Comments from a Pre-Newbie

[wintermute]

This has to be the most infuriating hobby on the planet! I haven't gotten into it yet, and I haven't looked at this website for a year and I remember why:

RC Subs has to be the coolest hobby on the planet
One day there's plenty of kits to purchase, the next day, nothing.
One day, it seems like you can do this hobby with no tool more exotic than a dremel, the next it feels like you need access to a machine shop.
There's three factors that go into each model: cost, ease of build, and coolness. It seems like you can find two of these together, but there's always one factor that's way out of whack!

I hope you all know I'm not bashing at all. I'm obsessed w/ subs and I really want to get into the hobby.

[Guest]

Comments

Lets see if we can help. Two of your three criteria are objective, and the last is subjective. Suppose you give us a maximum cost for a kit and approximate maximum to complete the sub. Then tell us your building skill, and building tools or equipment you already have have. We can possibly name a few kits and/or suppliers, and you can decide which is the coolest.

[wintermute]

Thanks Art (yet another group

Thanks Art (yet another group that I've tried to stay away from for a year).

For an upper limit of what I wanted to spend - I was previously looking at a Thor Design Permit. It looked awesome, seemed to be well made, came with a lot of important parts and seemed to be pretty flexible as far as what WTC to use. Of course, it seems like Atomic Subs doesn't sell kits anymore.

Of course, I'd like to spend as little as possible, so Big Dave's kits/conversions/things also seem to be a good way to go. His website mentions something about a WTC for someone's Type 212 kit. Me like the Type 212.

I'd say I'm somewhat handy. Have plenty of hand tools. Have a dremel, power drill, access to a scroll saw. I've put RC cars together. I'm an environmental engineer and have put plenty of things involvings lots of pipes together - of course there's no need to make that stuff look nice.

I also looked at the SubTech kits in the past, but their 3' crush depth seems like a little too much of a liability.

[Guest]

Comments

Does Steve Neil make a 212 hull? He and Dave Welch worked together to make WTC kits for Steve's hulls. Maybe if you contact them they can figure something out for you.

[talwar]

Yes Steve is working on

Yes Steve is working on his Type212 and it is indeed for that kit that BigDave makes WTC's.
Another overly cool kit is Steve Neill's Blueback! (he also makes a George Washington), all these kits are "pocket submarines" and hence relatively small and cheap.

Here is the 1/96 Type 212 building topic from Subpirates.com:

http://www.subpirates.com/viewtopic.php?t=2263&start=0

The 1/72 Blueback (there is also a BigDave WTC for this one I think)]http://www.subpirates.com/viewtopic.php?t=323&start=0[/url]

And the 1/144 Washington]http://www.subpirates.com/viewtopic.php?t=670&start=0[/url]