Favorite Scale

[mylo]

Gotland,

Where a guy runs

[color=#000000]Gotland,

Where a guy runs his sub is a very good point to consider.

I like the idea of having everything in the same scale too, in order to make performance comparisons. (Not sure If I could build a 1]

[gotland]

Hey Mylo,

isn't the highway still

Hey Mylo,

isn't the highway still built?

Gotland

[stoene]

Well,

If your sub scale

Well,

If your sub scale gets too big, that means your targets at the same scale will be gigantic, and what fun is subs without something to sink? I want a RC target that can be sunk and resurfaced.

[eloka]

Hi Stoene,

the question is- who

Hi Stoene,

the question is- who needs RC targets? I'm definitely not. I build my boats because of the technic inside. It inspires me to see how the boat floats and as gotland said "fly alongside in a olympic pool or a cristal-clear lake", seeing only the snorkel and driving as pulled on the cord.
But i think you have a lot of fun too, if you would like to sunk the Bismarck in 1/96th scale with a 1/96th scale Gato, for example. Everyone with this hobby sets its emphasis differently.

Kind regards

Eloka

[mylo]

Steone,

Don't think I haven't

Steone,

Don't think I haven't thought of the "target" thing as well. I plan on building a few and sinking them. My thought on it is, it would be "O.K" to have targets in a smaller scale as that would create Forced Perspective (This is a term that model railroaders use a lot. It means having big scenery up close and reducing size as you get farther away from the eye. It's an attempt at tricking the brain into thinking that the object that is smaller, is actually farther away and not simply physically smaller. Some modellers are very talented at creating forced perspective in this way, making their layouts seem much larger and with more depth, than they really are). In any case, the same can hold true for our sub battles, especially if you are looking through a periscope cam. Just make sure that your target is actually farther away from you than your sub and the illusion will work better.

Gotland, as far as I know, they are still working on the highway between North America and Europe. I think it is going to be finished soon though.

Myles

[petn7]

My ideal scale would be

My ideal scale would be 1/144 for subs like the Alfa and 1/196 for modern nukes, like the Seawolf, Virginia, Los Angeles, and Akula.

[petn7]

oops, I think 1/192 is

oops, I think 1/192 is what I meant to say

1/200 would work too.

[tabledancer]

I built my 1/72 ROG

I built my 1/72 ROG type VIIC because of my hobby room limitations,I could not do a much bigger boat because of all the junk in there .So before I do a bigger boat I have to do something about that room.Years ago I had a 28x12 HO train display in there,now it`s full of everything.I do prefer the bigger boats though,1/48 and 1/32.They are eaiser to work on and I think would be more fun to operate.I`m trying to work myself into a 1/48 Type XXII,just haven`t decided wich one to built yet .
TD

[tmsmalley]

BIGGUNS]HONKIN' BIG

In one of Ray

BIGGUNS]HONKIN' BIG[/b]

In one of Ray Mason's older sub videos, Mike Dory does a little "riff" on big subs. His stuff is REALLY big - 8 feet or more. He said that once you get to a certain size, it becomes a two person operation to carry, lunch and retrieve the model. (That's why we have the Indy Admirals electric sub launcher at the SubRegatta.) Sometimes your sub buddy isn't around to help you get it off the shelf in the garage, into the car and down to the lake. You also need a larger vehicle to transport them - and forget about airline travel.

Al Nucifora from Florida has commented that he wished he also had a smaller boat that would be easier to drive up to the regatta from the Sunshine state.

Gene Berger had a ten foot long 32nd P fleet boat with a bunch of torpedo tubes, that was fun to watch, but what was really fun to watch - was him getting it into and out of the water

I tell guys to build an easy-to-haul sized boat first, then go for the BIGGUN!



Gary Phillips hoists his 32nd P Type VII out of the water and on to the dock. He has to get into the water to accomplish this by himself.



It may be a chore to get Gary's boat into the water, but it sure looks cool once it's there!

[petn7]

With a boat that big,

With a boat that big, I can't help but think, "Maybe he's compensating for something?"

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[chuck chesney]

I think that Tim Smalley

I think that Tim Smalley is exactly correct. You've got to get that sucker in and out of your house, transport it, then get it in and out of the water, without damaging it or yourself.

You've also got to consider the financial end of it. There isn't a guy who has built subs for very long who hasn't lost a model, either forever or just for a short time, usually resulting from water leakage. Do you really want to have a model the size of a canoe, with the financial investment in a boat that size, and have it disappear or get badly damaged internal parts? If you have unlimited financial resources...no problem, but if your an average hobbiest it's something to keep in mind.

In reading these posts almost every day, I've noticed that the folks who seem to have them most exotic and complex ideas on what they want their models to be and to do have never actually built or run a model submarine. There is a HUGE gap between daydreaming and a practical, working model.

Take a hint from the masters of this hobby; Matt Thor, Art Broder, Tim Smalley, Skip Asay, Steve Neal and others. They tend to have mostly smaller boats that are the result of learning the lessons about size and complexity from practical experience.

[himszy]

In reading these posts almost

In reading these posts almost every day, I've noticed that the folks who seem to have them most exotic and complex ideas on what they want their models to be and to do have never actually built or run a model submarine. There is a HUGE gap between daydreaming and a practical, working model.

If I had a pound for every time I'd heard that I would "have unlimited financial resources".

But it is very true, however the difficulty comes in working out where that line is drawn. Some know where to draw it, others don't. And at the end of the day, (it gets dark) only time will tell whether the optimist or the pessimist was correct....