R/C Naval Combat

I'm assembling the poor-man torpedo launchers. The very good news is that the materials are cheap, and more importantly, my springs fit inside the launchers with no drama. I need a day without rain to do the soldering on the tubes, and I will post pics at that time.

The launcher I'm building for testing is scaled for the V-106, a single-shot, single tube launcher that is 2.6" long. I will be using rod torps for testing, as it's easier for me to design and realize a reliable trigger mechanism for a rod than for 1/4" balls. Also, the torps are 1/4" dowel with a pointed metal tip. Don't point these at your hand! The springs are stainless steel to resist corrosion. Once I have a reliably functioning rod launcher, I'll work on a trigger for 1/4" balls for guys in other clubs that don't use rod torps.

Hoping for overall materials cost to be ~$5 to $10/launcher. I'll post the bill of materials when I get a chance to run out to the shop that doesn't involve monsoon rains. The launchers are more IQ-intensive than money-intensive, build-wise. Once they're built, I'll post the plans and part numbers.

BU-WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! Uh... HA!

I have to keep this short as I'm getting ready to go out for dinner, but even impending dining couldn't stop me from doing a test shot! The insane giggling I opened with pales in comparison to that which I am still doing 5 minutes later :)

hehehehehe

The test shot, with a 'torpedo' of thick brass tubing, was a complete success! The torpedo was fired and made a mark in the ceiling above (8' of vertical travel prior to marking drywall ceiling). Rock the house! Followups inside the house produced some ominous noises which bear investigation when I am done dining... perhaps against some 1/32" balsa to start :)

Edit: Update, couldn't wait to test, wife ain't home yet nohow... test subject HMS Invincible with old, hard balsa. Range 4", blunt penetrator holed the 1/32" balsa. No joy from 6" or greater. BUT, the torpedo is heavier than the production model (to be fabbed soon), and there is room in the launcher for one more spring :) Results to follow...

Edit: Update 2, wife still not home... with 3 (vice 2) springs in the launcher, 2" long heavy brass tube projectile... resounding THWACK!! at 8" with full-diameter hole punched clean thru the 1/32" balsa. Very satisfying, more work to be done, but an awesome hole! You can see the blast shielding clearly thru a nice circular hole :) With a lighter, shaped penetrator, I suspect that thicker armor will fall :) Power to the Torpedomen!! With the current launcher, V-106 can take on destroyers at least :) And at under $10 per launcher!

Hey Tuggs, how does it do against thicker balsa wood? And what about foam?

I've got a 1/72 schnellboote on the ways that's begging for some firepower.

Gotta check against thicker wood. I'm working tomorrow thru sunday, Monday will see serious testing. Also, a prototype of the production torp. Keep in mind that I'm using springs that I can tweak the specs on, and I have not lubed the barrel or torp yet. I'm pretty sure it won't violate 2" of foam; gut instinct, but testing will be needed to prove it.

Realistically, I doubt it'll penetrate 1/8" balsa beyond 10" max, even tweaked. But development continues. And the goal for this was to provide a short-range solution for poorboys to get into Battlestations :) (or other torp-allowing clubs)

With a Schnellboote, you could conceivably use a longer tube, or some other options I'm considering for BB hull-mount tubes.

Sounds good. Oh yeah, the Viribus Unitis that I'm building carried torpedoes, didn't it? I may have more interest in this project than I thought.

The launcher itself barely weighs anything, which is a plus for the lil tiny ships. I'm going to do the shipboard mockup testing using a micro servo that came with my Spektrum; if that'll do it, then any servo can. Cheap and light :)

hey Tug, is this small gun legal or no?

None of the small gun clubs (MWC, IRCWWC) allow torpedos. But for the big gun folks and Battlestations, this is going to be niiiice!

Yeah, my intent was to design an easy one-shot torp launcher for Battlestations, that was light enough to mount on a V-106, which is almost as small as I can visualize using in the scale. PT boats are possible, but arming them would be tough, given their 56 ton displacement. Maybe a plastic-tube tugtorp :) Not right now, though. I have ordered stronger springs from McMaster in a bid to penetrate 1/8" balsa at 1 foot. To stay in scale with the 1/96 V-106, the tubes are 3" long, which is a trifle long for 1/144 big gun, but I don't know how strict the various clubs are about such things. It may be fine :)

oh well, whatcha gonna do?

I dunno, sink some ships? :)

i was saying it like, i guess i cant have everything. But yea, im sure thats the general idea

I must commend you tugboat, your invention will shurely revolutionize the hobby in one form or another. i know your idea is to keep it chep, but did you think about getting springs custom made, to achieve the greatest power? Looking forward to seeing the prototypes. I hope they can be refined smaller, so that they will work better with 1/144 :) I thought about making some to, didn't have the stuff though :(

Actually, at McMaster-Carr, you can get pretty much anything you please out of their stock. I am waiting on a shipment which has new springs that are about as good as it'll get. I need to get a satisfactory release pin arrangement; right now I'm testing with manual release.

Thanks for the kind words :) I just want to make Battlestations! more accessible. This will include making premade hulls :) probably cruisers or destroyers from wood, in pairs like I'm doing with the 1/144 Evstafi.

Oh, i just rember finding some custom spring making companies, when i was workin on reasearching spring powered guns.
I just never had the time or funds to invest into it. I vowed that i would only watch the furm, until I was able to partake in the hobby, but you got me back on again with this topic. I wish to manufacture a new gun type too, a brand new desighn thats affordable too current pricing puts just the gun (no accumulator, just hopper barrels and turret shell.) at a market value of about fifty dollars for a batle ship gun. Its so hard to wait those two years to finaly see it on the market and my fleet begin. I know i'm rambling on and on, but how large is your whole spring powerd cannon unit?

My torpedo launcher is a single-shot 1/4" weapon. For multiple shots, it would need a strong enough motor to recock the spring, no mean feat to get all that playing together in sequence. I'm working on a cheaper gas-powered 1/4" cannon, but that won't be really ready for prime-time until after I get the two Evstafis done (hopefully early next week), and get the design work and prototype Tugtorps done. Once that's done, I'll work on posting my cannon stuff. If you want a spring-powered cannon for fast gun, then I'm not currently working on that. You can build a fast gun cannon from piping parts from Lowe's for under $20, easily.

I'm only interested in big gun. My canno desighn is pnewmatic, i never got around to comming up with a design for a spring powerd one. The problem i ran into or think i ran into is the amount of rounds per gun my guns hold, other than that they will be the most accurate and realistic, and hopefully cheapest CO2 cannons out there.

And whats an evstafis?

Evstafi and Ioann Zlatost were a pair of Russian predreadnoughts.

Oh, i'll wiki them, sound interesting.