Model Boat Mayhem

The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Submarines => Topic started by: Nordsee on May 09, 2013, 11:14:53 am

Title: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Nordsee on May 09, 2013, 11:14:53 am
I have just started to assemble the bits required to build this model, a Free Plan in April 2006 Model Boats. I have most things , I intend to slightly lengthen her also the beam too, about a centimetre or so, as I have Ancient RC to install! Also my fingers do not function in confined spaces any more. The biggest "Not Have" are the Gaiters to seal the pushrods for Rudder and Elevators. I did think I would buy some for model cars, but it seems they are no longer available, well not in the samll size required here. Any ideas people? I did think of cycle valve rubbers. but they have gone as well! Help!! Also has anyone out there actually built one? Any advice and potential pitfalls? James.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: U-33 on May 09, 2013, 11:22:40 am
Try here: http://www.prestwich.ndirect.co.uk/hdwraccs.htm (http://www.prestwich.ndirect.co.uk/hdwraccs.htm) and scroll down to item numbers GA26/GA27




Rich
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: essex2visuvesi on May 11, 2013, 01:16:34 pm
I have this plan as well.... thinking about building it in the future


Will you be doing a build log?
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Nordsee on May 11, 2013, 04:14:27 pm
I have this plan as well.... thinking about building it in the future


Will you be doing a build log?
Never thought of doing a Log, my building is so slow!! Might  make one, get some feedback as I go.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: essex2visuvesi on May 11, 2013, 06:14:14 pm
Good Idea


Dont worry about the speed of progress some of my build logs are 3 years old and still unfinished lol
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: upscope on May 12, 2013, 11:12:39 pm
Anglia Model Centre in Gorelston, Norfolk has some on the shelf.
They are the Graupner ones.
Or try Gliders in Newark, they are the main UK Graupner importer.
Thre are some on EBAY, but mostly in Hong Kong etc
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: essex2visuvesi on May 12, 2013, 11:27:07 pm
https://astecmodels.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=22_34&osCsid=a6268d69d79fecc1ec697d5d4bd85f35 (https://astecmodels.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=22_34&osCsid=a6268d69d79fecc1ec697d5d4bd85f35)


Looking at the magazine these look like to be suitable
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Subculture on May 13, 2013, 05:41:37 pm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/33mm-Length-12pcs-Marine-Nitro-RC-Boat-Waterproof-Push-Rod-Rubber-Seals-Bellow-/171040192869?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item27d2ca3965
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Sub driver on May 14, 2013, 06:02:45 pm
Hello,
  also try marksmodelbits.com waterproof pushrods and motor mounts, no need for bellows as they fail with age...
Regards sub.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Subculture on May 14, 2013, 10:51:57 pm
they fail with age...

So do people.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Nordsee on September 30, 2013, 10:04:21 am
Further to my first post I have started the model and have got to the fiddly bits! As almost everything is selfmade rather than bought, that takes longer! I am including some photos. I have built her 1cm wider in the beam and 4 cms longer or my Radio doesn't fit!.The reason she Looks a bit "Tubby" !
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Geff on November 21, 2013, 09:02:22 pm
Hi Glynn:

I also bought that edition of the magazine because of the free sub plan. I decided to use willow wood rather than balsa, (now I am at the sanding stage I am rather regretting that decision!) Anyway, I cut out most of the pieces and there they sat for almost 8 years. Then I ran into some members of the SubCommittee and my enthusiasm was "sparked" again. I am putting a brushless motor with an aircraft type ESC in it. The build article in the magazine says that reverse is not very useful.

I have run into 2 road blocks, one is specific to North America. Nobody is making 75MHz surface band radio equipment. All is now 2.4 GHz so the submariners over here are scrambling to get anything that will work. I think that I have managed to get my paws on enough small 75 MHz stuff for the Type XVII and some bigger stuff for the next sub after that.

The other problem, and the one that I am asking for help on is the bow shape of an XVII. The plan shows a fairly rounded bow which I think will not "cut" the water too well.

Does anyone have a picture which shows the front end, pardon the non-nautical language! of a Type XVII?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Geff
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Sub driver on November 21, 2013, 09:53:11 pm
Hi. try
the-blueprints.com type xv11 submarine scroll down till you find type xv11 one full side view. hope this helps.
Sub.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Sub driver on November 21, 2013, 10:05:17 pm
Hope the above makes sense.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: GG on November 21, 2013, 10:45:00 pm
Geff,
       Since the model ought to spend most of the time under the waters surface, sharp bows are not needed to "cut" the water.  Think about the rounded bows of modern submarines.
Good luck,  Glynn Guest
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Geff on November 22, 2013, 01:01:23 am
Glynn,

Thanks for the fast reply. I understood your directions to the The Blueprints.com as I registered as a member several years ago. However what they and Google have on a Type XVII is not really fantastic. I would really like more detailed photos or some section drawings. If you just follow the curves that were on the plan, you end up with a very bulbous bow, which just doesn't look right to me. While I definitely agree that atomic boats spend most of their time under water and so have rounded bows, I always thought that WWII boats spent most of their time on the surface and so had to have more seaworthy and sharper bows.
Please tell me if I am wrong.

Geff
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: GG on November 22, 2013, 10:52:42 am
Geff,
      True, most of the submarines in and before WW2 were designed to perform better on the surface, where they would spend as much time as possible, hence their "boat like" hulls.  The Type XVII was an early step on the path towards true submarines and featured a hull more suited to underwater operation.
However, this model was never intended to be an accurate "scale" model.  It was an exercise to see just how small a working RC submarine could be.  The Type XVII just happens to be a very convenient shape and one I had successfully used before.  The models bow area is fuller than scale but I would not have thought that it was exactly "bulbous".
If you want an accurate scale model of a Type XVII they it looks like you will have to design it yourself?
Glynn Guest
P.S. I did not give you directions to The Blueprint.com
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Nordsee on November 19, 2014, 02:04:54 pm
Just to let anyone who is interested know, she is finished and after some Dramas with a leaky deck, now cured, she sails very well, dives, tears around under water, if she was an Aeroplane I would call her "twitchy". Speed control is most important for sucessful diving,although getting the original trim, deck just awash, is fiddly. Too much deck showing and she just drives around with the Tower showing and won't dive, get it right and she Slips under at half throttle. Great fun though I would suggest a paddling pool or similar for first dives, if she sinks you can get her out easily! There are some photos of her underwater and a short Video, but my son has them at the Moment...
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: GG on November 19, 2014, 03:02:32 pm
Glad it worked out for you.
Yes, dynamic diving submarines have to be "flown" underwater rather like RC aircraft.  But, once you get the trim and speed right they are quite easy to operate, just requiring the occasional nudge on the transmitter controls.
I keep on getting the urge to build another one, if only to show that you can have fun without spending an "arm and a leg" on a plastic tube full of expensive electronics.
Glynn Guest
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Davy1 on November 21, 2014, 08:42:00 am
"without spending an "arm and a leg" on a plastic tube full of expensive electronics."

I can only agree with that.

I thought you might be interested in a revival of a free Model Boat plan - The Charlie Class. Published January 1976!

http://www.theassociationofmodelsubmariners.com/t1451-cheap-simple-r-c-sub-suitable-for-beginners-a-charlie-class#8943 (http://www.theassociationofmodelsubmariners.com/t1451-cheap-simple-r-c-sub-suitable-for-beginners-a-charlie-class#8943)

Still going strong in its second "reincarnation". Many thanks to Model Boats and its plans which can have a long life!

David
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Subculture on November 22, 2014, 11:20:04 am
It's only in recent years that multi channel radio control sets and associated electrickery have come down to a price point where you can say they are relatively cheap.

Prior to that, scratchbuilt or kit, it was still an expensive tube or box of electronics you were submerging. Even at today's prices a one-way trip to the bottom of the lake is unlikely to please the owner.

Anyway, I had a look at that beginners article. I think it needs to start off more basic really. It assumes someone knows what an o-ring is, how they're dimensioned, what material they're made of and where you can obtain them from. Unless someone has a technical background, they're unlikely to have a clue. I see my videos were mentioned, but no link provided, so it's unlikely anyone will find them.

11cm PVC pipe is the standard, the 4" pipe mentioned(nearer to 10cm) in the article might be out there, but will be very tricky to track down, and could get some blank looks from a spotty teenager unfamiliar with imperial measurement.

It would also be helpful for beginners to see what tools they require to build a sub from scratch. At an absolute minimum I would say you will need a pencil, marker pens, rule, hacksaw-junior or fullsize, a small selection of files, a range of twist drills, a hand or electric drill, some sort of vice to hold items in and two or three grades of abrasive paper. Later on when fitting out you will probably need to get allen keys, spanners and screwdrivers for bolting in and assembling some components.
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Davy1 on November 22, 2014, 04:37:07 pm
Hi Andy. Thanks for looking in on the start of the articles on the Forum. Some useful suggestions there. A lot of the missing information is on the Forum anyway (Suppliers etc.) That's the beauty of a Forum compared with Facebook.

Sorry I wasn't able to be more specific about the location of your useful video. I couldn't for the life of me remember where I had viewed it. Perhaps you could give a link for it on your Dive-In Facebook site? I assume it is in their somewhere?

Thanks again and the next couple of articles are next week.

David F



 
Title: Re: Type XVII U-Boat (Glynn Guest)
Post by: Subculture on November 22, 2014, 08:15:27 pm
This is part two of the three parts I did. Part one was lot shorter and covered o-rings. Part two covers how to size an o-ring. Not the most intuitive process, but if you can understand it, then it becomes easy to select the right seal, needing just a little basic calculation.

Modellers with some experience of subs will find much of it very basic, but then I've assumed no prior knowledge. The last half of the film shows the machining operation of a basic endcap in real time. Part three shows an alternative method to machining the cap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWcryehE7EU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWcryehE7EU)