is an early Heine/French "Intergral" Nieuport II propeller. This is also a beautifully made propeller with the same lovely tight grain and wonderful wood hues.



A close up photo again reveals the outstanding grain pattern in this propeller, the tight knit grain keeps this propeller in scale and highlights the subtle colour differences throughout the timber. Laminations are again well defined and the side photo shows the lamination quite clearly.





A good comparison between the two different propellers is very evident in this photo, the style and size of the each propeller is very different. The colour variations in each propeller stand out very well and the laminations are quite prominent.



This next propeller is an Axial made to suit the Wingnut Wings Hannover Cl.II, again it is beautifully made with very tight grained timber being used. The side photo shows the seven laminations used in the construction of this propeller. I applied the decals which I found in my spares box and the propeller was sprayed with a coat od satin clear.



This close-up photo shows the very tight grain timber which Doug uses when making all of his propellers, it keeps the look of the propeller in scale with actual timbers which where used.



The seven lamination are clearly visible in this next photo, this gives the propeller the genuine laminated propeller look with a good contrast in timber colour.



The following images show an Eclair propeller which was used on the Caudron G3 aircraft, a completely different shape and style to the previous Axial propeller. Again the use of tight grain timber has resulted in a vey realistic genuine wood propeller, the hub on this propeller is typical of the type used by the French.



The variation in timber colour is not so great in this propeller so the laminations are not as obvious, but they are still visible and give a very good representation of a laminated wood propeller.



A photo showing the Axial and the Eclair side by side, this graphically shows the different styles, shapes and sizes of the propellers used on different aircraft by a multitude of manufacturers. Propellers where a very expensive item back in WW1 so all care was taken to keep them in excellent condition.



The following three photos show the brilliant Axial propeller fitted to my WnW Hannover Cl.II model. The propeller was purposely made for this particular model and truely enhances the appearance of the completed model, it gives a 'finished' look to the model. A propeller will make or break the appearance of a WW1 model aircraft, I believe it is well worth the extra expense to invest in one of Doug's propellers to give your model that realistic, genuine wooden propeller appearance.







POSITIVES

Beautifully made and finished, true to scale in dimensions and appearance. The use of very tight grain timber adds to the scale appearance of these propellers.
Packaging for postage was well done with the propellers wrapped in tissue then taped inside a hard plastic CD case, no damage occured to the propellers on their trip from England to Australia.

PRICE

Starting from £15 plus postage - payment by paypal

STOCKIST

Direct from the manufacturer  [email protected]

COMMISSIONS

Doug will make one off propellers to suit your particular needs - please contact Doug through the above email to discuss your special order.

LINKS

This link will allow you to view the other propellers in Doug's range  http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=1127.0

CONCLUSION

These hand made wood propellers are beautifully made to exacting standards, they are miniatures of a real wood propeller and would enhance the appearance of any WW1 aircraft model in 1:32 scale. I highly recommend these propellers.

Thanks to Doug Craner for providing the review samples

 



« Last Edit: January 17, 2013, 07:51:47 AM by Des »
Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline Des

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Re: Wood Propellers from Doug Craner
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2013, 06:39:00 PM »
More samples of Doug's brilliant work can be found here  http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=1127.0

Doug is a master craftsman and treats every propeller as if he is going to fit it to his own model, so quality is his top priority ensuring the best possible propeller for all his customers.

Des.
Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com