Well it looks like the Neptune has finally hit the shops.
I popped into a (fairly) local model shop (308 Hobbies) this afternoon on the way home from work for some other bits and pieces. There sitting on the counter was a big box with a yellow sub plastered all over it.
Well I had to have a butchers at this.
First surprise was that it is in kit form- the RTS (ready to sink?) option is, well erm, optional.
The parts look well designed and manufactured, although they have totally ripped off Norbert Bruggen with this kit- the ballast control board looks like a carbon copy of his design, plus they've used a peristaltic pump and bag for the ballast, just like Norberts Delta kit. Hmmmm, at least they've plagiarised one of the best.
The module is clear plastic and very large, I guesstimate 5-6" diameter and very thick at about 1/4". Pre (CNC) machined clear endcaps with plastic injection moulded clamps. The internal frames also appear to be injection moulded. Aluminium rods clamp it all together.
The design will easily withstand a 30 feet crush depth.
Second surprise was the outer casework. It is moulded from some very sturdy ABS plastic, about 1/8" to 3/16" thick, built to take a wallop then. A quick browse through the instructions showed that it all screws together- very little adhesive used in this kit it seems.
The kit comes complete with everything bar a radio transmitter and receiver. Battery, servos, esc etc. are all included.
Price on the box was £299. If you remove the electronics from the equation, then I reckon the kit is costing about £170-200.
Will this affect existing retailers, not sure, but consider this. The WTC, though well designed, is far too big for just about any other hull I can think of. So anyone thinking of the neptune as a cheap alternative for a flexible WTC may like to reconsider.
The ballast bag is very small, so won't provide much freeboard.
At the same time, serious scale modellers won't like this model, as it isn't based on any particular prototype.
It may get a few younger modellers into the hobby, as the layout and instructions look like a Tamiya kit, and you don't need very many tools to construct this model. Older modellers will also like this model, but may like to detail it a bit more- looks a bit too toy like for my taste.
Inspiration for detailing can be found here-
http://www.rockhounding.net/busby/submersibles.htmlOne of the good things about a submersible is you can let your imagination run a bit wild.
The only bad things I picked up on was a total lack of any mention of greasing the plethora of o-ring seals in the instructions, and a lack of a schraeder valve.
A tube of silicone grease and a snaffled tyre valve suitably trimmed down and installed will correct these two deficiencies.
The standard model lacks a pitch controller. It's big and chunky, so ill suited to a very shallow pond. Drive is courtesy of a rather small direct drive Speed 500 derivative, this will keep the speed low, as the prop is very small. A gearbox and bigger prop would be an option, or perhaps something like a Speed 700 torque direct drive.
Then you might want to consider a pitch controller.
Andy