kotori

Hi all, I'm a little new here. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone thinks it even possible to build an outdoors-capable 1:144 scale B25 Mitchell? I'm a member of a model warship combat group, and we build in 1:144 scale. We have special rules for airplanes, and they're currently very powerful. If they can be built. Unfortunately, no one has tried yet, so we don't know if it can work. But here's a basic look at the perfect design requirements, what every carrier captain in our club dreams of.

1) it's outdoors. The Mitchell will be on the deck of an aircraft carrier in the water on a hot, sunny day. Infrared won't work well.
2) it's gotta float. There will be battleships shooting 1/4" ball bearings at high velocity at the carrier. If the plane is knocked off its gotta float.
3) take-off. It can either takeoff on its own power or get a "lift" from a 150PSI CO2 catapult (modified cannon)
4) It's gotta at least be able to steer. If it can do that, its better than the stuff currently out there. But it'd be cool if it could do powered flight.
5) either it's gotta be able to crash into a target or drop something on the target. Preferably drop, 'cause waterproofing electronics is heavy and drying them takes time.
6) reproduceability. it gets shot at by very heavy shells. if it gets hit, it better be easy to repair. Also, sometimes bits of debris (or airplanes) get lost. I gotta be able to have several ready (in case the first one breaks before battle)

Now, I'm not sure about this part, but I know my club allows 125% oversize submarine diving planes, and lets transports have 200% oversize rudders. I'd be willing to bet they'd let me get away with oversize wings, but I honestly don't know yet. I'll talk to the TO.

Currently, my brother thinks the best method is to modify a micro RC tank for airplane use and install that.

Carl
WWCC
DKM Scharnhorst
Firebird II and planning on expanding into Micro RC

BMatthews

I make that to be a 5.6 inch span. Sorry, no way you can put any sort of radio control system in something that small and do what you want to do with it. It would be hard enough putting even small rubber powered props on it as a free flight model and have it fly. As for having any sort of capacity to carry and drop any sort of "bomb" that would do any form of damage that's even further into the realms of the impossible.

Guys are using super light radio gear to make peanut scale models fly as RC but that's 13 inch span. Twice the span and basically 4 times the wing area of what you want here. Add to that the need for two motors and it would be a miracle to manage it, let alone rattle of a few for a carrier in your scale. There was a british guy that made is own radio gear and made a 9 inch Thunderbolt but that took months of specialized efforts to make the gear and then the model and power it with the smallest pager motor. I doubt you want to spend the time and efforts to try to duplicate something like that.

Some folks are experimenting with the little bit charger car bits and adapting them to model airplanes but even then the size needed to carry the bits of those systems up is about 12 to 13 inch span. You're back to the 4 times the wing area problem compared to what you're trying to do.

One thing for sure. Even if they did let you fly a 13 inch span version it still would not be able to lift a "bomb" that would damage anything and you wouldn't have the extra control to drop it. And if one of those BB's did hit your model it would virtually explode to bits since it would need to be made from 1/16 sq balsa, 1/32 ribs and covered with jap tissue.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI KOTORI! I have heard something about you guys. You build wood ships and blast each other with BBs. I don't see how you guys find the time to create the fairly elaborate models, then blast away! I don't know exactly how to help you you, except to say that you could have profile balsa/ rubber power planes with ink markings. The props could be held against some kind of release. I think CO2 motors are more for high speed aren't they? There are tiny indoor planes that use a thermocouple wire that bends when a current is sent to it, this is how the control surfaces are moved, but it might not be a powerful enough system to handle rough air. There are single cell 6 volt lithium batteries that are tiny that might work.The featherweight receiver could possibly be sealed to limit exposure to water. I have completely exhausted my knowledge of micro RC on you, hopefully there is a whiz micro guru here who can give you more specific advice. It seems like you should be able to gut a micro car and come up with something?

Japanman

Why not make your plane from 1/4inch ply with a nice BIG weight in it`s nose and co2 launch it as a missile?

J.M

BMatthews

Seems to me that would only be an option for the Japanese carriers....

CP, the memory wire and motor propulsion package for even the lighest IR sets STILL need a much larger and ligher model than what kotori is asking for.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

I think they should just try to bomb each other with RC BLIMPS. One M80 dropped from a blimp should be able to settle the score[X(]! Wouldn't a RC artillery piece be more interesting and more doable? one channel for azimuth, the other for elevation, and some kind of hopper feed.

BMatthews

The combat ships category is actually a finely tuned scale combat on the "high seas". The ships are built of balsa of varying thickness to correspond to the scale thickness of armour in the prototypes. The cannons are auto feeding BB types that shoot using CO2 on board tanks. It's all quite controlled. And a whale of a lot of fun I would imagine.

..... So the M80's are DEFINETLEY out I'm afraid...

kotori

I have to admit, having one boat do what it's designed to do and make another boat do what it isn't is a lot of fun.
"Why not make your plane from 1/4inch ply with a nice BIG weight in it`s nose and co2 launch it as a missile?"
Yeah, that's what we currently do. Not very accurate when you're aiming a big slow carrier that's 60 feet away at something of similar size...
Here's a thought: It doesn't have to be powered flight. Could I make it of tougher materials as a glider, and give it a speed boost from a CO2 catapult? any sort of increase to accuracy is better than straightfire kamikaze!
Also keep in mind that with a little talking with the tech officer, I can probably get anywhere from 25% to 100% addition to wing surface area, which should make the glider idea more do-able.
Right now I'm picturing a modified micro tank with actuators in place of motors mounted on a mass-produceable high-impact glider frame. sound possible? sound mass-produceable?

Japanman

Now your talking!! or rather, now I get the picture..
I think a high speed glider would be the go- shot from the co2launcher at a constant angle with two channels to allow you to steer it onto target. It would take some serious skill to actually HIT the target, but I think you could do it.

Have you seen those micro R/C cars(1 1/2 inches long)- they run of a single 50mah nicad and are dirt cheap- about U.S$15... [8D]
It will take you a bit of experimentation to get one flying, but I am pretty confident a fast, r/c glider is do able... who knows you may find enough power to maintain altitude- but I would think a glided missile would be the way to go.

J.M

kotori

Well, I guess I better get experimenting then. I'll try and post a video if I ever score a hit

Japanman

Of course make the wings as big as possible, and the tail as far from the wing as you can. You will have to make the rudder deflection very very small- little planes turn a much tighter radius to bigger planes... and TINY planes, well, good luck!!!
Maybe you could simply hookup the engine to drive a prop- with rudder left and right. The engine will slightly extend the glide, or stop it depending forward or reverse..

should be fun! let us all know how you get on!!

J.M