Sea Dart

Hi

Im building a a rc boat made out of balsa wood in a combat situation and i need ideas of huill designs and weapons.

Thanks

Mikey

johnmCA72

I'd start with the guys that you're planning on getting into combat with. Who are they & what do THEY say?

JM

Umi_Ryuzuki

Being that you are one of the few brave souls in the UK to
move toward combat, you need to pick a scale.

1/72nd scale starts out with destroyers.
1/144 scale will start out with light or heavy cruisers.

Picking a scale will also help to decide on a rule set to follow.

[8D]

kotori

You have questions, and we have answers, though it would help us if we know a bit more about you and what you are looking for. What do you mean by "combat situation"? Do you mean a staged exhibition with pyrotechnics, like at [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7R6Pf7fZdI]Peasholm Park[/link], or a serious competition with pneumatic cannons and real damage like [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hIWhMLHhTA]this[/link] or [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvugEmj3pO0]this[/link]?

If you're interested in competitive RC combat, then you'll need to do some research into gun control laws. Find out what is restricted by laws and what isn't. Regulations in Canada and the USA permit the types of cannons used in RC combat ships, but other places don't necessarily permit pneumatic cannons firing 1/4" steel shots at up to 160 FPS. The Australian battling clubs had to get a special permit to build their ships and hold events, because their 6ft battleships were considered "concealed automatic weapons". I also remember hearing that a club trying to start in Denmark ran into problems with the maximum joules of energy permitted in projectiles from "toy guns". In short, check your local gun control laws because we don't want you building something that could get you arrested.

As Umi has suggested, you get to pick your scale. What scale do you want to use? Normally it is recommended that new members join the nearest club, so they can see ships and battles with their own eyes and can easily get help in building. Since there are no clubs anywhere near you, you can decide what you want to do. There are three common scales used in combat.

The most common scale is 1/144, with many clubs spread across the US, Canada, Australia, and Denmark (I think). In this scale, most battleships are about 6ft (1.8m) long and less than 45lbs (20kg), most heavy cruisers are about 4.5ft (1.4m) and less than 15lbs (7kg), most destroyers are 2.5ft (.8m) long and less than 2lbs (1kg) (these numbers are rough estimates and all conversions are approximate). This scale emphasizes battleship combat, but many people are able to build smaller ships and effectively campaign them. There are two general sets of rules used in this scale, called "Big Gun" and "Fast Gun," though there are minor differences between similar clubs. Big Gun ships' armor, caliber and number of cannons, and speed are based off the original ship. Fast Gun has a "unit" system, where the size and class of ship is used to assign a number of units which can be spent on cannons or bilge pumps.

Next is 1/96 scale. This is the least common scale, currently with only a single small US club. Ships are 1.5 times longer and 3.375 times heavier than in 1/144. Most battleships are about 9 feet (2.7m) long and less than 150lbs (67kg), most heavy cruisers are about 6.75ft (2.1m) long and less than 50lbs (24kg), and most destroyers are about 3.75ft (1.2m) long and less than 6.8lbs (3.4kg). Though the club has not had any battles yet, it is theorized that this scale emphasizes cruiser combat. The lone club rules are based on the Big Gun rules.

Last but not least is 1/72 scale. Last I heard there are one or two clubs in the US and one in Argentina. Ships are 2 times longer and 8 times heavier than 1/144. Most battleships are about 12ft (3.6m) long and less than 360lbs (260kg), most heavy cruisers are about 9ft (2.8m) long and less than 120lbs (56kg), most destroyers are about 5ft (1.6m) long and less than 16lbs (8kg). This scale heavily emphasizes destroyers, though there are a few who build heavy cruisers and battleships despite their huge size. Speed, armor, and caliber of shot are determined by the historical ship, while the number of cannons is based on the class and size.

Sea Dart

It will proberly be abou 1/144 scale and when I say combat, it's only like a "fun" activity. For example mounting rams' spears, etc. We don't have the resources or the area or the laws to create cannons and stuff like that.

kotori

Well if you're not putting on cannons, then you'll be interested in ships that can ram. Check out American Civil War ironclads, European ironclads, pre-dreadnoughts, and other warships from WWI. You could also do galleys and triremes if you want something different. I think a trireme or galley in 1/72 or 1/48 scale would be awesome.

Sea Dart

Ok thanks for all your help any other ideas wwould be welcome though

Sea Dart

By the way if anyone wants to look at our website then its: http://balsawars.i8.com/index.html