R/C Naval Combat

I've done nothing R/C combat related in 2009-2010 except for the long process of finishing the I-400 plugs and molds and making some hulls. Cottage renovations took up nearly every weekend this summer and fall but the major work is finished so I'll have more free weekends next year. Dealing with two deaths and a serious injury in the family since Jan. 2009 also put a damper on my interest in hobbies. I'm finally motivated to resume work on RC combat warships, but have a long list of projects:

IJN Ibuki - light carrier; awaiting guts and external details; will be used as a convoy ship in IRCWCC and a combat ship in Treaty

HMS Valiant - hull and secondary turrets to be laid up starting this weekend; will be my main IRCWCC combat ship

HMS Rodney - fiberglass deck, plexi-glass hatches, turrets and prop shafts ready for installation; will be an IRCWCC combatant as speed is too slow in Treaty 

Krasni Krim - Soviet CL, hull ready to cut out and will be armed with 2 x 1/2 unit bow spurt guns and a single 1 unit stern gun; IRCWCC ship

HMS Gorgon - battle ready but could use a repaint

HMS Minotaur - proved to be too slow under Treaty rules and is being converted back to IRCWCC speed and larger IRCWCC pump outlet , needs minor repairs and will then be sold.

HMAS Albatross - convoy ship

I-402 - submersible convoy ship 

HMS Furious - non-combat model of WWI hybrid carrier/battlecruiser

HMS Vanguard - hull ready for fiberglass deck installation and all equipment to complete on hand, will be used for both IRCWCC and Treaty combat

I plan to finish Rodney first.

Bob

Rodney and Nelson have always been my favorite British battleships.  Ralph's Nellson was almost useless for R/C combat because gun placement options were poor in 1996. Ralph used one sidemount, a stern gun and triples in B turret. The triples couldn't depress more than a degree or two below horizontal due to A turret's roof and couldn't hit anything closer than 20'. I remember Curt's Bismarck alongside pounding the Nelson while the triples were shredding the bushes on shore.

NABS members played a major role in getting the rules changed to allow dual sidemounts, with which Blair's Rodney was quite effective. My Rodney will have dual sidemounts in A and C turrets plus a stern gun. Blair's duals were in A and B turrets. What became of his model?

Bob 

Posted By bb26 on 04 Nov 2010 03:37 PM
I dont know what ever became of Blair's nelson. Although i look forward to when I can start cutting out the rodney hull. T

I too am looking forward to cutting out a Rodney hull...with Scharnhorst!! or maybe ISE or HOPEFULLY I-400.

We should try to get a build session or two in soon, maybe shoot for 1 per month!?!?!?!?

J

Winter build sessions are a good idea. Unfortunately my workspace has been reduced to a small corner of the basement and can't accomodate more than one ship/person at a time. Does anyone have a suitable workspace?

With the storm upon us for the next 3 days I can't lay-up the Valiant hull and leave it on the front porch to cure - the rain is blowing across the whole porch below roof level. Instead I'll finish cutting out the Rodney hull and install the fiberglass decks on Rodney and Vanguard.

I'd like to attend IRCWCC NATS in 2012 and should bring Vanguard becasue she has the same speed as Tom's and Curt's Iowa Class models and only one less combat unit in a smaller package.

I'm buying HMS Roberts from John so will have a pair of British monitors again, both capable of 4' diameter turning circles. I still have the wooden deck mold for a fiberglass deck with molded hatch recesses and will make one to replace the cintra deck presently installed. Roberts will be rebuilt as near-sistership HMS Abercrombie with a different and larger superstructure. Kind of like a miniature Rodney.

Bob

Posted By RichelieuBB on 05 Nov 2010 07:19 PM

I believe the Allies have a solution in the works for the 2011 NATS.

Are they gonna not show up??

J