R/C the Revell VII U-Boat - Share progress on conversions

[oforberg]

I hope I am not stepping on toes as a new poster but it seems that this will be a very popular kit for r/c conversion and I would really like to see a thread just for this.

My conversion has begun with the joining of the hull halves and filling the holes in the two bulkheads making the center compartment waterproof and opening all the vents in the front and rear making them free flooding.

Going to try single shaft,2 channels and dynamic diving keeping everything as basic and trouble free as possible.

If nothing else it will be a good looking surface runner.

[captain nemo12]

I have experience with making

I have experience with making 2 ch. radio subs, I'm not sure how you are going to make the U-boat single shaft...... are the shafts provided too thin? Perharps I could I help you getting a plan for installing the radio?

[safrole]

Are you familiar with the

Are you familiar with the Robbe U-47 construction? I have thought about basically using that type of a setup, with the boat being split toward the aft section and a superstructure of internals attached to the rear "cap" of a miniature WTC.

Of course I have fantasies about a static diving system too. I have a bunch of long urethane dispensers which are similar to the double tube epoxy dispensers, only about 1.5x as long and better sealed, with a rubber o-ring. I haven't yet figured out how to make a piston tank out of them, but I think two pairs would give plenty of volume for static diving, and one pair might be semi-static.

Can't wait until I have time to play again.

[safrole]

If anyone has other fresh

If anyone has other fresh sources for homemade piston tank projects, please speak up. Veterinary syringes, caulking tubes, epoxy dispensers, etc. I feel like I'm missing something that may be easier. (Yes I know. Propel would be easier, but aside from that.)

[captain nemo12]

Speaking of which, I'm also

Speaking of which, I'm also in search of piston tank plans.... I could you buy one from Engel but I'm not sure if it would fit the Alfa I'm building (scratchbuilt) I've heard about sealing the piston rod/thread with ball bearings, (Subcommittee photo archive ) sounds good!

[safrole]

Even a little further off

Even a little further off topic...

I had a thought, maybe it's not original but I'll throw it out for public ridicule.

What if the front end of the wtc could telescope?



When you talk about changing the displacement of the boat, this would be a brute force approach. As drawn (forgive me) it would take a powerful servo. There's a lot of problems really, so I'm not going to stick up for it much. But it's a thought that crossed my mind.

The relevance that it has to the Revell is that I thought about some kind of simple, two-position setup. It's either positively bouyant or decks very awash with no worries about end positions of the piston run, because you set it up to use the full servo travel. So in the revell, four little urethane dispenser cylinders line the bottom of the wtc and one central servo works their two plunger arrays simultaneously. With maximum servo travel, and at full flood just a little foam in the top of the tower is all that holds her up.



Edited By safrole on 1081992285

[captain nemo12]

That might also change the

That might also change the floatation point of the sub too would be interesting if you could come up with that device .
As for the Revell U-boat, I'm going to go to my hobby shop this week-end and hopefully! see it on the shelf!

[torsten]

As i just saw at

As i just saw at the german board,Norbert Brüggen has announced a complete static conversion-kit for Revell's VIIc !!

http://www.modelluboot.de/KITS/VII/VIIc.html

The kit is supposed to be released at the Dortmund model-fair "Intermodell" which starts Wednesday,21st.

I'll be there and take a look


Torsten

[tennesseejim]

Oforberg - Please post the

Oforberg - Please post the progress on the conversion. I'm sure a lot of us would be very interested in it.

The conversion kit on the German site looks very cool.

- Jim

[oforberg]

Thanks for the replies and

Thanks for the replies and information.

The german conversion looks really good and changes some of my thinking. The weekend is comind up and there will be time to get some more done.

Unfortunately I am a cheapskate for one and stubborn enough to want to do it myself on the other so I will be using the commercial conversion for inspiration.

I was going to run a single shaft out on the centerline between the scale locations. After seeing this I may have to rethink it.....

Omar

[oforberg]

Captain Nemo,

I have never turned

Captain Nemo,

I have never turned down help...all 2 channel sub help is welcome.

[safrole]

Each shaft is not so

Each shaft is not so far off the centerline of the boat. I bet your offset thrust vector would not "steer" the boat off course much if you were to use just one of the shafts and leave the other "dead". Just a tiny adjustment on the trim.

That static dive conversion looks like the ticket! Torsten please report on that one right away please. I wonder how much they will cost?

I have the art nearly done for the brass on this boat. I could have some working prototypes by a week from Monday, provided I finish all the Robbe orders this weekend.

If you're interested shoot me an email jason@modelbrass.com and I'll add you to the contact list. Please indicate if you are interested in R/C conversion or static.

[oforberg]

God thought.....thats why it pays

God thought.....thats why it pays to share info.

I am interested in the deck...will email

[captain nemo12]

That static conersion kit sure

That static conersion kit sure looks good! Looks like the folks who made the WTC used a balloon like rubber ballast tank, expandable. Omar as for the 2 ch conversion, it is very simple there are two ways which works really well,

1. You could leave the motor running at all times, shuting it by hand once out of the water, 1 ch operating the diving planes and the other for the rudder.

2.The way I used in my Nautilus is by making the diving planes into a sort of "switch" to dive, the diving planes go down and flicks down a switch which activates the motor thus diving the sub. To surface, you simply elevate the planes, thus turning off the switch and the sub rises. To cruise on the surface, simply make the diving planes turn on the motor, adjust the angle so that they are flat and on you go!

hope this helps

[oforberg]

Thanks...

The german conversion is nice

Thanks...

The german conversion is nice but spendy...I don't know the value of a euro but it looks like the WTC is 55....the motor about 42 and the ballast system 249.

Too rich for my blood....I don't even have any rich relatives.

Omar