In my opinion a 26 second class 4 battlecruiser such as the SMS Von der Tann or the HMS Indefatigable/Invincible is the ideal choice for a beginner. They have sidemounts and excellent manueverability, while not being the slowest ships on the water. Class 4 keeps the complexity and maintenance down. Reliability is the biggest key to having fun, and the more units you have, the more units you have to keep working correctly. So use the KISS princible, and Keep It Simple Sailor. Go class 4 with two side by side rudders, and you can't go wrong. Good Mike
I'll second that opinion. I love my Invincible: good handling, reasonable firepower, and they take a surprising amount of damage when properly built (more than some battleships). Brian K has been bugging me to build a mold for the I-boat, but that's after I finish the Kingfisher (yes, it's still around!) and a set of 1/96 Yamato turrets. I tried to argue, but then he was bugging me while helping paint the new house...
Okay since they dint have the Invincible at battlers do you know were i can get parts for it. I really dont care if there used or new as long as they work good.
Ralph Coles makes an Indefatigable (slightly longer then an Invincible, and thus a little easier for a new guy to build) hull which is extremely nice. Although he is in Africa right now and not currently making hulls, I believe Mikey Deskin has a couple he is trying to sell. You can get in touch with him on the Washington Treaty List in case he doesn't see this post. Also you might want to check Bowning Shipyards in Australia to see if they have Invincibles. I'm pretty sure they do. Their website is: http://www.ausbg.org/BSY/index.html Also, its possible Swampy will do another run of hulls, and if so you can get a swampy Invincible As for superstructure components, deck, etc like nearly every other combat ship, you'll have to fabricate them yourself. I built the swampworks Invincible and the kit was none too impressive. For example, my "funnels" were 3 rectangular balsa blocks that I had to sand into the correct shape. The bottom line is, building one of these ships isn't like building a model kit from Wal-mart; you are going to have to do a lot of the fabrication yourself. You can't just buy all the parts you need and glue them together. Good Mike
whell i figures that but i ment like the guns and hardware stuff. But it would be sweat if they were kits from Wal-Mart. Zac
you can use the BC hardware outfit suggested for a Von Der Tann to build an Invincible or Indefatigable. Good Mike
Well everyone is saying 4 class battlecruisers. SO what about a 4.5 Andrea Doria Class Battleship? Two Rudders, two props, Cant be that bad of a ship, right?
Its two side by side rudders that is the key. That's why people say Von der Tann and not Moltke as a good starter ship. In all other things, Moltke would be superior to the VDT for a rookie, but it has two inline (meaning one rudder in front of another) rudders as opposed to side by side rudders, which can hamper its turning ability. The Doria's rudders are inline. Only having two shafts hurts her too, because she can't use drag disks to slow her down. Why is that important? With drag, you can use more powerful motors which provide more thrust. This thrust provides more water washing over the rudder and improves turning. With only two shafts, the Doria can't take advantage of this, and between the inline rudders and the two shafts, that's why people don't recommend Dorias for rookies. A rookie with a Doria is going to get torn up, and won't have much fun. If he doesn't have fun, he won't be back. I'm not trying to say that Dorias are terrible, I am saying they don't have features that make for a smooth and fun experience for their new captains. Good Mike
well actualy all a drag disk is. is a round disk or a prop that dosent turn like showen here http://i24.piczo.com/view/x/v/y/a/z/l/r/4/3/n/5/img/i185572412_5907_6.jpg the drag that it causes slows down the ship. now if you were to put a more powerful motor in the boat and make the drag disk bigger then the extra water running over the rudders will help the ship turn better
ok i see it slows down the ship but the stronger motors give it that speed back and so it turns better thus making you not loose any speed and making you turn better. right?
ya i guess the best way to say it is the the thrust the comes off the props is still high but the boat is only running at speed
I have been tracking this topic with great Intrest....Currently I Am beginning my first R/C Combat Ship Project...CA-38 USS San Francisco (New Orleans Class)..First reason for this particular subject..the original ship earned 17 Battle Stars..Hard earned Stars...2nd reason..it will fit in the backseat of my car...hehe..and on my balsa building board....3rd Economy..3 unit ..(KISS)..2 guns one pump 25 extra bb's...(treaty rules)..simple. Respectfully Raymond G. Bisson
While I still hold that the I-boat is an ideal beginner ship, the New Orleans class is near the top of my list, and I can tell you that it will serve you well and is a very good ship indeed. Well chosen, Raymond. Are you using a fiberglass hull, or starting from scratch? Nobody'll hate on ya for either way, just asking so we can give you better advice (if/when you need it I also like your reasoning Battle stars are as good a reason as any other! Clark
i think im not going to build the invinceable insetead of the Des Moines. It seem that the invinable has alot more charaterists and is better.
I've researched The North Carolina... Turns out It served TONS of Battles, Earned 16 Battlestars, And Is still afloat to this day!
sweat it's still afloat. Were is it? I got the USS Little Rock and the USS the sulivens in buffalo docked here. I think there both destroyers. The theres the USS Croker he. Its a submarine.
