I was wondering if anyone has ever converted a plastic model boat or ship to R/C. There's a few that come with a motor (Lindberg) and seem like they'd be excellent candidates for the convertion. They have so many lightweight components for parkflyers nowadays, it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to do.

Lots of plastic models will convert to R/C. Have a 12 inch 1/144 Chinese Missile boat myself. looks good but easily swamped by bigger models, 1/2 inch freeboard! Try www.actionkit.co.uk for suitable minature R/C equipment and http://mikromodell.de/index_e.html for some miniships.

I like the "Fly by Night" avatar...

Check this thread...
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/stat...2328275/tm.htm

Those are all good examples. I'm still looking for ideas for radio gear and motors. The big issue seems to be finding a small, light fully proportional ESC with proportional reverse. Does anyone make such a thing?

But of course!
I've done the Lindberg Fletcher and the Tamiya Musashi. I even have a Yahoo Group DEDICATED to the Fletcher, find info at my site: [link=http://geocities.com/y2patmat/]Pat's Pages[/link]
Many people have done smaller models, but these are best kept in pools or the tub.
The smallest fully proportional & reversing ESC I've found is the Airtronics ES-01, about $25 at Tower, handles small motors just fine. And many people just use a hacked servo for drive, the electronics provide reversing and a bit of proportional control.
Pat M

But wait! There's more!
A lot of plastic ships are convertible to r/c... I've got a Titanic and a Trumpeter LCM-3 waiting, and I may even do an NS Savannah!
I call it "r/c plastic", the cheap/easy/accessible way to get into scale r/c ships. You don't have to scratch build, all the details are there, just stuff it! Much easier than buying a 1:96 f/g hull and a pile of wood, trying to figure out how to turn it into a Missouri.
Pat M

This is excellent; exactly the info I've been looking for. Thanks Patmat. I like that Airtronics ESC; can it be used with Futaba receivers? Also, if you wanted to run a twin screw setup, is there a radio that will permit controlling each motor independantly providing you install 2 ESCs? I bought a Kyosho palmcruiser that uses the twin props to steer with, and it sucks. Very little control with assymetric thrust/cheap supplied radio/no rudders. Sorry for all the questions; I'm getting back into R/C boats again after about a 15 year hiatus.

Any 2 stick/4 ch surface-freq radio could be drafted into controlling 2 props. You can also spend big bucks on a Robbe Marine with nice twin sticks, or an old Ace Commander.
IMHO, its not worth it on a destroyer, the long hull makes twin prop steering less effective. I find mine to be very maneuverable without it, when using the kit's twin rudders (which aren't correct for the vast majority of Fletchers).
Pat M

hello all

I am very new to the wonderfull (and very expensive) hobby of RC boats.
what i am doing at the moment is converting the revell 1/72 schnellboote.
I have added the prop shafts and rudder posts (all three) and have bought a micro RC system
am now buying HPI RS4 micro motors. and here is where i hit the hard part
what MICRO ESC can i use to run the motors. I would like reverse capability.

thank you in advance for any help

Did you check out the Airtronics ES-01 I mentioned above? Low current, good for 1 on each motor... or just use one bigger one, as reviewed at http://geocities.com/y2patmat/ .
PM

HOLY COW!

I will see about buying one for myself then, I need like 6 of those units for projects of the Submarine flavor :-)


Mark

Tommygun,

Yes, there are several kits that readily adapt to R/C. Some are easier than others. An example would be in my gallery. The IJN Yamato. This is a 1/200th scale ship (50+") that I have converted to R/C. It was not hard but I did have to make my own propshafts, props, servo mounts etc. A little tinkering to make everything right and it works fine. I even added some sounds to give it even more authenticity. The sky is the limit. Another good candidate is Revells 1/72th U-Boat. There is a link somewhere on RCU with a gentleman that converted the plastic model over to a R/C sub....neat!!!

In short, what you can build and operate will depend on your imagination and creativity. Go for it!

Hope this helps

Pete

I want to add a few more to that list

Revell of Germany also has the USS NewJersay and USS Missouri which are excellant ships at 1/350 scale.
Linburge has the HMS HOOD, which does make a easy built ship 1/400
HELLER makes a KMS Scharnhorst 1/400
Nimacho? makes a 1/250 scale of the Musashi 42 inches
Acadamy? make s the Tirpitz and Bismarck in 1/350 scale..which I built over 12 years ago and still take out to this day!

depends how well you want to complete a project on a idea!


Mark

The easiest way to convert a plastic model to RC is to use a simple 2 channel radio. Use one servo for rudder, and disassemble the other for a combo speed control/powerplant.

An excellent subject for this treatment is the Lindberg Diesel Tug. At about 13" LOA, the tug has enough bouyancy to make a fine RC model. (Lindberg apparently noticed and even released an RC version of the kit.) The Lindberg North Atlantic trawler and the Lindberg Fishing boat are also good subjects for mini-RC conversions. The Lindberg LCVP is another good subject.

If you are starting with a motorized model kit, the first thing to do is to throw away the motor that comes with the kit. These are toy -grade motors, and are very cheap. They are very noisy- they will generate lots of radio interference.

The Revell (ex- Matchbox) kit of the FLower class corvette makes a terrific RC model as well- I used a 6 volt Pittman motor and direct drive.

Personally, I find the hardest part of RC conversions to be obtaining a decent small diameter prop. When using a servo for a motor, a lightweight prop is better- plastic is better than metal. Problem is, a reliable source of decent props smaller than 1 inch diameter is hard to find. One source is inexpensive battery operated toys.... (Loyalhanna Dockyard is a good source for metal props.)

Hi

I did this with the Revell 1/400 Queen Mary 2 kit.

I just used a 2 ch radio, one for steering and on for an esc

She works a treat

I convert the Revell 1/72 Schnellboot, I used a Mini-Con 4 ESC from
Hunter Systems in England,and was very surprised at how well it runs.

Any pictures of the Schellboot in action?

Plastic models to R/C??? Heck yes... I had a coast guard cutter ( forgot the brand) used the radio from a 'firefox'-cheap R/C car. Had a 'Blue Devil" ( fletcher class destroyer) that was not only converted to R/C, but had motorized squirt guns fitted to the forward turret. I had a plastic PT-109, with several different setups-both dual rudder ( per the kit) and differential twin drive ( surprisingly, both manuvered equally well). ESC is nice, but back then I was working with Rheostats. the first was for R/C use, had both forward and reverse, with absolute proportional control. Being cheap, when I went to diff. drive, rather that buy another expensive rheo, I went to home depot. the Rhestats used for controling 'dimmer' lights( used to ) work just fine. I had to use a pull, pull ( push-push?)system, and 2 rheos one forward and one rev. for each motor, was 3x as heavy, and cost 1/4 as much. ( on 30in of PT I did not care about the weight), but I could afford it and it worked. Use your imagination. You don't have to use R/C stuff for a lot of things. Non R/c items can be made to fit your applications. Try. Your imagination is the limit...no, there is no limit, but try to find it anyway. Try this, before you build, think of at least 3 different ways to solve every 'problem' ( drive train, steering, etc) and go with the ones you like best, or fit your pocketbook best, or fit your skill level best. Every Engineering problem has at least 3 viable, workable solutions, you anly need to find one! Good luck!!! SEan

Hi
I looked all over for the pictures I have of my Schnellboot running and can't find them
Wednesday is my club's run night so I'll take some then,if you don't mind waiting until
the end of the week?
The cat recently knocked the deck of the table so I had to buy another kit to get some spare part's so there might still be some stuff missing.
I'm posting a couple of shot's taken when I was building the kit,one of the basic paint scheme
and the other of when iI was checking the water line with the radio gear in it, the motor in the picture is not what I finally used and the fishing weight's are to take the place of the speed controller which I didn't have yet.
Bob

Do you still have the cat? ;-) heheheh

Looks nice, I am using the small motor from an airplane..this boat should run fast :-)


Let me know more...

more pictures!


Mark

Hi Mark
Yes I still have the cat,I once told my wife and daughter it was that stupid cat or me,they
wanted to know where to forward my mail to!
Anyway I got some pictures of my boat running did'nt come out that good and conditions were
terrible really windy and thunder and lightning so I had to make it quick
Here's what I used for radio eqipement and running gear

Mini servo for the steering mounted on it's side
Speed control is a Mini-con 4 from Hunter Systems in England, Proportional forward and reverse
The receiver is a standard Futaba 2 channel
I don't know what the motor is or where it came from It was given to me
I'm using 4 AA NiNH 2100 mah batteries
The U-joint is from Graupner and I had to sleeve that with brass tube to get it to work
The stuffing tube and prop shaft are home made as is the rudder
The Prop is a 20 mm Graupner

In the Photo's the boat is running about half speed,on smooth water at full speed the bow
wave comes up to just below the torpedo tube ramps in front of the door's.

Has anybody thought of Using Zipzaps from Radioshack? They look like they would work Perfect with Airfix`s 1/600 scale.

I know someone who has the USS Roosevelt 1/720 model by Italeri and has successfully converted it to RC using 7 Zipzaps (2 were for the catapults on the flight deck so that now it will launch little planes ) Problem is his boat is so heavy it sits in the water with some small ripples will get water on the flight deck. (would take pics but we don`t have a digital camera) The planes are made of solid plastic and will float so that you can retrieve them but i can still take him down with my Lindberg Blue devil, Although i do end up with planes all tangled in my superstucture

One not mentioned here is the Tamyia (sp?) Japanese PT-15 came with instructions on how to install an rc unit.

Done 2 Lindberg Fletchers and one of their harbor tugs my self. I had their edition of the harbor tug that came with a modified servo as a drive motor. Gave forward and revers but it wasn't very proportional. And there is very little freeboard at the stern.

T

I purchased a plastic Matchbox HMCS Snowberry ready to run for £100 all r/c gear inluded the tag on the inside of the hull says it was completed May 1991. Most larger kits can be converted to R/c but the really detailed ones need constant repairs to plastic fittings that break during collisions, transporting etc.

Sean