wvalum223

hey all. im looking to turn a plastic uscgc taney into an rc. its my first rc build, and i know there are a lot of old threads out there, but most are unhelpful. some have been, but im trying to make it sit right. so far everything i have tried has made it either to far above the waterline, or it isnt small enough. i did do a ballast test and found that the correct ballast is (sorry im also a rifle shooter...) 515 grains, 1.17 oz or 33.3 grams. that test was just the hull. no bridge, deck or anything else. i know that micro helis have miniscule parts, but i dont know anything other then how to fly them. if anyone could give me some form of an idea of parts to use that would be awesome.
thanks

Hydro Junkie

That must be a very small boat to only handle that much weight. That will BARELY handle a single AAA battery before swamping. You may want to look at a larger model to make into an R/C. I've seen the 1:350 sized Tamiya/Academy models converted to R/Cs and know, first hand, that the Tamiya Bismarck comes with a motor and gearing and prop shafts to make the boat runnable, just not R/C. With some minor modifications, it can be made fully R/C controllable as can be seen here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=925895

mfr02

If its the Revell one, I think you would be lucky just to get it to float without major surgery on just about everything to make it light enough. Then there would be the problem of persuading it to float upright. Much of the plastic in the model, and therefore the weight, will be in the deck and superstructure parts, therefore above the waterline, therefore adding instability.
The numbers on the class say that at 1:300 scale, a 2000 ton ship will weigh about 3 oz. Not much to play with once you consider the weight of the plastic. As a comparison, a Revell Flower (about 1000 tons) at 1:72 weighs 6 lb in sailing trim.

wvalum223

hey thanks all. ill be honest i was thinking it would be a massive challenge. i may still try it just to see if it can be done. i've seen 1/700th scale BBs' be turned into an rc, again i think tayamia kits, but im not sure. thanks though, and in the next few days ill see about retesting with a more accurate system of weighing the ship down.
until then...
berg out

mfr02

Remember that a 1:700 BB will probably give about 5 or 6 ounces to play with, it will also have a much larger proportion of its volume below the waterline as opposed to a 2000 ton CG cutter at 1:300 with its 3 ounces and more plastic upstairs. Still a challenge to get everything in and accessible, but it can be done. At such a small size, they do need very calm conditions, what is a light breeze to you is a storm of biblical proportions to a 1:700 sailor. Or even a 1:302 one.

pl_09

I think I can help you a bit because small RC conversion is where my interest lies. Check out this very small motorized ship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFt5j1HjsVw
The problem with this Revell model is its narrow width, NOT like battleship's wide body. This creates the high centre of gravity problem, causing it to topple over. If you insist on doing it, it could be done with some sacrifice of authenticity. If you are a die-hard modelling purist, I say don't bother, it is impossible. 1) Lower the high c.g. by reducing the height of the masts if needed to. Use high tech low weight carbon fibre rods. Thin the plastic of upper decks & funnel. 2) Buy Macro- helicopter small motors & mini Lithium batteries to use. 3) Use RC system from small toys, which will be servo-less & light. 4)Test with different ballast weights, most likely you have to put it outside the ship like those RC sailboats.