GATO! (It has begun)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thanks! Ill be doing that. Say, what has everyone been doing with travel and storage boxes with their subs? Any tips on what materials to get, designs that work or dont, etc? Im getting close to getting this guy to the point of test sailing before my big paint job on it. I would like to start thinking about the travel box

Can't speak for everyone, but I'm partial to a stout storage-transportation box banged together from exterior grade 1/8" thick plywood with 1/2" square bracing. Foam sheet is employed as a custom fit soft cradle within the box that holds the model centered within the box.

I've had a 1/96 AKULA, in its box, roll off the end of a moving van and not suffer any damage to the model. To date I have nearly thirty boxed models sitting around the house.

Matt: you asked the right question. It's important to have such a box to protect your investment of time, talent, and money.



Shown above is a little 1/144 Trumpeter KILO (you watching, Romel???) and its custom sized storage-transportation box. Next is Ellie showing how we first give from to the supporting foam then glue it to the upper box lid. And next to that I'm showing off a 1/72 SKIPJACK and its box. Note how the foam is glued to the bottom of the box lid -- when the lid is in place the model is safely cradled between the conformal foam pieces at the bottom, sides, and top of the box.



Box construction is straightforward: crosscutting, ripping, nailing, gluing, band-aids, and some bad words. If I have to explain how to bang a wooden box together for you, then you, pal, are in the wrong game!

M

[matthewnimmo]

Thanks! Ill be doing that. Say, what has everyone been doing with travel and storage boxes with their subs? Any tips on what materials to get, designs that work or dont, etc? Im getting close to getting this guy to the point of test sailing before my big paint job on it. I would like to start thinking about the travel box

[greenman407]

Matthew, I just bought a piece of 1" pink foam, 24" x 24", from Lowes for $5.00 and change. Its good closed cell foam.

[matthewnimmo]

Question about foam. So, i bought the foam and weight kit from subdriver, but i notice that it only came with a few small blocks of foam. Is that enough? If not were can i get more of the "correct" foam, Lowes or a Home Depot?

[matthewnimmo]

@david: any word from mike about 75mhz?

separate note, i have a ton more pics of progress to post! Hopefully this weekend

[matthewnimmo]

Ok cool, so its ok to use the CA route when installing the props then?

also, David, any word back from Mike with the 75mhz or do i need to even worry about it with 72mhz that i have today?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Sorry this is a little off-topic:
M: Renshape 5030? If so, where can I get a pretty small quantity? Don't want a whole sheet, just enough
for my Gato.
CG

Caswell used to sell end-cuts of the stuff. I buy mine by the 'log'

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Awesome! Thanks guys for the feedback!

next question: according to the dvd set the props were attatched to the drive shafts via CA. Is that the perminent solution?

Not that permanent.

You can remove the entire shaft with glued on propeller by removing the (removable!) stern planes. To pop the propeller off without damage you put a torch to the shaft, about three-inches ahead of the propeller. The heat eventually conducts to the glue holding the propeller in place, it weakens, and you yank the propeller off the shaft. Two of the many virtues of Cyanoacrylate adhesives is that it will fail with heat and shock.

M

[matthewnimmo]

Awesome! Thanks guys for the feedback!

next question: according to the dvd set the props were attatched to the drive shafts via CA. Is that the perminent solution?

[crazygary]

Sorry this is a little off-topic:
M: Renshape 5030? If so, where can I get a pretty small quantity? Don't want a whole sheet, just enough
for my Gato.
CG

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

So, when that is determined where do i go from there on hooking it up to that bulkhead right before it goes to the upper hull. That bulkhead has two hose ends and one on the other side that leads up to the upper hull float

The hoses will look like this.

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Hey, Matt!!

Lookin' good, buddy!

But, what, exactly, is your float made of? It almost looks like something other than foam!?
The smooth surface looks like it's really tight celled!

Keep up the good work!

CCG

Good eye, Gary. Yes, its 20-pound per cubic foot Renshape polyurethane foam. Better than the polystyrene foam I had previously used. An up-grade.

M

[matthewnimmo]

So, when that is determined where do i go from there on hooking it up to that bulkhead right before it goes to the upper hull. That bulkhead has two hose ends and one on the other side that leads up to the upper hull float

[trout]

Test your ends by placing a finger over the openings to see which is sucking and which is blowing just to verify.

[crazygary]

Hey, Matt!!

Lookin' good, buddy!

But, what, exactly, is your float made of? It almost looks like something other than foam!?
The smooth surface looks like it's really tight celled!

Keep up the good work!

CCG