R/C Naval Combat

Hi, I'm new to the hobby and I was wondering what the best ship would be to get. I'd like something with guns, but I don't want to pay a lot. Could someone tell me where I could get a good, cheap ship.

Good and cheap are usually not found together in model warships. Of course, cheap is a relative term. Around $400 for a cruiser, ready to go, is pretty cheap (if everything works). If you live close to someone who can help you, it's usually cheaper (because they already have tools and experience). But a ready-to-go ship will not usually be 'cheap', because of the money and time invested.

But the cheapest way to do a warship is to buy two sheets of 12"x48"x1/4" plywood ($9/sheet), 1 sheet of 12"x48"x1/2" plywood($8.50/sheet), buy a cheap blue-handled hand jigsaw (aka coping saw) and a flat file at Lowe's for around $9 each. Download a set of cruiser plans (or predreadnought plans)(free). Make 22 copies of the frames drawing at $0.10/page, fold them in half at the centerline, and cut out each of the ribs on paper(scissors $2 at Hobby Lobby). Glue these papers to one sheet of 1/4" plywood (UHU Stick glue, $2 at Hobby Lobby), and sit down with the jigsaw to cut the ribs out of the wood (free, not factoring the value of your time). Buy one 1/4" x 1/4" x 48" hardwood stick($0.83 at Hobby Lobby) to play keel, and fit the ribs one at a time to the keel. If you epoxy them to the keel at this time (5 minute epoxy $10.99 at Hobby Lobby, mix it with scrap wood on pieces of old envelopes, $0.00), make sure that the ribs are vertical and true. When you finish with this, I'll have the rest of the instructions typed

Anyone wanna see me do it with a Takao?

K,thanks. I should be done soon

Aren't the French predreads a bit tricky for a first time builder?

The French predreads are pretty small, excepting the danton which isn't too bad. A good French ship might be the Bretagne. Short, fat, and slow. But has a lot of internal room and should turn well even with a single rudder. 4 units if I remember right.

They reason we are talking French ships is that their archives have the plans available for download. They are usually 1:100 so a little copier magic is needed. Unless the great and wise Clark has some other freebie plans in mind?

The Russian plans site has several predreads, including Pommern (excellent choice). Still need to use reduce/enlarge, but as the gentleman was asking about building a model warship, I figured that was within his capabilities. I will see about posting my scaled copy of the Pommern plans this morning after I aerobicise my lardy arse for a while in a vain attempt to reduce my reserve bouyancy. With my ship for next year being Musashi, I've started exercising to prevent a back blowout More importantly, everyone who's seen the Moose in progress has been suitably awed. 2.5 days of work and I've got all the ribs on the keelboard and fore and aft keels. Next weekend is the fitting of the subdeck and deck.

Anyhow Matt, I'll post the plans today (with a link in this thread). Another part of the instructions is: Start saving $40/month, because there are some things that we HAVE to buy that cost money. More on this, later.

Hey Matt, it occurs to me to ask which club you will be battling with... Fast gun or Big Gun? And if fast gun, which club, as MWCI and IRCWCC have different rules on predreads... Big gun is a bit more spendy (gun-wise), but if you're going to do it, we'll see what can be done.

I forgot about that Russian site. Its where I got my King Edward VII plans. Clark is right. Guns and radio gear are the big expenses. Especially big guns.

Take a look here:
http://www.rcnavalcombat.com/GettingStarted/Isthereaclubnearme/tabid/61/country/United%20States/Default.aspx

From what I can tell, the other battlers near you are Treaty or MWC. Hope this helps

thanks, it did. ill brobably be using the mwci rules

That's good (not denigrating other clubs; it's good because I am most familiar with the MWCI rules)...


I think this is transcending the 'Ship Comparison' forum to a whole new level. I will start a build thread under the appropriate forum.

Does anyone know where i could get a full set of plans, that shows everything, so basicaly does anyone know where i can download some outlines with the dimentions of everything i need.

Right Click and "Save As" They are .tif files which is the standard for archival work. They are more detailed than you will actually need and many of the files are just small sections of the ship in detail so you don't have to download everything for each ship.

do you all think it would be a good idea to start off with a partially compleeted hull first. i was thinking of buying the yamato hull from gettysburg114th, and completing her.

The Yamato Hull that Gettysburg114th is selling is a big, beautiful BEAST of a project. I bought an Iowa-class battleship kit from him and it's 6 feet 2 inches long; the Yamato-class battleship is similarly sized. Check out http://www.battlersconnection.com and go to their catalog, look at their ships and click on the Yamato. That will give you an idea of what you're dealing with. If you think you're handy enough and technologically savvy enough to take on such a monstrous project, it can't hurt to talk to him. Be aware though, that by the time you've bought the hull from Bob, the deck kit, running hardware, radio/receiver, guns, CO2 tank, and all the other stuff, you'll have spent over 1,000 dollars. I'm fully anticipating spending somewhere in the $1,200 range over the next year to get my Iowa combat ready. This is a fantastic hobby, but it is not a cheap hobby. You will spend a lot of money. If you want to save money, my suggestion is to take Tugboat's advice and scratchbuild, or invest in a rookie-friendly kit from either Strike Models (http://www.strikemodels.com), or Battler's Connection (http://www.battlersconnection.com). You will still spend several hundred on your ship, but you won't spend over a thousand unless you do something horribly wrong.