R/C Naval Combat

I've seen a few combat models of subs. I think I've posted in other threads describing them, and I feel a bit lazy tonight. I might dig up the old posts tomorrow. The basics are that all but one were dynamic divers, and that one didn't dive. They all had single shot torpedoes for Big Gun. All but one had the firing button located on the bow and needed to bump the target to fire. Only one had an emergency marker float, and it was the only one that hasn't sunk yet. All others have sunk (both to enemy fire and to invisible leaks) and been lost for hours or days before recovery. Most of them hardly ever saw action because they were very difficult to work on and get in fighting shape. Every captain agreed that they were really cool and a fun challenge to work on, but not a good boat for regular combat. Not good for the new battler, or even an intermediate battler, but a fun project for experts looking for the ultimate challenge.

But the Space Battleship Yamato is OK, right? It's real, right? Already half built! Just a few more centuries until it's finished

Far as I know, the Yamato was launched, don't recall a rule preventing it from being built in a later guise so long as we stick to the units based on original design

But you don't get the wave motion gun.

Absolutek is right: I've seen RC sub models of the various Starships Enterprise (NCC-1701-A and 1701-D that are -really- cool!), an rc sub space shuttle, a space battleship Yamato sub, and others... basically, if you think you can make a submarine out of it, chances are you can... provided you're willing to sink the necessary time, engineering, and money into it in order to make it work.

In response to the original question, there are a plethora of resources available in order to build RC submarines, and if you want to do it yourself, http://www.subcommittee.com is a great resource because of their supremely organized devotion to the hobby: these guys are to submarines what we are to fast gun/big gun combat. Also, there are numerous off-the-shelf German, American, and Russian submarine model kits available online or in local hobby shops that can be converted to RC purposes without spending over a thousand dollars: a really popular kit is the 1/72 Revell Gato-class American submarine. I think there is an equivalent Type-VIIC U-Boat kit as well. However, if you want to build big, such as 1/96 or larger, expect your final bill to be between $700 and $2000 from project start to project operational as a functioning submarine... basically about the same cost as a Class-3 to Class-7 ship fully rigged out as a combat vessel. If I had the money, time, and space to do so, I'd have one of those immense Typhoon-class submarine kits available from http://www.engel-modellbau.de - this company has probably the highest level of niche-market commercially built model kit detail I've ever seen, and I've compared kits from Robbe, RC Subworks, and others. Their kits are quite literally the very last word in RC Submarine technology and versatility. The problem is, they are also extremely expensive by comparison to an RC surface warship, that for less money can be turned into a functional weapons platform that is far more versatile in terms of enjoyment than a submarine.

I still think RC submarines are cool, and one day I plan to build one... but I have a class-7 Battleship to finish, first.

I've seen Yamato's in battle too. They make great submarines.