Engel Typhoon

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

That is simply neat, Ron. More!

David,

[pjdog]

Very nice - working Torpedoes.

[Subculture]

Looks like one of the early Engel Typhoons, with the sharper bow and smooth hull, before they scribed in the anechoic tiles.

[RonP-UK]

Thanks David, I did'nt know that this was on the web, it was the first try out of both boats in a lake. I had checked them out in my small swimming pool but this was a canal basin, the water was cold enough to freeze
the nickers off a vickers wife, thats why the torps dont go too well but the boats seem to perform OK and you can see the effect of the auto trim working.
RonP

[Subculture]

I remember the Salcon. Steve Webb used to have them in his models, and Dave Wright had on in his Type XXI. By the time I got into subs, they were unobtanium, in fact for a while you couldn't get a leveller in the UK for love or money. Was the Salcon based around a pendulum or a fluid sensor?

I use microgyros levellers now. Brilliant little things!

http://microgyros.com/model_submarine_electronics.html

[RonP-UK]

The Salcon was a pendulum controlled device, I've tried out most of the other types as and when they have become available but to my mind (and I am prejudice) they don't seem to give the same degree of control
plus they all seem to need to hook up to your reciever and I am not convinced of the validy. Having said that Skip Assay once told me that the best system in the world is the one that works for you.
He was right and what I do works for me.

[Subculture]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by lack of validity and degree of control?

Andy

[RonP-UK]

The thing is with connecting to a radio it gives you the oppurtunity to overide the self leveler and I can't see the need to do so. My U-boat is almost 7 feet long and I used to sail at Bourneville model boat pool that was only 27" deep around the sides. The boat is 25" from underside of keel to tip of scope so I didnt have much room below my keel and any sort of bow down attitude would put the bow into the concrete long before the stern was below water. I like to see a model sub flat out and dive on the move, just like the real thing, but a crash dive in shallow water can be fatal. I have spent some time your side of the pond and been to a few model boat lakes and you guys are far better off than us poor Brits, your lakes are bigger, cleaner and safer. We generally have to fight off fishermen and sunken supermarket trolleys, not to mention the odd clown on a sail board, so a system that keeps the boat level ALL of the time seems better to me.
As for degree of control, the solid state units I have tried dont seem to work that well on a large boat. I'm not sure why but suspect not sensitive anough. It could of course be just me, Ive been out of this hobby for almost 20 years and I need to do some catch up with technology. Probably in the fullness of time I will change my mind completely, but I have about 50 Salcon boards tucked away in a draw and it seems sensible to use what I have if it works. I dont think there is much wrong with Micks Typhoon. I'm an old fart but I am still capable of learning. By the way, what is the significance of 'you cant eat pieces of eight'?

[Subculture]

Pieces of eight is a quote from 20,000 leagues under the sea. Captain Nemo admonishes Ned Land for treasure hunting on a hunting expedition-

Captain Nemo: You were sent to get food, not treasure! You can't eat pieces of eight!
Ned Land: Eat? I can eat any time——
Captain Nemo: You place an absurd value on the cheapest of human commodities. Aboard the Nautilus we use such baubles for ballast.
(Nemo strolls over and opens a hatch to reveal a walk-in locker full of gold treasure. Ned stares.)
Ned Land: Ballast... (walks over and pulls a gilted item from the pile, smiling) ...I sure could lighten this ship!
Captain Nemo: (snatching the piece and depositing it back in the closet) The greatest treasures of all, MisterLand, are a sound mind and a full belly. I hope you remember that before stooping to pick up pennies.
Ned Land: You've been pickin' them up. And pickin' them up good! '...Ballast'!

I know what you mean about the levellers. They vary from model to model, some are more sensitive than others. I'm in the UK BTW, you contacted me a few weeks ago about the Sub Committee. I run a few pool run events throughout the year, which are based in and a round London- no shopping trolleys or Fisherman!

[RonP-UK]

I found this on the web David, It's the Typhoon I built for my pal. Not sure I would be that brave though but some nice shots in the ice.
RonP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxN7qtZfZE&feature=related