Getting Back to Work

I've done nothing R/C combat related in 2009-2010 except for the long process of finishing the I-400 plugs and molds and making some hulls. Cottage renovations took up nearly every weekend this summer and fall but the major work is finished so I'll have more free weekends next year. Dealing with two deaths and a serious injury in the family since Jan. 2009 also put a damper on my interest in hobbies. I'm finally motivated to resume work on RC combat warships, but have a long list of projects:
IJN Ibuki - light carrier; awaiting guts and external details; will be used as a convoy ship in IRCWCC and a combat ship in Treaty
HMS Valiant - hull and secondary turrets to be laid up starting this weekend; will be my main IRCWCC combat ship
HMS Rodney - fiberglass deck, plexi-glass hatches, turrets and prop shafts ready for installation; will be an IRCWCC combatant as speed is too slow in Treaty
Krasni Krim - Soviet CL, hull ready to cut out and will be armed with 2 x 1/2 unit bow spurt guns and a single 1 unit stern gun; IRCWCC ship
HMS Gorgon - battle ready but could use a repaint
HMS Minotaur - proved to be too slow under Treaty rules and is being converted back to IRCWCC speed and larger IRCWCC pump outlet , needs minor repairs and will then be sold.
HMAS Albatross - convoy ship
I-402 - submersible convoy ship
HMS Furious - non-combat model of WWI hybrid carrier/battlecruiser
HMS Vanguard - hull ready for fiberglass deck installation and all equipment to complete on hand, will be used for both IRCWCC and Treaty combat
I plan to finish Rodney first.
Bob

 

Hopefully it works out well. It would be nice to see the Rodney on the water.

 

Rodney and Nelson have always been my favorite British battleships. Ralph's Nellson was almost useless for R/C combat because gun placement options were poor in 1996. Ralph used one sidemount, a stern gun and triples in B turret. The triples couldn't depress more than a degree or two below horizontal due to A turret's roof and couldn't hit anything closer than 20'. I remember Curt's Bismarck alongside pounding the Nelson while the triples were shredding the bushes on shore.
NABS members played a major role in getting the rules changed to allow dual sidemounts, with which Blair's Rodney was quite effective. My Rodney will have dual sidemounts in A and C turrets plus a stern gun. Blair's duals were in A and B turrets. What became of his model?
Bob

 

I love my HMS Rodney too, she don't turn, she don't go, she's hard to stop and the wind affects her badly, but she can look after herself, most times.
I even sank an Iowa with her once.....then got tangled in my victims float line and nearly sank.

 

I dont know what ever became of Blair's nelson. Although i look forward to when I can start cutting out the rodney hull. T

 

Glad to hear your back at it Bob. Maybe you can arrange to go to Nats 2012 with Tom Cromwell and I as Allies. Both Tom and I are currently building Iowa class ships. Were making very good progress. Were plannning to work as a coordinated pair to sink the Axis heavy hitters such as the Yammers and the Bismarcks.Paul hope your getting the Tennessee together for a refit.

 

The Tennessee will be under going a winter refit. the balsa definitely needs to be re sheeted. Wiring can be improved. I have managed to obtain a traxxas 12t Titan motor. So my pump motor will be replaced. I think I have the balance issue resolved. A 1 lb weight in the back by the rudder servo helped improve things on the last run. The weight goes across the boat and I found turning was better. The throttle switch is going to be replaced by an ESC. I am not whether it should be 1 or 2. Once that is done I think i will cut out the Rodney this winter.

 

I think 2 would be needed one for each motor . You think Tennessee would be ready for Nats in 2012?

 

\it will b e fully ready to go. Also the southy is coming out of retirement

 

I too am looking forward to cutting out a Rodney hull...with Scharnhorst!! or maybe ISE or HOPEFULLY I-400.
We should try to get a build session or two in soon, maybe shoot for 1 per month!?!?!?!?
J

 

Paul, 2 ESCs give you redundancy just in case. I can help you set them up I have two in Scharnhorst and plan on two in ISE.
J

 

Paul, 2 ESCs give you redundancy just in case. I can help you set them up I have two in Scharnhorst and plan on two in ISE.
J

 

Winter build sessions are a good idea. Unfortunately my workspace has been reduced to a small corner of the basement and can't accomodate more than one ship/person at a time. Does anyone have a suitable workspace?
With the storm upon us for the next 3 days I can't lay-up the Valiant hull and leave it on the front porch to cure - the rain is blowing across the whole porch below roof level. Instead I'll finish cutting out the Rodney hull and install the fiberglass decks on Rodney and Vanguard.
I'd like to attend IRCWCC NATS in 2012 and should bring Vanguard becasue she has the same speed as Tom's and Curt's Iowa Class models and only one less combat unit in a smaller package.
I'm buying HMS Roberts from John so will have a pair of British monitors again, both capable of 4' diameter turning circles. I still have the wooden deck mold for a fiberglass deck with molded hatch recesses and will make one to replace the cintra deck presently installed. Roberts will be rebuilt as near-sistership HMS Abercrombie with a different and larger superstructure. Kind of like a miniature Rodney.
Bob

 

we still have access to our office in Burnside or I would be happy to have you folks down to the house for a day, bit out of the way but work space is there.

 

Vanguard would be a great Choice Bob. The Allies need the extra super firepower for those Yammers and dual sidemounted Bismarcks.

 

I'm not sold on a Vanguard as a counter to the Yamatos and Bismarks unless the ship can be made to turn as well as the ships it will be going against. From what I have seen so far, Vanguard's are difficult to make turn well.

I believe the Allies have a solution in the works for the 2011 NATS.

 

Are they gonna not show up??
J

 

John, it would be awesome to use the shop again. There was lots of room for lots of boats.
J

 

The Allies will show up. By Tuesday afternoon, the Axis will wish they hadn't!

 

Vanguard in fact should turn well due to the transom stern. The Rudder would need to be deep and more vertical than horizontal and long.