Fletcher Class

I know there are Fletcher plans in the resources section - but this website has more detailed plans than I've ever seen:

http://abbot.us/DD629/plans/

 

You can also buy a plastic hull and deck that weighs next to nothing.
http://vac-u-boat.com/Vac-U-FletcherCombat.htm

 

I was posting the site for those who might want to scratch build instead of purchasing a pre-made plastic/fiberglass hull. No further advertising please.

 

So if I mention there is an alternative, that is construed as "advertising"? Your original post did not mention a fiberglass (please tell me who makes that) or plastic hull, so your "instead of purchasing" is misleading...

 

To answer your first question - yes, I do consider it advertising when you say, "You can also buy...." I guess after reading through many of the threads in the plans section and seeing many similar comments with links to online stores (no matter if the person is the owner or not) I've gotten kind of annoyed by the advertising. I think people come here to ask for help and instead of pointing out a site where plans can be had for free, there are many who point directly to a site where the plans have to be purchased. To note, the site I pointed out is free and it should be concluded that it would be for the scratch builder.

As to your second question - I was just covering my basis by saying "plastic/fiberglass" so as to prevent any further advertising. I probably should have just said "any hulls or plans for sale."

 

So if you can't find free plans somewhere on the web, you're not supposed to reply and just leave the guy in the dark? Wouldn't it be a kindly act to at least point out where somebody can purchase a set of plans for the ship they want to build instead of them not being able to build the ship they want because they can't get plans, regardless of whether they are free or not?
And I believe many of the plans requests don't specify if the person is looking for free plans or not, so how can you conclude that all these people are looking for free plans and don't appreciate a link to a plans supplier?

 

While you do make a good point that most people don't specify whether they want free or not - I personally assume people would rather be able to find it on the web for free and then spend a few bucks at a local print shop to have it printed out. That has been my whole reason for posting links for free plans online in the last while. For the better part of the last 15 years I have been into scratch building model airplanes and have been part of multiple communities whose sole purpose in life is to post as many free plans online as possible, hence the way I think. I guess I will just put a standard disclaimer in my posts from now on that asks people to refrain from advertising any plans or hulls for sale.

I do have one question for you: Why would anyone post a link to a model for sale in a thread that advertises free plans?

 

While you are generally right, there are some folks on here that would rather spend a little more to get an accurate set of plans versus getting some free ones off the web that the accuracy of cannot be verified.

I think you will find this community the same. There are many people on this forum (myself included) that have a large stockpile of free plans they have found on the web. Most times you won't find the plans posted here because of possible copyright issues, but most generally if somebody has the plans they'll send them to you.

The Vac-U- Fletcher kits aren't exactly just models. Destroyers in this hobby are very difficult to build due to their small size and weight in this scale. The Vac-U-Fletcher kits were designed using extreme weight saving techniques and internal components with the hope that just about anybody could build one. I think @VVaholic was just pointing out that there is an alternative to scratch building a hull that could save someone a lot of money and grief when trying to build a small destroyer.
I'd encourage you to go read the Vac-U-Fletcher story. https://rcwarshipcombat.com/threads/fast-gun-fletcher.444531/

 

Beaver,

I guess one of the reasons that I have been contributing to the plans section is that I requested general plans for the Wyoming class battleship and nobody either has them or sees fit to share them with me because the only responses I received was advertising and directions to another modelling forum where they MIGHT be based off a very old thread. I'm trying to show that plans don't necessarily have to be purchased and that this forum wasn't set up solely to make a profit.....I guess I will continue to share what I find and continue to make requests for the Wyoming class when I do until someone points me in the right direction (BTW - I will always share, even after I have the plans I want).

iowaclass

 

FYI, after you posted your request for Wyoming plans, I did an extensive search for you and found relatively nothing. What I did find I posted in the thread in case you were interested. The Wyoming class isn't a very popular boat among modellers so there aren't a lot of free plans floating around from old modelers magazines and such.

Where did you get the allusion that this forum was set up to make a profit?

 

Just because there is a link to an online store in many threads....I was specifically talking about the plans forum.

 

So because we try to help people find what they are looking for you think this forum was made to make a profit off of people? You also seem to imply that nobody should make a profit by selling goods, maybe I'm wrong about that but that's kind of the way it sounds.
Just so you know, most of the plans sources referenced and linked to aren't owned by member of the forums. The only one I know that is is Strike Models, and they are not trying to make a huge profit with their business.

 

There are other sites for scale scratch builders. This site is for the promotion of and dissemination of information in regards to R/C warship combat. In that regard, it is wholly appropriate to include a link to a Fletcher combat kit in a Fletcher plans thread. It's the desire of most on this forum to expand and make the point of entry as easy as possible for newcomers. Someone Googling Fletcher plans and landing on this page might find an almost ready to battle kit to be of interest hence it's inclusion.

FS: Lightweight Fletcher Cannons! https://rcwarshipcombat.com/threads/lightweight-small-ship-cannon.445064/page-2

 

When I have seen many links to online stores, it is about a profit......for somebody. I honestly don't appreciate the plastic Fletcher or cannons links in my thread when I was trying to do a nice thing by showing the members here that there is a free resource that exists. As I said before:

 

Options are good. Just because it isn't free doesn't mean another scratch builder won't be interested. I will happily admit to purchasing cleaned up drawings that were based off of some of those general books of plans you've mentioned in other threads because I find them easier to work with.

We're here to help all sorts of folk.

 

Absolutek,

I certainly don't know if I've helped anyone with the plans that I have posted here, but I've tried! However, I haven't personally received any helpful responses to my inquiries based on what I had asked for. I guess I will continue to try to help out until someone decides to reciprocate!

iowaclass

 

I too searched through my plans for you not all BGP are out there bet some are gone forever, ...concerning profit... I knew Nick was pulling a fast one on us.
Also keep looking on ebay and others some post plans with high resolution samples

 

Sometimes we have to accept when we ask a question that we will either not like the answer or receive no answer at all. I known several people have looked for that plan for you high and low all over the net and some personal collections. It isn't a matter of somebody sitting on plans not wanting to help.

 

Absolutek,

I did not know that and am grateful to those that searched. However, by the responses that I received, that wasn't readily apparent as all I received were links to plans for sale.

iowaclass