Saw a cool video on Youtube

I checked it out once. RC Warships.

The models are all bass or or some other soft wood that bb's can penetrate. They battle with bb's and sink then are retrieved, repaired and do battle again. Water pumps are used to help keep the ship from sinking but eventually they sink anyway.

I thought about joining a club but there are none around me and the plastic keeps me busy enough anyway, usually.

Pretty cool stuff.

Mike

RC Warship Combat.  Sprang up in the mid-late 80's.

Want to remember that frames can be sturdy, but hull planking can only be balsa.  There are rules on how much foam you can add for recovery, too.  The premise here is that the models are unarmored in effect, so that combat is possible (or a person could just use a FG hull and not be shunk).

The ships have some middling dedicated plan sets, since simplicity is the order of the day, that and adapting gun mounts to the "guns" available.  Different classes of ships were/are allowed different mixes of fixed and trainable weapons (IIRC).  That, and the ships are meant to be sunk, and then recovered.

It's a fascinating niche in ship modleing, especially in RC ship modeling.

Thanks guys!Pretty wild stuff but I wonder how they keep the electronics from shorting out when they sink?

Using the same gear as the sub's would make the most sense just armor up the tubes that all the gear goes in so it doesn't crack it it get's hit.

That's what I would do at least.

Eric... 

CapnMac, i remember reading about rc combat in 81 or 82 while working as a draftsman.

i remember reading about rc combat in 81 or 82

That's probably a better recollection than mine.

The R/C gear is placed in watertight boxes. All the pushrods that operate the steering and other linkages come out of the box through waterproof grommets. They just hope that the seals don't break. Used to have a sub years ago that dove to periscope depth just using the front dive planes. Back then you couldn't get the antenna wet. You increased speed until you saw the periscope just above the water and held the speed there. Loose speed and she popped to the surface. Lost control of her one day due to a loose antenna wire and crashed into the rocks near the shore. Water got into the sub but the radio was safe. Now they use water pumps to fill the ballast tanks to dive and pump out to surface. They fire torpedos too. Great part of the hobby but very, very expensive.

Jim

They also have boomers that launch missles.

SubCommittee is the place to go for RC Subs.

 

Eric... 

I recall an article in the old Scale Ship Modeler circa 1985 regarding eastern European "Ship Shoot-outs". The models were really well built and detailed, more so than their American counterparts. For example, one builder constructed an American battleship complete with cage masts contructed from soldered brass and excellent detail found in non-conbat R/C. Unlike the "wimpy" Stateside R/C boaters armed with BB guns, the European ships fired 22.Cal shells! And as the builders were behind the Iron Curtin, radios and receivers were outlawed by the government. The models were controlled from shore by thin wire and control panels. The article had photos of that early US battleship with two large holes blasted through the hull at the waterline. If my memory is correct these guys even had shore gun batteries. I can't remember what their ships hulls were constructed of but it wasn't balsa!

Wow!Can you imagine if someone riggd up a /357 magnum as a shore battery?Sounds mighty dangerous though!

  A friend and I were discussing having an R/C Disney Nautilus sub with strong rakers and have it sail to a friends warship with the center section constructed with ultra thin material and have the Nautilus all lit up slice through it and maybe have some pyrotechnics added, wouldn't that be great at a big collection of ships and this was done without anyone knowing  about it ? it would be a one time thing but what a reaction from the spectators, anyway we thought it would be great especially at dusk.  Karl

Yeah Starduster,that would be a sight to see!And be sure to film it and put the video on You Tube  for all to enjoy!Might be a big hit to stage it on the 4th of July!

We have the same thing set up here in Australia. You need to have a Liscence to operate them as they fire Ballbearings. The hulls are generally made of something similar to Balsa. When they sink, they are generally patched up and operating again within 30 to 45 minutes. Apparently the combat is strictly regulated as they are considered a weapon because of the ballbearings they fire.