Hi Friends, After saving up, I finally have the funds to invest in a ship. That said, I have never been the best with building and dont want to jump into the hobby until I learn a bit more. Does anyone know of any fellow members from Arizona (Hopefully close to the scottsdale area?) I would love an experienced member to learn from and maybe play around with an already built ship a bit. Thanks, and all the best. Hunter
Hunter, Good to hear from you. The only clubs I know of (fast gun) out your way are Nevada Combat Ships (based in Reno I think) and SCRAP (based out of Pasadena/Chino, California). I know people in both and they are all quality people. You may have to play the distance-support game for a bit if you aren't able to travel. The SCRAP guys are all super helpful so don't be afraid to contact them. I can't speak on behalf of the Nevada guys, but I'm sure they would be more than willing to help you get started as well. www.scrapcombatships or www.nevadacombatships.com. Additionally, what class of ship are you looking to build? What format would you prefer? (usually you will end up playing whatever format the closest club plays) Hope that helps start you out. Jeff
Hunter, Also, be sure to drop a post on the Introductions board so we can all say hello to you. Don't do what I did and lurk for 3 years before making a post. Everyone here is looking to help and collaborate so don't be intimidated. Jeff
Hi Jeff, Thank you for the heads up! Ill be in touch with the SCRAP guys as soon as I know a little more about the questions I need to ask. As far as a class of ship, honestly any advice you could give me would be great. I was looking at the Arizona and Bismarck, I really love big battleships. Im not an experienced model builder but I will have someone helping me build it. From what I've read big gun is difficult to get into, but Im not exactly sure how it differs from fast gun either. Any direction you or other members could give me before I make a purchase would be greatly appreciated!
when it comes to differences between Big Gun(BG) and Fast Gun(FG) they are pretty simple: BG use slower more scale speed, Different bearing sizes to simulate scale shell size and different balsa armor thickness based on scale armor. Also BG allows the arming of all cannons the ship had over 3". FG uses higher speeds, standard BBs in the canons and every ship use the same thickness of balsa armor. FG also use a rating/class system to determine how many cannons/pumps a ship can have. There are a few other minor difference but those are the big ones that truly make them different. BigGun is harder to get into simply because there are not as many clubs and the cannons are very difficult to make unless you have the tools and skills to do so. FastGun cannons are readily available from strikemodels and battlersconnection. Both styles of play have their own pluses and minuses but neither one is better then the other. My Suggestion is to figure out which you want to do and then go for it. The guys on here are extremely helpful. Good Luck!
Hunter, Jstod hit the nail on the head as far as differences between Fast Gun and Big Gun. Both formats have tons of Youtube videos. The MWCI channel has a great selection of Fast Gun stuff; especially good are the Brouhaha and Nats videos. Keep in mind that I have only ever built/battled Fast Gun so most of my advice will center around that. It does not mean that you SHOULD battle Fast Gun or that it is better; rather I feel that I don't have the experience to weigh in on anything Big Gun. As far as building a ship I would recommend you read these two articles: 1.) Why A Rookie Should Build A Cruiser: http://www.portpolarbear.com/reports/Why_a_Rookie_should_build_a_cruiser.htm 2.) Why A Rookie Should NOT Build A Cruiser: http://www.portpolarbear.com/reports/When%20a%20Rookie%20Should%20NOT%20Build%20a%20Cruiser.htm From what I have seen, most potential captains that start in the hobby and then leave do so because they couldn't get their ship off of the workbench quickly enough to battle. I started by purchasing a fully combat-ready ship so that I could battle right away. It was a very good decision for me as when I finally built my first ship, it took me over a year. It was a Tirpitz, so if you're planning on building a Bismarck, realize that the build time is LONG. Even an Arizona takes most people a long time to build. You might end up being a very fast builder, but for the most part, bigger ships equals more complex systems equals much more time on the bench. It's very very easy to lose focus if your ship stays on the bench for many months without you battling. If you look at the for sale section, rarely do you ever see a fully-combat ready ship up for sale. Instead, you see projects that were started but were never completed or untouched hulls that were never even started. That being said, you stated earlier that you love the big battleships. If you love them that much, perhaps your zeal will keep you interested while you build. I can offer specific advise if you plan to build a Bismarck Fast Gun style. One of the great benefits I had in the hobby was the friendliness of my local club which let me borrow several ships to battle so I could feel out my playing style. Remember, some battlers love to hug and slug and be right up in the action. Others like to lurk on the outside only to swoop in, take a few well placed, damaging shots and speed off. Others like a mix of both. There are ships set up for all play styles. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Wow, this was some really helpful advice guys, thank you I really appreciate it! The nearest clubs to me are FG, so I think Ill go down that route. I definitely underestimated the time needed to build a ship, so I have decided to see if any other members have combat-ready ships they are willing to part with for a newbie to the hobby ( for payment of course). Im hoping if I start with a ship thats already up, I will be engaged more quickly like you mentioned Jeffrey. I actually might be moving to California in the next few months, so maybe I can link up with the SCRAP guys! Thank you so much!
Hey dont count BigGun out just yet. I personally live in the Pasadena area (area where SCRAP has their build sessions) but I am an active member of the WWCC BigGun club in the Bay Area. I am also working on getting the old Southern California BigGun club SCBG back up and running. Either way this is a very fun time with good people!
Hi Jeff, Ill be in the Burbank Area, right by Universal. if Im right, I'm about an hour drive from where you guys meet for battles. I would definitely make the drive. Right now Im just trying to figure out which ship to go with. Im between a South Dakota, Baden, and Scharnhorst. Im looking at buying a complete ship, or trying to build one.
Hunter, If you're in Burbank, you're really close to the build session garage and Sushi hangout. There are guys in SCRAP with each of those ships (multiple Scharnhorsts being built) so you will at least get to see them before you purchase, perhaps even drive one around first. There is also a lot of inter-club sales/trades. Hope to actually meet you in person when/if I move back that way. Jeff
