This is only my second post so 1001 apologies if this is a cross post, i'll take it down and put it somewhere better if anyone has an issue. Anyways, from reading the forums I think i want to start a fastgun project. I thought it would be good to start small so the USS McDougal is my model ship. She only displaces 1050 tons and she's 305'6" long. So, where do I Start???? I need the ship to conform to play standards, but i'm more worried about construction. appx how much should the ship weigh? Where should the ballast be located? How do i make guns? How do i waterproof my sensetive compartments? How much torque do i need to move my ship at a decent clip? How do i set/ manufacture my own prop and adjust the angles for max. efficiency? how should i research to bring all this together? I'm very new to rc, i don't even have a radio. I'm very proficient at wood and metal working and i can mill components though. It's a little overwhelming to even try and bring all of this together without someone to guide me.
First let me ask you a question... are you planning to buy immediately (well, after you get your answers)? If the answer is no, then I'll move this thread to another section. This section is dedicated to models that are in progress. If the answer is yes, the please rename this thread to the name of your boat. ----- On to the next question, what ruleset are you building to? If you read the ruleset, it explains the construction guidelines... which includes weight. Weight should be as low and balanced (to the center) as possible. Weight is also good on the low port/starboard edges (more outside mass reduces roll). Props can be purchased at BC or LHS if you aren't interested in building your own. Guns can be purchased at BC if you aren't... Small ship, small motor will work... waterproofing ideas can be found by searching RCNC forums... ie there isn't 1 answer. Research by reading all the warship builds (this section) as you can... most give great photo explanations.
Build yes ASAP but i can't go forward without some direction. That's what i was hoping to find here, but it's okay to move it to a better spot, please just tell me where it will be so i can find it : )
BTW i'm trying to find which ruleset. i think i'm liking the sound of fastgun. Where could i find the official rules for that?
First off, where are you located? second... I would advise against starting with any ship that small, as those tiny ships are difficult to build right for folks that have a lot of experience... the scale weight will be on the order of 1.1 pounds, and IRCWCC allows up to an extra 1 pound for such tiny ships. we are all happy to help you out, we are all started somewhere.... Here is my suggestion... read the rules at www.ircwcc.org for a start. I don't know where the mwc rules are, but someone should be able to link to them. Now, consider something at least in the class 3 cruiser size, or larger, but probably not bigger than class 5. Personally, I am a fan of the class3 cruisers and class 4 battlecruisers. Most good ones are in the 10-20 pound displacement range, which are much easier to build than anything in a class 1 or 2 ship. As an aside, what wood/metal working tools do you have access too? some of us here have little home brew'd cnc mills.
He is in Wyoming. MWC rules are @ www.mwci.org Yes... some have CNC mills... still in boxes. ;( BTW... I went ahead and moved this into general. When you start building, you are welcome to start a new thread.
Hi Magoo, I strongly recommend a ship in the 8-15 pound range. Cruisers or Dreadnoughts are easier to build by an order of magnitude (and actually cheaper, since everything doesn't have to be super lightweight).
Since you've never seen a real battle or a real live ship might be a good idea to get the Welcome to the MWC DVD and the How to Build a Warship DVD. Check out the for sale page, right at the top of the postings.
The ship you want to build is far, far too small to attempt. It would weigh under 2 lbs. and would be virtually impossible to build as a combat model. I've built more than a dozen combat models, and consider myself an expert but would never attempt anything that small. The smallest successful models I've built weighed about 4.5 lbs. (HMS Gorgon and HMCS Prince Robert). Small models can also be quite 'unseaworthy'. I've seen cruisers with low quarterdecks (Houston Class) swamped and sunk by moderate sized waves and destroyers with even lower quarterdecks sunk by crossing their own wakes! As a beginner, consider a model of at least 10 lbs. displacement. A heavy cruiser or small battlecruiser would be an ideal first combat model. Check out Tugboat's HMS Kent/SNS Canarias (Spanish) heavy cruiser hulls (Class 3). I've built both the Spanish and British versions and they are great combat models to start with. For a small battlecruiser consider Ralph Coles' superb HMS Indefatigable hull (Class 4). Tugboat also sells hulls for the WWI British armoured cruisers Warrior and Duke of Edinburgh (Class 3). Both are good combat models with plenty of internal room. Bob
How about contacting your local club first. Attend one of their meets. Go and see their ships. Talk with them. Ask to see all of the equipment that is inside of the hull. Then make a decision of which boat to build. My clubs policy is to strongly suggest, "Build something BIG first to gain experience, then go smaller."
His problem Knight is he desn't have a local club, the closest clubs would be the Washington or Colorado ones and thats pretty far from where he is. I plan to start a club in Idaho but it will probably be awhile before that happens.
Well to your guys credit i checked out the rules for fast and big gun play styles. Both seemed interesting, although the units for fastgun seemed a lot like playing a boardgame (Star Trek Fleet Battles). I really really wish we had players here so i could get a feel for how both work. I suppose with a class three cruiser project i could make it generic enough to take it and play in both but i think it woulod just end up being a wishy washy ship. Wearer of many hats but master of none. Thank you for advice on ship size, i hadn't considered that would make the project more challenging. I've been looking at a lot of step by step tutorials and i think i'm quite a bit better off than i was to start. I am worried about getting guns together though. In the garage we have a full line of metal working tools, anvil, punches, hammers, drills, drill press, break plasma cutter, mig and arc welders, milling machine etc. The same goes for woodworking table, circular, and jig saws, routers, chisels, that's all that comes to mind right now. most of our woodworking is framing and construction work. not as delicate as ship's ribs but i'm not so worried about making it happen What do you guys do for motors and CO2 systems? I looked on grainger and they had 1/500th HP pole motors that could work, but i didn't know what i needed to be looking for performance wise. Also, i looked at guns, and the indiana concept seemed wasteful to me. are there any direct feed systems that use a regulator and solenoid to take the gas straight to the bb?
if you go fast gun, check out www.battlersconnection.com. they are the typical fast gun cannons. The indiana cannons will not fire fast enough for a IRCWCC or MWC game.
Building a fast-gun gun requires a drill press. A stationary belt sander and small cut off saw are nice but the same work can be done with a dremil. The annoying thing is buying the pistons and springs which are fairly specialized (see smallparts.com) Other than that everything can be had from the local hardware store unless you want to get the brass tube from your local hobby ship. I'd still recommend you buy guns just to reduce the amount of learning. There is plenty to get up to speed on without worrying about guns. Figure you will build them for your second ship.
Some very sound advice all around. You might even consider trying to locate a used ship for sale. (sorry if I overlooked that somewhere earlier). Especially if you don't have the ability to meet other captains in your area so that you can have a close look at some. Mikey
If you are up for a road trip, the WCC will hold at least one battle in Cle Elum this summer. (I-90 just east of the cascade mountains) With some advance notice, I can bring a spare ship for you to battle. The question is if you are that patient. Alternatively, you might consider a shorter road trip to Spokane and see what Greg has sitting around.
Greg is moving to the TriCities (Kennewick, Wa) in about a month, just so you know.. And we will have battles there this summer too. I don't know how many boats yet, as we are just starting. 1 for sure!
