What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

[Guest]

Here are some pictures compare

Here are some pictures compare the sizes they where all tested and the best is the last large ones ,they totaly transformed this sub to be the best most manueverable sub I own and I have a bunch. The most important mod you can make to this sub by far ,secound only to extending the run time ,see above posts for that mod.

I also repainted the red to aquametalic blue.

Next Ill be installing a better live camara and OSD and telemitry system there is space in this sub.
Dave

[greenman407]

Wow Dave! It looks alot

Wow Dave! It looks alot different than the last time I saw it.

[Guest]

A bullitine I thought would

A bullitine I thought would be interesting.

After having run the SB-2 in 10 ft plus depths I have noticed a 2.0 mm outward buldge or warp in the rear Lexan bulkhead and a 1.0 mm outward buldge in the front one.

I believe its from going very deep and the warm air buidup in side the casing and atmospherick pressure changes along with the pressure of the water caused the bulge.
You would think it would be the oposite or implostion from the pressure.

So what I did was to instal a one way valve and fitting in the forward top of the white casing where the vedeo connection is made just adjasent there is space for a small barbed fetting,then a tube to the external one way valve mounted on the frame.

The fitting will also provide means to pressurize the casing or vacume to locate leaks that will come eventualy as the seals crack especialy if used alot in clorinated water.

This sub has alot of seals and a quick dump in a tank will locate them if the casing is fressurized just like its done with tires works every time.

It amazing that a 6 mm thick lexan cover can be warped and by having a relief valve will prevent over pressurization,the valve is in the outward flow direction from the casing.

Also watch out for hair line cracks and cracks in general ,this is normal as long as its monitored and that they dont go across the sealed sections.

periodicly remove the rear cover plate and chech it.

The deepest I have gone so far is about 16 ft.So far so good.

Dave

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

As a late footnote to Dave's very interesting and detailed post, I've just ordered a Neptune, it should be here by the weekend. The latest UK price is nearly £500...! I was very lucky and got mine from a model shop right at the other end of the country for the old price of £360 plus courier delivery to my door for an extra £6...well pleased with that, I can tell you.

Mine will be built straight out of the box to start with, but there are plans to fit Hi Viz LED lighting with Andy's (subculture) technical assistance, and maybe a few external detailing additions as well, but to start with I just want to get it up and running to full patrol status.

Thanks to Dave for a great post,


Rich

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

Well, the Neptune docked yesterday afternoon, and what a nice surprise I had!

When I finally managed to extricate it out of the box, I discovered that the shop had sent me the wrong one...I'd ordered the kit version as I wanted to be able to see how it all went together, but I received the RTG version, complete and ready to go with radio all installed and a pretty decent tx as well. To say I was quite happy would be an understatement!!

The batteries are on charge at the moment, and weather permitting, I'm hoping to take the boat for a shake down cruise tomorrow...shallow water dives only for the time being though, just in case of anything nasty happening.





Rich

[bigdave]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

Hi Rich,
I see the Neptune is available in white in the UK. Only in yellow in the USA.
The kit version was also never offered over here. I would have preferred the kit as well as you get a better idea of how it works.
But this day and age it is all RTR!!!
You will like it. The only thing it really needs is a new prop for more speed. Saying it moves like a slug is too kind.
Very manoeuvrable though. We modified a Raboesch 4 blade 45MM by drilling out the threads to 4MM and adding a set screw.
BIG DIFFERENCE!! Good luck and have fun!! BD.

[Guest]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

Someone already commented on the colour on another group page- the colour balance is wrong, the boat is canary yellow, like all the other Neptune's that come out of the factory.


You can always take a RTR boat apart and put it back together again!

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

The Neptune has been in the bath this afternoon(had to fill the bath right to the top, that's cost me a fortune in water!)...I wasn't impressed with the boat as yet.

There was a good half inch of water in the wtc, luckily all the electronics are mounted up high out of the way, so no harm done(I hope...)everything is on charge and drying out now.

Tomorrow I'll get the outer hull off and go over every screw, nut and bolt I can find, particularly the rear wtc cap, I should have done that before I got it wet. I'm pretty sure the front one was done up properly, although I didn't use any grease, not sure if I should have done or not.


A foot of water in the bath and it still doesn't float!

As a postscript, I checked the electronics just now and all seems fine, so that's one good thing. Oh, and Dave, Andy is right...the pic was taken with my antique mobile phone, and the colour is all wrong...the boats is as yellow as can be!


Rich

[bigdave]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

That is why it is good to build the kit.
You are trusting some guy in China tightened all the screws OK.
BD.

[Guest]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

[img] Andy is right...the pic was taken with my antique mobile phone, and the colour is all wrong...the boats is as yellow as can be!


Rich[/img]

If the bright yellow has washed out to white, then how PINK is that background

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

Well guys, I whipped off the outer covers earlier on and found quite a few disasters looming there...I've emailed the shop concerned and suggested they issue a refund, as there isn't another Neptune to be found in the UK, and no delivery expected for at least a month.

Now for the problems..

I found that the spacer bars on the long threaded rods that secure the end caps to the cylinder are all wrong, some are loose and some are tight and all seem to be located wrongly. There is no way that the cylinder end caps can be tightened successfully because of the way that the rods and spacers have been assembled.

Next...the actuating rods for the linked front/rear dive planes haven't been installed properly, they catch on the support brackets, badly enough to sometimes stall the servo.

Next...there are no ballast weights supplied or fitted and no securing bars for the weights anywhere to be seen.


It looks to me as though this boat has been part assembled by either a customer who gave up and returned the kit to the shop, or by a very pissed off Chinese factory worker on a Friday afternoon...


Rich

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

[img] Andy is right...the pic was taken with my antique mobile phone, and the colour is all wrong...the boats is as yellow as can be!


Rich[/img]

If the bright yellow has washed out to white, then how PINK is that background

I like pink....!!

[Guest]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

Well I would persevere- look on this as an opportunity to get to know what makes the neptune tick.

Make a note of all the parts missing with their respective partn numbers, and tell the shop you need those parts to complete the boat.

I remember seeing one of the first kits at 308 hobbies (used to be Henry J Nichols) in Holloway Road, London. I thought at the time it was a winner, bit over engineered if anything but the first model submarine kit I had seen that could be constructed by someone lacking traditional modelmaking skills.

If you can screw a Tamiya kit together you can build a Neptune.

Regarding lubrication of the seals, I would think the seals are made from nitrile. If so a small amount of vaseline or silicone grease will help keep them supple. If they're silicone use a bit more care, no vaseline only pure silicone grease will be okay with these. However as the o-ring seals work axially, what is more important is that the sealing surfaces and seals are clean and free of dirt, dust, swarf etc. The neptune has a slightly unusual arrangement of two o-rings at each end to seal off each bulkhead.

[u-33]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

I understand your point Andy, but there's a couple of points I'll comment on:

Getting parts for the thing is as bad as getting another boat, there's none in the country.
If I do decide to rebuild it myself, what else am I going to find that will need replacement parts in order to complete the boat to operational status?

Maybe a large part refund and a guarantee of spare parts would help sway me towards rebuilding it...we'll see what the shop has to say first before I make up my mind one way or the other.



Rich

[bigdave]

Re: What You Want part 2 The Thunder Tiger Corp. Neptune SB-1 !

You deffinatly do not want to pay full price for a suposidly new sub that is missing parts.
Its just not right! BD.