G-Factor

1/350 Brass Propellers For the Hasegawa IJN Akagi kit

Stock Number: 35002

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $20 Website: www.gfactormodels.com One of the most vexing details of full hull ship modeling is how to achieve a realistic finish on the ship’s propellers. Most ship’s propellers are bronze or brass and when you see a ship ready to leave drydock they are polished to a shine. Since full hull display models are built clean, the propellers should be shiny like the prototype. This is hard to achieve with plastic propellers. You cannot do it with regular paint or even non-buffing Metalizer brass, only a buffable metal like SNJ or Alclad. They key then is to achieve a flawless finish of the plastic and apply sufficient layers so that when you polish you do not polish down to plastic on the edges of the blade. G-Factor Models has a more elegant solution – replace the plastic propellers with brass. These are cast (via "lost wax" casting method) and polished, brass propellers that look to be molded from the accurately-shaped propellers of the kit. They are a one-for-one replacement and slide right onto the shaft. They are "handed" like the prototype and the kit propellers, so you need to ensure you match the propellers and attach them on the correct side. My samples were cleanly cast and required no clean up. Shiny in the package, they can be polished for a greater shine, if desired, with a brass polish like Brasso (ah, the smell at sunrise of salt air, Navy cinnamon rolls and freshly-applied brass polish on the ship’s bridge…); a Dremel polishing pad will ease the job. Being real brass, they will undoubtedly tarnish with age, so you may want to apply a thin gloss lacquer coat to maintain the shine. These little jewels will make a big difference in the appearance of your Akagi model. If you have already sprung for the kit and perhaps the aftermarket, why would you not also spring for real brass propellers priced at a very reasonable $20? I would like to thank Ernie Gee of G-Factor Models for this review sample. They are available directly from G-Factor Models or retail outlets including Great Models, Roll Models, Sprue Brothers, Plasticmodels.com, and Hannants.