Im aquiring a Z-boat in a trade and im wondering if their are any other options out there besides the palmers reg. thats super lightweight for the 12. gram powerlets? I've done a little research but to no avail. thanks guys, im pretty excited about doing a build this small! Ive worked my way from building a Bismarck, to a Graf Spee and now a z-boat.. Damn, these things are addictive! haha
Im assuming you then just take a quick change 12gram adapter and screw it right in? And i can use it with my big boats and bottles.. That's awsome, thanks for pointing out the obvious dave. Im a little on the slow side.. hah
Definately the Strike fixed reg. It made weight in Othar (still being stripped down to have electrical gremlins fixed)... You need an adapter to fit CO2 cartridges to the regulator, which is sized to fit a standard CO2 bottle.
Its a very nice regulator. I was lucky enough to get my number called second at the Nats grab bag, and I snatched one right up, was suprised it did not go first. I plan on using it in my Sri Arutha, and DD myself.
My only gripe with it is that you really have to torque the CO2 bottle into it to get an adequate seal. Anything less than 100% tight, you will get leaks. It may be just mine, but I've been using a wrench on the top of the bottle (don't want to torque the bottle's pressure vessel - to - head joint. But it's seriously rediculous to get tight by hand. But it IS: super-light, steady (pressure-wise, mine's right on 145#), and compact. I recommend it, with the proviso about the torquing the bottle to seal as mentioned above.
Tugboat, I've got the same complaint about the seal as well. I keep meaning to try to find a replacement o-ring that will seal up without me feeling like I'm overtorquing the thing
Stephen says: 1) Don't be afraid that you're over-torquing it. The CGA-320 connection is designed for that fit. 2) The next batch will have the CGA-323 connection, which is design specifically for paintball tanks and won't have this issue. 3) If you need to reposition the orientation of the regulator, you can add a second gasket.
Never had a position problem with it, just hate getting out the pliers to gas up between sorties. I am glad to hear that the next batch will be better in that respect. Any ideas on when they'll be available? I'll hold off on buying the one for Musashi until then. Oh, while I've got you here, what kind of connection do the adjustable regulators use? I appreciate you guys, don't think that one gripe changes that
I haven't had a leak problem yet with hand torquing the bottle on hand tight. Must have gotten lucky. One thing I did notice though is that the pin depressor is just too short for some bottles. I have a nice 5 ounce bottle that won't work with the reg because the valve pin is a little shorter than most bottles. A great fix would be an adjustable pin on the regulator. All it would need is an extra long set screw which would also give the benefit of letting the valved bottle users remove the pin to get it out of the way.
This is only the second time I've heard of issues with the pin depressors, but I've added it to the request list to have a longer pin depressor added. They are available, so it won't be a problem. The updated regulator will likely take two to three months to prepare. It takes them a while to get the plans finalized and the bodies made. The fixed and variable regulators will end up being variants of each other. The variable regulators currently have a 1/8 NPT and 1/4 NPT regulated ports. I just added plastic plugs and reducers to use instead of brass (recently had several cross threaded brass reducers). The plastic parts don't seem to need any thread sealer, which is quite nice. Stephen Morgret Strike Models www.strikemodels.com
I'm using a valve, so the pin depressor isn't an issue for me. I can wait 2 or 3 months, no problem, since the Moose isn't scheduled for combat till next spring. Are the new design regulators the same size as the current fixed regulators?
Don't get me wrong, the regulator is awesome! Lightweight and solid ... mine has had zero problems since I bought it last spring. I like the 1/4" port because it will flow air like no tomorrow ... perfect for the high flow cannons I have installed in the HMS Erin.
The new regulator will be quite similar to the existing one. There will be some form changes, but the internals will be almost identical. I need to switch soon because the manufacturer is running out of the fixed version of the bodies, and we figured we would get something that fit our needs a little better. The addition of the paintball connection (CGA-323) will be the major change from the existing industrial CGA-320 connection. This connection allows for some weight savings (pin valves are lighter than on/off valves) and will allow the fixed regulator to work on HPA bottles (I have not seen an HPA bottle with an on/off valve). Stephen Morgret Strike Models www.strikemodels.com
The new regulators will work just fine with both pin valves and on/off valves. The new solenoids are available now. I have them on the same page as the tanks and regulators. Stephen
Well, just ordered a fixed regulator. Hopefully ill have some pictures of this thing put together soon. Excited to work on something so small since there doesn't seem to be many destroyers out there. It'd be cool if there was a good build thread on how to do them since there are very limited sources on them and so many on larger ships. Guess ill just think light weight, light weight and light weight some more!
guys ok question, how do the fixed regulator work, im still new with this, so that why i asked! Nikki
Nikki, the fixed regulator is plug and play. connect the outlet to your gas system, and thread your CO2 bottle into the big inlet hole. No fuss, no muss.
