first fun-run of the season

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  • He Who Shall Not Be Named
    Moderator
    • Aug 2008
    • 12256

    first fun-run of the season

    The Tidewater area scale model boat club, the Elite Fleet, completed its first run of the season yesterday. The site was the outside pool at the Jewish Community Center (JCC). We were there to also provide some entertainment to the good folk who were attending Israeli Fest on the grounds of the JCC. We never pass up an opportunity to hand a transmitter to a stranger and let them enjoy the experience of tooling a ship or submarine model around the pool.

    Perfect water clarity, and a pool that connects to several ‘fiords’; this is a great place to put our little scale models through their paces.

    Here’s a short video of that event:

    https://youtu.be/WOVYwwx6VD4



    My nemesis: Kevin Rimrodt. This guy takes every opportunity to run the submarines over with either his big battle-ship or destroy models. Kevin and I go way back. Recently I completed the tooling for a kit he’s going to market: a 1/96 THRESHER/PERMIT class submarine. It’s the gray one you’ll see in the video.



    A German type-212 cuts across the bow of Kevin’s battle-ship, the nautical equivalent of flipping someone the middle-finger. And … the game is on! The video clearly shows how the maneuverable 212 can avoid and engage surface target with ease. Poor Kevin.



    The X-tailed, 1/96 scale model of the German Type-212 is perfect for small bodies of water. Very, very maneuverable, giving it the ability to outturn any surface ship that wishes to tangle with it.

    I was using a mechanical mixer (sliding servo type) to integrate the stern plane and rudder inputs on this particular model, but found the SubTech electronic X-tail mixer (a V-tail mixer is the same thing) to do a much better job of mixing the two control inputs to work the planes without the pitch and yaw transients observed with mechanical mixing. No more unwanted angle changes with the ‘rudder’ hard over.



    My work-station set up at the JCC pool. The model submarine foreground, in primer gray is the prototype 1/96 THRESHER/PERMIT (short hull, short sail version) – this was the first time in open water for this boat. It did good!



    Phil is seen here taking a few moments to walk his little girl through operating a submerged r/c submarine.



    Combatants.

    Rendering honors as they pass one another close aboard. Then, the ship swings to port and puts some speed on; the submarine dives, hard right rudder, and goes to flank.

    And … the gloves come off!



    Phil’s a family guy, as evidenced in this shot. We go way back, he too was a Navy Diver. Over the years this guy has gathered a model submarine kit collection that is to die for!

    That’s Ellie at the right -- maintaining law and order pool-side.

    His current line-up of r/c submarines includes a 1/48 USS NAUTILUS, 1/96 USS SKIPJACK, and a 1/60 phase-4 USS ALBACORE (the version with the X-tail and counter-rotating axially mounted propellers).


    Who is John Galt?
  • Michael Laubach
    Ensign
    • Feb 2018
    • 66

    #2
    It looks like it was a great time! Those are some great pics!

    Comment

    • Rick Teskey
      Lieutenant Commander
      • Jan 2009
      • 233

      #3
      Can't wait for the ice to melt sigh you Southerners have it so good

      Comment

      • He Who Shall Not Be Named
        Moderator
        • Aug 2008
        • 12256

        #4
        Originally posted by Rick Teskey
        Can't wait for the ice to melt sigh you Southerners have it so good
        Stop *****ing! You're there to be punished!
        Who is John Galt?

        Comment

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