Gents (and Ladies as well, just to be politically correct),
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Bob Martin, Canadian citizen and US resident in sunny and infernally hot Naples, FL.
I stumbled upon this site while I was doing research for my upcoming build of an Engel Master Scale 1:100 Typhoon kit, in particular Mankster's remarkable buildup. I am very impressed by the knowledge trolling about the depths here, and I hope to visit more often to pick the brains of the collective here. I find that there is a much more "do it yourselfer" attitude towards building over the pond than there seems to be in North America, where most people hope to purchase ready to go kits rather than build themselves.
I've been talking with Andy Lawrence for years now, starting back when I decided to get into the hobby by building from scratch a model of Disney's Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Little did I know at the time that my building of that model would take me through years of learning, communicating with people all over the globe, and the creation of my own website dedicated to RC subs at
www.rc-sub.com.
My next project is an RC version of the same subject, a Disney Nautilus in 1/32 scale (169cm OAL) for a customer out of New York. It will feature a full Engel set of internals. I plan to build it very much "out of the box" without many modifications to the watertight box area. I will, however, be implementing a gimbaled propeller that will provide pitch control without messing with the cosmetics of the boat much.
After that, it is onto the big Typhoon, a subject that I have particular love for and that will be my own personal boat, the first in many years for me. I've done lots of work building subs for other people, but I'm looking forward to doing something that will stay on my own shelf and patrol the local alligator infested lakes and canals of south Florida!
Bob Martin