Bronco 1/35 Type XXIII kit

[sam reichart]

Tom got one working well with one of Dave Merriman's SD's. Sadly the boat hit a problem and was lost a couple of years ago at a sub regatta. AFAIK it was never recovered.

A recirculating ballast system may pose a challenge if you want to use a small volume cylinder, or pack other components like torpedoes in. So the snort type sustem or some other style of ballast system that is aspirated, or particularly aspirated may be beneficial.

Yeah Andy, that's the concern...I've gone back and forth on using a recirculating system, or something like Dave's snort system. I watched Manfred's build, but I lost track of where he was. I know he was incorporating torpedoes, and if I recall correctly, he went with the hull split vertically for access to his internals.

The Type XXIII is a relatively easy build (one of two subs I recommend for a beginner, Bronco Type XXIII and Revell/Mobeus Skipjack), and it is a GREAT running sub.
I did lose mine because of several reasons, but a big reason was I am a numbskull for running it when I had a problem earlier. Sigh. There is still hope for recovery as the local fire department wants to use the loss sub as a recovery excersise.
I see a couple have come up for sale, good bargains too. There are a couple of YouTube videos out there of my sub running and on another site is my build. I love this sub and will build another one.
Peace,
Tom

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the ease of build. I'm more concerned about ease of the internal engineering.

[thor]

The biggest downside of this kit is the weight. Being injection molded plastic it is heavy for its size which requires a substantial volume ballast tank.

[sam reichart]

The biggest downside of this kit is the weight. Being injection molded plastic it is heavy for its size which requires a substantial volume ballast tank.

hey my friend! hope ll is well your way.
have you put one of them in the water yet?

[thor]

Hi Sam! Yep, all is good. Just buried up to my eyeballs in work. No time for hobbies until winter most likely.

I built one of these kits a couple of years ago right after the kit was first released. It was a test mule for a ballast system I've been messing around with. Never finished the paint job and it is sitting on a shelf for now. Nice kit, but it is a heavy hull for its size.

[salmon]

Hi Tom. How did you end up with several of Mike Dory's old boats? I remember him telling me about his 32P XXIII. He said it had a Small World Models 3.25" WTC in it. He acknowledged it was on the big side, diameter wise, for that hull. Kind of a tight squeeze..

A few years ago, Mike posted here he was getting out and those that showed up at his door stop could pick up subs. By the time I got there, Mike's old Albacore/Skipjack (big) sub was still around. He gave me that sub and later he gave me his Type XXIII with a SWM 3.25" WTC in it. The Albacore will need to be gutted and the Type 23 is in dry docks for repair. The Type 23 runs very nicely. Here is a photo of Sam running it:

[thor]

Fantastic! It is nice to see an interested young man engaged in the hobby! Got him hooked yet, Tom?

[salmon]

For a little bit he was hooked, but right now games are his highlight. He enjoys going to Fun Runs, so there is a hope still!