Albacore help - WTC questions......

[kielbasa]

Has anyone out there built and kept photos of thier build of the subtech albacore? I am putting the WTC and Ballast tank together but the diorections are kind of vague on where the holes are to be drilled.

Thanks for any help, I am trying to have this thing put together for the regatta.

BTW, are there any good hobby stores in the Indy area?

[skip asay]

I'm confused. There are 13

I'm confused. There are 13 photos as well as a drawing showing pressure hull/ballast tank hole location in the instructions. What holes are you referring to?

Skip Asay

[kielbasa]

Thanks for the quick ansdswer.....
I

Thanks for the quick ansdswer.....
I see the picture, but there are no measurements as to where exactly they are to go. The was supposed to be a predrilled hole? (page 4) but my ballast tank does not have it? is the exact location really important? or is close to the picture good enough.

The directions in the section "assembling the pumb/ballast tank" dont really make sense to me. it talks about "place the bottom of the ballast tank on top of the ballast tank base so that the hole in the ballast tank aligns with the hole marked + in the photo." My directions do not have a "+" or any predrilled holes. there is a small dimpled hole, but it does not appear to be in the same spot as the photo in the directions.

[liftmys10]

Yeah the instructions were kinda

Yeah the instructions were kinda weird and i read it like 100 times to understand it. Bottom line, throw way the instructions and put the ballast tank in the wtc. Use paint on the ballast tank so when you put the ballast tank on the wtc, it will show where to drill the holes. There really inst a right or wrong place to put it. You have felxability. I remember that was my hardest part because i didnt have a predrilled hole as well. Otherwise my albacore works really well and looks sweet. I cant go below 4ft deep because the water pressure is too strong for my wtc but otherwise it is bone dry and problem free. If you have any other questions just ask away.

[craigf]

Yeah, there's a very slight

Yeah, there's a very slight bit of flexibility. The main thing is to assemble/drill so that the holes line up. Use whatever method you have to to ensure that...spare pieces of brass tubing for alignment, temporary tack gluing, etc. help.

Use the photos/drawings for everything just as a guide. Take the parts in your hands and trial fit everything together a few times, move things around a bit, see how it works. Once you do that, it typically becomes very apparent how things *must* go. Don't just guess, it must make sense.

Though there is slight flexibility, it is very slight and will be a real pain to correct if you make a mistake. I would suggest you trial fit stuff a few steps in advance even, so you know that the step you're on makes sense in a future step context, and it helps clarify exactly how parts must go too...that's why Skip says to read the instructions a few times before starting assembly.

FWIW, though this is a "beginners" sub, I think it takes more skill and thought and craftsmanship to build this beginners sub than it does for many advanced models of other things. Geez, an advanced heli is kiddie stuff compared to this! IMO. You will really appreciate those fancy sub models you see when you've done the Albacore.