I'm still of a mind for fiber-filled plastic resin molded hulls. The right plastic is extremely durable and strong, completely waterproof, and can be molded. Imagine a hull that has the windows already "cut out", snaps together, and is ready to sheet and accept internals within an hour after taking it out of the package. Kinda on the composite material idea: using a thin foam such as Dupron for sheeting. It would already be waterproof and only require sticking on the sides of the ship and painting to be battle ready.
I've heard of people talking about microfibers and casting them in resins... it sounds promising. When you say multi-part snaps-together, how many pieces are you envisioning for say, a WWI battlecruiser? 3 or 4 for the bottom and ribs, a few for the subdeck/caprail? An LST size convoy might be good for proof-of-concept and testing (especially damage resistance vs. material thickness). I know that cast turrets 1/4" thick are pretty bb-proof, but I'm not sure what % of that surety is due to the shape; i.e. if you are casting a long skinny structural member (like a rib), how thick would it have to be? And would a cast stringer be strong enough to last? Maybe pre-shaped 1/8" aluminum bar cast into the hull for stringers. Ideas?
My issue with that is that from a production standpoint, ever extra casting step is added cost. If I can cast each piece in one shot, then that's money.
A one piece casting would be best, yes. But I can't see how it could be done. I was thinking of a two part hull with the water channel and sub deck built in, resin decks, a cast resin pump that snaps into the hull, and possibly even cast resin cannons. The plastic should easily withstand BBs ... it is used in in high stress models like helicopters already.
Oh, I'm still thinking a multi-part hull, but if we can cast the stringer in with the ribs it saves time. Mike, we need to talk about this at the October battle with some boat plans in front of us. I'm thinking a proof-of-concept convoy like the Tugboat Actif (14" long, 3.5" wide, plans on French Navy website) or an LST or T-103 (IJN LST). Casting the driveshaft stuffing tube into the hull, with motor mounts and such would be cool, too. Most of the labor on such hulls would be making the plugs, and building a vacuum chamber big enough to cast the hulls in. But cast-in water channels, pump, and motor mounts would speed construction big-time. Maybe modular battery rack(s) too. If the cast guns work, and they could be engineered along with the plug for the deck, they could be an easy install, too, maybe use paint colors and colored hoses to color-code where the gas lines go. Clippard sells hoses in many colors (just bought the most garish opaque orange color for my cruiser! I love it!)
I suspect batteries are where you will see the most innovation in the near future. Battery technology has already advanced considerably over the past decade and demands from consumer electronics, automotive, and military applications will continue to produce even more rapid advancements over the next decade. The ability to pack increasingly more power into increasingly less volume will always be a boon to r/c modelers.
3D printed cannons and superstructures seem to be the big thing recently. Other than that, most of the changes have been improvements already mentioned in this thread are seeing wider adoption and use.
