1/12 Seehund build - LWB

[tifosi12]

Yeah, I am just printing it for a buddy of mine. He will have to put it together. Bigger boats have their advantages and disadvantages. Seriously on the torps, we could just strap a couple 1/72 Type VII's under each wing. Lol!

Actually they wouldn't even be big enough. Might be more like two Arkmodel 1/48. :)

My torpedoes will be another challenge: When built as prescribed they act as floatation devices since they seal the air inside. So I drilled a bunch of holes but there is still the challenge of getting all the air out. So I'm thinking about making them detachable so they can be first filled with water before attaching them to the boat.

[SubDude]

Actually they wouldn't even be big enough. Might be more like two Arkmodel 1/48. :)

My torpedoes will be another challenge: When built as prescribed they act as floatation devices since they seal the air inside. So I drilled a bunch of holes but there is still the challenge of getting all the air out. So I'm thinking about making them detachable so they can be first filled with water before attaching them to the boat.

Oto's look like they are ever so slightly positively bouyant in his videos.

[tifosi12]

Oto's look like they are ever so slightly positively bouyant in his videos.

Well I built the torpedoes as he designed them, they are totally buoyant. Didn't like that at all. Imagine trying to balance to boat with those positive outriggers! I even got aluminum tubes but decided against them, too heavy. So holes it in the plastic tubes it is.

Meanwhile I have entered the phase of vehicle integration. As always very critical to the point of go/no go. For me this is normally where all the thinking and engineering ends and the brute force Dremel tool approach begins. Just make it happen/work somehow. :)

Building RC subs is like making sausage: Not pretty and you don't want to know how it happened (I have a bunch more of these sayings developed over time in this torturous hobby).

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Well I built the torpedoes as he designed them, they are totally buoyant. Didn't like that at all. Imagine trying to balance to boat with those positive outriggers! I even got aluminum tubes but decided against them, too heavy. So holes it in the plastic tubes it is.

Meanwhile I have entered the phase of vehicle integration. As always very critical to the point of go/no go. For me this is normally where all the thinking and engineering ends and the brute force Dremel tool approach begins. Just make it happen/work somehow. :)

Building RC subs is like making sausage: Not pretty and you don't want to know how it happened (I have a bunch more of these sayings developed over time in this torturous hobby).

We are here to suffer punishment for crimes in previous lives.

Happy r/c submarine modelers:



David
The Horrible

[tifosi12]

We are here to suffer punishment for crimes in previous lives.

Happy r/c submarine modelers:



David
The Horrible

That picture is typical for the hobby: Everybody has a RC but only one dude has a working boat. :)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

That picture is typical for the hobby: Everybody has a RC but only one dude has a working boat. :)

LOL! Good catch, sir!

David

[tifosi12]

Finally it was time for some tank trial. Had a leak in the SD and an electrical loss to fight recently, but finally it was all ready for some buoyancy tests. Went fairly well. The "rudder" of this thing is phenomenal, it looks like the book could turn on a dime, it is so effective. Forward speed is also decent, well, at least without the torpedoes. Dives nicely, as far I can tell from such a limited experience as this.

[tifosi12]

Haven't quite figured out the picture thing on this forum. So here another shot of the sub just floating in the tank. The green color is food color for Easter eggs. I like to add it to the tank for some effect. :)

Obviously where the image is mirrored is the water level.

[SubDude]

What kind of a tank is that?

[tifosi12]

What kind of a tank is that?

Look gigantic, doesn't it?

It's just a plastic storage box that I put in my shower stall and fill with water. The boat is just small enough to fit into it. The camera's wide angle makes it look bigger than it is.

[SubDude]

I think I am being thrown off by the tiles visible on the bottom of it.

[tifosi12]

I think I am being thrown off by the tiles visible on the bottom of it.

No tiles. Those are the plastic stripes at the bottom of the container to give it strength. It becomes more obvious in this shot, which clearly lacks Hollywood magic :)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

For three years I used just that kind of 'test tank' Great price, and just big enough for models under 40" in length. Mine eventually succumbed to UV and had to be trashed. Now, I can't find any in the stores in town!



David

[tifosi12]

For three years I used just that kind of 'test tank' Great price, and just big enough for models under 40" in length. Mine eventually succumbed to UV and had to be trashed. Now, I can't find any in the stores in town!

David

Ha, that looks very familiar. I must be finally doing something right!

Yeah, the one I got was the biggest possible size and I had to call around a bit. Found one near Milwaukee and another one in the container store in Chicago. They had just one.

The real fun part begins after the test: Getting all the water out. When full it is too heavy to lift, so I have my own technique of using a big pan to get it out. At the end of the exercise the shower is as wet as the operator. :)

[SubDude]

No tiles. Those are the plastic stripes at the bottom of the container to give it strength. It becomes more obvious in this shot, which clearly lacks Hollywood magic :)

Nice looking boat by the way. I like the paint job.