U-91035 "PROTEUS" Build Log 2019-02-18: Jigged!

[QuarterMaster]

Col. Ried prompts,”Ready to proceed.”

Gen. Carter orders, “Phase Two.”

Now that the bulk of the warping is out of the way, I decided to continue the build in this “drydock” jig. Once the upper hull is is glassed in along with athwartship stringers, she should be fine. Next step is test fitting different systems, Battery Mount install, Ballast Tank construction, and so forth.

[RCSubGuy]

Beautiful setup. Preparation at this stage will save hassle at later ones. Great job!

[Groot689]

OMG- I just discovered this build in progress. Fantastic Voyage is one of my all time favorite movies. Is this a scratch build? (probably an obvious question but I had to ask anyway)

[QuarterMaster]

Everyone has a favorite boat. In fact....what a poll!!

Anyway, PROTEUS is mine, even ahead of the boat I served on.

Rick Teskey, a member here, made and sold a few back in the day. I think it wad SubRegatta 02 or 03 I bought it from him. Finally after all these years I'm getting back to it.

[QuarterMaster]

OMG- I just discovered this build in progress. Fantastic Voyage is one of my all time favorite movies. Is this a scratch build? (probably an obvious question but I had to ask anyway)

Here is a link to a Google Photo Album of the build.

It contains research material, photo's of the studio model, Fan stuff, and of course my build including the good, bad and ugly. (Work in progress lol)

RC SUBS: PROTEUS U-91035 (~1:15 Scale)

[Rick Teskey]

Hi Ed
have you considered a single large propulser in the lower well area just infront of the lower rudder and make lower rudder operational?
this is one configuration I have not tried
Rick

[QuarterMaster]

Hi Ed
have you considered a single large propulser in the lower well area just infront of the lower rudder and make lower rudder operational?
this is one configuration I have not tried
Rick

Thanks Rick!

Actually not an option for me. I'm the first guy to admit I don't quite push the whole "it has to be exactly that way" when it comes to MY boat builds. IOW, I forgive myself on lack of 100% "attention to detail" on my RC boats, with the exception of the boat I served on, 631. That's, well personal lol.
(Plus the drydock pictures help).
My running boats tend to end up with more "whiskey dings" and what nots that effort is just not there FOR ME. My static boats are a different breed altogether.
Plus, when I started the hobby, it was long before the "scum water line" became all the rage. So when I think RC Sub, that plain, just out of the yard on sea trials "look" is in my mind's eye.

But of course I have the utmost respect for those that do push the weathering envelope, they look awesome. But it's not me.

With that rather lengthy explanation to start, I'm going to say one of the biggest draws to me regarding PROTEUS is her unique propulsion system. So I can't really go the suggested route. So I'm sticking with the prototype there.

After seeing yours run in real life, plus the videos I have seen over time suggest she's certainly not the fastest fish in the sea. So despite what the movie suggests when she's zooming towards a critical nerve junction, she is after all "Designed for Piscatorial Research --the Spawning Habits of Deep Sea Fish." So she probably has more design traits with ALVIN than ALFA.

However, I can agree the bilge pumps don't have the umph necessary. Hence I did some testing and realized there was no way I was getting the thrust I need.

Then true pumpjets became available in that size. Can you say ALPHA 21 PBR?

Look back on my other postings that should show all the work I did, and I don't plan to dump that now lol.

I've been documenting everything, so when all is said and done, I'll have a detailed video series coming out on my favorite boat.

BTW, we're all good here on "Lawn-guy-land" and miss you too. My best to Sue!

Well find a way to run together soon!!

[Rick Teskey]

You are right ,she does not need too go fast when she looks just so cool getting there!
I think you need a bigger printer fo a zero point module too fit

[QuarterMaster]

I think you need a bigger printer fo a zero point module too fit

Yousa funny man Rick!!

I did a little calculating......(MAJOR nerd warning!!)

Youtube has the original Movie trailer. Fantastic Voyage - Trailer
At time index 3:13, there is that excellent scene where Grant is firing the laser at PROTEUS.
It’s a nice, close aboard, perpendicular shot, with a good background for reference.
We also know Michael’s had her at WOT gunning for the damaged nerve bundle.
Using the “< >” to step through the frames and the convenient background showed that the PROTEUS moves her entire length in 38 frames. (Yes, I stepped and counted 38 Frames).
The I used an app to determine the Frames Per Second of that video, which is 23.973fps.
FYI: Adobe Flash Player will give it by selecting “Stats for Nerds” (me).

So now we have:
Her true LOA (given by most sources): 43ft
The number of frames to travel that length (@ WOT): 38
The FPS of THAT video: 23.973fps
Simple math gives us….
23.973/38=.631
0.631(43)=27.133ft/s
Therefore……
27.133 ft per second = 18.5mph
Nerdgasm!!

Let’s call it 16kts, cuz we’re Captains! Right Cap’n?

BTW, this is the stuff I like to do at work during lunch lol

Now our PROTEUS is ~ 1:15 Scale (1:14.566), based on measurements compared to the 1:32 Moebius (we’ll call that the “hero” model). FWIW, your model is damn close to it proportionately, only % out in terms of length to width, length to height, so YOU were spot on back in the day.

So at our scale we need to make 27.133 ft/s divided by 14.566 scale, which is 1.863 Ft/s or 1.27mph or 2.044 kph OR 1.10kts scale speed at WOT.
Average human walking speed is 3.1 mph or 5.0kph. IOW you walk over twice as fast that your model should be running AT WOT. If you had to guess, do you think this is close to what your model does with the bilge pumps?

This teaches us appearances are everything, or my favorite line “perception is reality to most.”. YOU wanna see her APPEAR to move quicker through the water. Most RC Sub’s travel well above scale speed for effect rather than fact. We’re not slugs after all.

When I circumnavigate SHARK around North Lake and I walk with her, we’ll say she’s running at that 3.1mph aforementioned average. So we’re talking ~55in/s, which scaled up from 1:48 has the prototype running at 2640 in/s, or 138kts! Am I wrong? To travel at a scale speed of 33kts (~749 in/s), my model should travel at .78mph or 13.73 in/s !!

Since I’m still at lunch, let’s take the match a bit further, and see who cares enough to keep reading. Time to get NERDY!!

Does anyone know her reduction in the movie? A true aficionado would. Isaac Asimov’s novelization of the movie goes a step further than “about the size of a microbe” stated in the Briefing scene and states she is reduced in length to 3uM (Microns), just under half the width of the average red blood corpuscle to avoid the body’s defenses. As she’s reportedly 13.11m (43ft) in length, let’s do more math!!

13.11m = 13110000um, therefore she was reduced to a scale of 3/13110000 or 1:2.288833e-7! (rounded up……too many decimal places!!)

Make a WTC for THAT Dave lol!!

Again at the Briefing, it’s stated that Benes blood stream was significantly slowed from 40mph. with no final number. A fact check showed that the avg velocity of blood is 3-4 mph (depending on the individual). Which is really fast itself! Heart pumping at 6 quarts a minute, so a blood cell does a round trip in a minute. Hemodynamics, it’s a thing! So I don’t understand the 40mph number, even if they were talking scale. Because that means PROTEUS would be cranking at an “apparent” speed of 174,800,000 mph if Benes woke up [(1/(2.288833e-7))*40]. Even 3 mph would mean an “apparent” speed of 13,110,000 mph to the observer onboard. Doubt anyone here gives a $#*! to check the numbers lol. Gotta find a nerd board that discusses things like this and if anyone can pick up Thor’s hammer Mjolnir in zero gravity.

But it’s just a movie, right? No wonder Asimov hated it.

See what prolonged Google can do to you?

Now how fast are miniaturized human swimmers without fins compared to the speed of the most common type of White blood cell, Neutrophil………?

I think her operation is more important than the speed. But that’s me. Appearance wise I do hope 130W at WOT on both my Brushless Pumpjets scoots her along faster than ~77W calculated from the 700 GPH bilge pumps I believe you have. However, all things being equal, the prop idea sounds GREAT for someone who wants to RC the Moebius version. She’s to small for me.

FWIW, in the end Rick I learn again it’s all about appearance, regardless of scale. Back in the day when I was Navigator aboard a Pearson 323 for a trip from Liberty Landing NJ to Block Island, RI via the East River and Long Island sound, I timed it for her to take advantage of the East River northbound current to “go with the flow” of 7kts at peak flood. At one point this not so fast sailboat (7.03 kts hull speed) was making 11.5kts average speed over ground (SOG) by GPS through the infamous Hell’s Gate (our speed through the water plus the current). Let me tell you that is fast when good for this not so fast boat is 6 kts, “felt” like we were flying! So for PROTEUS, 16 knots as a top end “sounds” right to me for the prototype, but they’re just numbers. Numbers are numbers and have no “sound”. (It’s still lunchtime)

[Bob Gato]

Quartermaster-please 3D print me one of the above in 24th scale..

[QuarterMaster]

Bob....
The boat or Raquel?

Cuz' if I could do her... I'd never leave the house.