R/C Naval Combat

I have bought the very last of Ralph Coles' Graf Spee hulls, and i am going to be building it, and i hope to post pictures and updates in this thread. Dont expect the first pictures very soon, it still has to be shipped. I am so excited though, my very first ship, yay! and i get to gloat it in front of Monk this saturday, that now, i am pro-axis.

Congrats BoomerBoy17!! Welcome to the class of Deutschlands! I just finished marking mine out for cutting. Craig and I are building ours CWC-X style. As a pair we intend on terrorizing Frederiction local waters next year.

Adm Stokomoto

Well I will be posting the pics here for the Warship build and also on the A.R.C.C. section of the forum. Stay tuned.

Very cool, i look forward to your build, so that i can make mine too

Alright, well it came in thursaday, and i saw it yesterday, i fell in love. I cant wait to get started. Next weekend, taping of the ribs and maybe beginning to cut out windows.

Excellent now give that hull a big hug.

"Have you hugged your Hull today"?

Adm Stokomoto

Actually i did this morning, thank you very much

Hey if i cut out the windows of my ship, but i dont attach the subdeck for a few weeks, could the fiberglass warp or something of that nature?

nah, don't worry about it :)

ok, thanks

the only time you will see fiberglass warp is if it is insufficiently supported under load. I have had hulls warp, but it was usually because I had a point with a bad epoxy joint to the subdeck or no subdeck at all (an attempt to save weight). and it was always where the hull had some load on it other than its weight pressing down on a board/flat surface. either when on the water or when supported at either end on the shelf.

ok thanks greg. What do you guys think of 1/8 inch pvc for the lowest superstructure section, to help protect it? I might have some left after a home project and it maybe be enough to use, at least on the sides.

You want to try to keep the superstructure light. The ship isn't that big, so any extra weight will make it a little more tippy while turning.

so, what thickness wood should i use for fast gun superstructure. 1/8" ?

Next on the list of things to do......1)Tape and cut windows
2) making the "box" actually of PVC to hold my ship.
3) Subdeck cutting out, and looking for epoxy.

My Lutzow's superstructure was made from 1/8" aircraft grade plywood and 1/4" or solid balsa. Yes, BBs will go through 1/8" plywood and 1/4" balsa if the other ship is close enough. I try not to put the Lutzow in that close to other ships. :)
For the most part, I normally end up with dents or stuck BBs which are easily fixed with spackling and paint.

The best superstructure I have seen was made by Frank in MWC Region 3. He uses fiberglass sheet to craft a very lightweight, scale, and bb proof superstructure. You can see examples of his exceptional work in Dave Ranier's Mogami build thread.

It did fine against BB's, but it did not hold up to well when coming out of the water I tripped carrying it and fell on top of it. Destroyed the aft superstructure, up to that point it had taken a little damage, but not to bad.

ouch. I think im gonna stick with wood though, easier then fiberglass. And, i know it floats

quote:

---

Originally posted by BoomerBoy17

ok thanks greg. What do you guys think of 1/8 inch pvc for the lowest superstructure section, to help protect it? I might have some left after a home project and it maybe be enough to use, at least on the sides.

---

What I recommend for damage zones is something really light like balsa or foam, then cover it with a light rubber like showerpan liner. It will stand up to a pounding and not be too heavy. Avoid pvc as it shatters under bb impact.

thanks rob, that makes sense. this stuff is vinyl, 4x4 post, i dont know if that makes a difference. But im thinking of using 1/4" wood for the superstructure, all around.