R/C Naval Combat

Posted By Nathan on 03 May 2011 01:42 PM
Does anyone here have a 1:144 I400 or surcouf hull theyd wanna part with?
also Kotori87 mentioned there are some extra dimension tolerences for subs, such as an added inch of depth below the waterline, just wanted to make sure i read that properly? Are there any other tolerances like this?
Thanks

The tolerances for adding draft, weight, and dimensional errors all vary from ruleset to ruleset.  You will really need to scour the rulesets of the group you want to play with and probably inquire about the existence of any 'house rules' if you intend to play with a club that is a subset of a larger organization.

I would really advise meeting up with your local group and talking to them in person about some of the challenges that you'd face in building a combat sub before setting your heart on it.  It may be something that you will enjoy more revisiting after some experience in surface warships rather than as your first build.

Posted By Nathan on 03 May 2011 03:39 PM
When is the fair and where at? Id definitly like to make it if i can

Posted By Keri Morgret on 01 May 2011 04:49 PM

Hi Nathan,

Welcome to the RCNC forum again. There is a large Big Gun club in the SF Bay Area, it's the Western Warship Combat Club (WWCC). They usually meet in San Jose, but will be in San Mateo for Maker Faire May 21st and May 22nd. There will be live battles both days, and lots of ships on display and captains to talk to. http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2011/

There are actually several submarines in the WWCC.  Click on the links to view them.

I-400: This submarine was built in the 90's, and racked up an impressive list of kills (and a long list of sinks, too) before her skipper got a different job and left the club.  It has not been heard from since.  It used diving planes only and had a bow-mounted plunger to fire the torpedoes.  Here's another view of the I-400.

Surcouf: This submarine was also built in the 90's to compete with the I-400, and is virtually identical except it's French.  her skipper still takes her out every once in a while, but what she really needs is an extensive overhaul with modern, leak-proof seals for diving planes, propshafts, and hatches.  The image clearly shows two torpedo tubes, the firing plunger, and a rubber boot to help prevent ram damage.  Here's a view of the Surcouf attacking.  One downside to plunger-fired torpedoes is you need a target with enough inertia to press the plunger on impact.  This little Maru was not torpedoed because the plunger bounced off.

I-401: This submarine was built in 2007 by the owner of the Surcouf.  It is similar in many ways to the previous boats, just with micro servos, an ESC, and NiMh batteries.  He did not put powerful enough motors in, I-401 did not get anywhere near her allowed speed, and did not have enough downward thrust from her diving planes to dive.  She had an impressive armament of four torpedoes forward, plunger-activated.  She saved my bacon in the one battle she participated in, when a kamikaze charge by her distracted an Allied Mogami from finishing off my battered cruiser.  She took the hit instead, and sank.  You may be able to buy this ship from her owner, if you show up to several of our battles.

I-402: This surface-running submarine is so terrifying that no photographer has dared take pictures of her.  Actually, her kure-green paint is an effective camouflage so she's very hard to spot until it's too late.  Wait... I DO have a photo with a blurry I-402 in the background.  She was completed near the very end of last year's battle season  Despite not being able to dive and only mounting a single torpedo tube, the I-402 has racked up more kills than any previous submarine and has taken only one single hit in return.  One reason for this is that her torpedo is RC-fired, not button-fired, so she can hit targets up to two feet away.

Posted By Nathan on 03 May 2011 03:39 PM
When is the fair and where at? Id definitly like to make it if i can

is on May 21st and 22nd in San Mateo, CA.  We (the WWCC) 

will be building a shallow pond there so we can battle.  It's a good chance to see what we do, meet some of the guys, and see a whole lot of other cool stuff while you're at it.  I would also recommend, however, that you come visit

as well.  At other battles we won't be quite so busy, crowded, or hoarse, and you'll be able to get a much closer look inside our ships and a more detailed description.  It also shows dedication, which goes a long way towards convincing others to sell their precious submarines or hulls to you.

The I-402's single torpedo tube is about 1/8 inch above the waterline, angled down just a degree or two.  It will touch the water about 8 inches out, then tunnel for a few inches as it skips back up.  It can hit and penetrate the armor on an average high-sided WWII battleship up to about 2 feet away, beyond that the torpedo passes over the penetrable area.  While not a knockout punch by itself, the I-402's torpedo has a very high probability of causing flooding, which is deadly to a ship that's already been worked over by other warships.  It has proven especially effective against the popular Silverfish-class tramps in the WWCC, which normally rely on their low freeboard to protect them.

Nathan, linkie no workie.  Can you send a simpler version of the link?

I believe this is the link in question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqs1jaM-nW4

A few fiberglass Surcouf hulls were made many years back.  I think Bob Pottle may have gotten his operational.  I have a plan to build a dynamic diver without guns.  Every time I take that hull down off the wall, I scratch my head and wonder how I am going to get enough stuff in that hull.  My most recent build was the Mogador, a French destroyer leader and it was hard to do well.  The submarine is about half as wide...

Start with something closer to 15lbs for your first ship!