Welcome to the fascinating world of R/C BIG GUN Warship Combat. So what exactly is R/C Warship combat? It is a hobby where scale model warships, armed with low-pressure CO2 cannons, fire small ball bearings at an opposing ship. When enough holes are put in the easily punctured balsa wood covered hull to overload the internal bilge pump, the ship will sink. All ships have a float and recovery line so there is no need to go swimming unless you want too. Yes, we shoot holes in our models on purpose. How else can you simulate real sea battles. It's Allied versus Axis; Battleships, and Cruisers and Destroyers maneuver for attack, or struggle to protect the cargo ships that are valiantly trying to get supplies through. Oh, and we cannot forget the need to defend your port city from bombardment from sea. Any questions? Good, you can ask any Midwest Battle Group member. But, we have to warn you, you're going to get hooked on this hobby.
The Ships:
The ships are 1/144 scale (range from 3 to 6+ feet in length), WWI - WWII era (1900-1946) warships, transport ships, and occasionally submarines. The wood or fiberglass hulls are covered with balsa wood skin. They have bilge pumps to simulate damage control, are electric powered, and are armed with low-pressure CO2 cannons, that can rotate and depress. The models are equipped with a float attached to a recovery line. This allows easy recovery of the ship when it sinks. The ships are quickly recovered, repaired, and put back in the game. The only damage is to the balsa wood on the hull, since the internal components are protected by shielding, and the electronic equipment is usually waterproofed.
This instructable walks you through the process of building a model warship from just a set of overhead and side views.
More about me....I've built 5 ships from scratch and used to run a small business selling supplies and building cannons for the ships. I made several design improvements to the cannon, but cost of having parts cnc'd drove the prices up to high. I sold my business to strike models http://www.strikemodels.com/.
More about the hobby. You can learn about the hobby from www.strikemodels.com they support both versions of this hobby small gun and big gun. Small gun limits the number of cannon and they are all bb size. Big Gun uses various ammo sizes upto 1/4" linked to the ships actual cannon size and allows you to arm all the guns. Big Gun is what is pictured in this instructable. The currently are selling everything you need to battle. They have a very good website which includes a list of currently active clubs.
The guns way anywhere from a 1 to 1.5 pounds. The ships themselves can get fairly heavy. A Yamato weighs around 40 pounds and is around 6 foot in length and 10 inches in beam.
Also new is our club's promotional video. Unfortunately the club has disbanded do to shrinking membership, but many clubs are still active across the US and Australia.
The Ships:
The ships are 1/144 scale (range from 3 to 6+ feet in length), WWI - WWII era (1900-1946) warships, transport ships, and occasionally submarines. The wood or fiberglass hulls are covered with balsa wood skin. They have bilge pumps to simulate damage control, are electric powered, and are armed with low-pressure CO2 cannons, that can rotate and depress. The models are equipped with a float attached to a recovery line. This allows easy recovery of the ship when it sinks. The ships are quickly recovered, repaired, and put back in the game. The only damage is to the balsa wood on the hull, since the internal components are protected by shielding, and the electronic equipment is usually waterproofed.
This instructable walks you through the process of building a model warship from just a set of overhead and side views.
More about me....I've built 5 ships from scratch and used to run a small business selling supplies and building cannons for the ships. I made several design improvements to the cannon, but cost of having parts cnc'd drove the prices up to high. I sold my business to strike models http://www.strikemodels.com/.
More about the hobby. You can learn about the hobby from www.strikemodels.com they support both versions of this hobby small gun and big gun. Small gun limits the number of cannon and they are all bb size. Big Gun uses various ammo sizes upto 1/4" linked to the ships actual cannon size and allows you to arm all the guns. Big Gun is what is pictured in this instructable. The currently are selling everything you need to battle. They have a very good website which includes a list of currently active clubs.
The guns way anywhere from a 1 to 1.5 pounds. The ships themselves can get fairly heavy. A Yamato weighs around 40 pounds and is around 6 foot in length and 10 inches in beam.
Also new is our club's promotional video. Unfortunately the club has disbanded do to shrinking membership, but many clubs are still active across the US and Australia.
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Signing UpStep 1: SELECT A SHIP
First things first – decide what ship you want to build. This decision alone may take many months of procrastination while sorting our all the facts that seem pertinent when in reality, it doesn’t make all that much difference. I have participated in about 50 rc combat warship battles over the past 5 years and have followed the action of other clubs closely. One thing that I have learned is generally, there is no such thing as a bad boat. Assuming a boat is reliable and well balanced so it is seaworthy, and put in the hands of a skipper that has learned how to use the features of the particular ship to his advantage any ship can be an effective part of a team.
Ask yourself why you want to participate in this hobby. Presumably the reason is to occupy free time and consume some disposable cash, for this hobby will certainly do that, but more likely the real reason is to have fun. The best way to have fun is to have a ship that is reliable and seaworthy. It’s very frustrating to have your ship role over and sink as soon as it begins to take on water, or to spend the day sitting at the side of the pond working on your ship instead of participating in the game.
Consider a used ship as your first ship. This will allow you to begin playing the game sooner and there is no better way to decide what ship fits your style than to participate in the game for awhile in order to learn your strengths and weaknesses. Ideally the owner will allow you to battle the ship before you purchase it. If you like how it responds to your style of battling and it operates reliably through the day it is a good choice to get you in the game quickly. When you get a ship test all systems to ensure that they work, and how they work, then use this ship to gain combat experience and as a construction aid and test bed for your new ideas. That’s right. To test out your new ideas. About every modeler I have ever known has his or her own ways of accomplishing tasks and you will find yourself asking, “Why did the original builder do it this way?” Most often there was a reason, but sometimes it was just a mistake, an attempt to implement a new idea that didn’t work very well. There is no substitute for experience in building a ship and learning combat techniques.
Avoid small ships and complex ships for your first building experience. There are many operational systems in our warships and every system is equally important in its own right. Think about it, which is more important, cannon, drive motors, pump, steering, or balance? After a little reflection you will probably decide that all systems are equally important since your ship won’t be combat effective if any of these systems don’t work well. It’s by far and away easier to learn the basics of maintenance and installation on a ship that has fewer operational systems. It is easier to get the hardware installed in a larger ship. Small ships test the talents of the most skilled builder. For your first ship you will be well advised to build a larger ship rather than a smaller one. Larger ships are more survivable in combat as well.
Keep it simple. Another sound tidbit of advice would be – don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Stick to the basic and proven methods of implementing a function. Look at the ships of the seasoned skippers and pay attention to how they implement the various functions, then follow suit.
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I do have one question. I spoke to a gentleman in Austin who told me about a spray he used to waterproof his electronics. He drilled a small hole in his servos and receiver then inserted the spray can tube and squirted this water repellent chemical. I believe he said he could sink his boats a few times before he sprayed again, but don't quote me on that. I can't remember the name of the spray. I don't see any mention of it in a quick skim of your article. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? Sorry if it is there and I just missed it.
BTW, it would be great to see some video on your Instructable.
Thanks for sharing your great hobby!
btw really cool with the working cannons:D