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[rnli12]

Hi,
Anyone managed to convert a 1/72nd scale Vosper or Revell PT boat to rc?
Any recommendations for motors etc gratefully received.
Rich

[warspite]

Yep me, badly, deans marine have as well, excellently I must add and also the airfix lifeboat, to make it work the running gear has to be extremely light and turbo powered to be of any use i.e. deans sold the kit where the motor was through a increased ratio speed to the motor otherwise it wouldn't work very fast.


I have another kit and the PT boat 109 but as yet the patience to build or buy the motor set to do them, and a replacement S boat at 1/72

[Stan]

Not the easiest subject to convert may be more hassle than its worth.  But I wish you all the best and hope all goes well look forward to the pictures.

Stan.

[Allnightin]

My conversion of the Airfix  Vosper was in the March 2017 Model Boats magazine.   I used the Deltang Rx60-3 DSM2/DSMX 2.4 GHz receiver with an integral bi-directional ESC plus a HK 1.7g micro servo and the motor was a Parkzone P-51 combined motor and gearbox for the necessary hardware and power comes from a 240 mAh 3.7V LiPo pack (all from Micron Radio Control).  This lot weighs a total of 17 grams and I doubt there are many ways of finding a lighter solution.   A single Deans Marine 3 blade  18mm plastic propeller was the other specialist component.   The model weighs about 20 grams more than the true scale equivalent and sits in the water about 4mm deeper at the stern when static but manages over 6 feet a second at top speed and looks like the full size original the plane.   If you ever attend the annual late June model show at Plymouth Guildhall, I usually bring it along and display on the Plymouth MBC stand.

[redpmg]

The PT boat would be much easier as its larger. Try a stripped servo as a speed controller/motor combo with a lightweight receiver like the T5 one. Simon of Prop Shop makes beautiful small brass scale props which would be suitable. Thin 2mm prop-shafts like the ones from Graupner can be cut down to the correct size. Use a Lipo single cell first to save weight or go for a small 2 cell but be careful as you might burn out receiver and servo motor at 7.2v.
Alternatively find a broken mini helicopter and use that motor/gearbox with only on/off control via a mini servo (even less weight). Must be plenty around - I have 3 donated scrap ones and one of my own in working order....... 

All of those cheaper than the specialist items......

[Allnightin]

I weighed the static Revell PT109 I built from the 1960s issue kit and it weighs 116 grams.  The recent new tool issue looks to be heavier, especially the late war version that has just been released.  The scale max displacement would be 153 grams allowing 37 grams for RC conversion so there is a better margin than the Vosper.   Whether it is practical to have the 3 shafts driving scale props and still get a reasonable performance is less likely I suspect but I would be interested to hear of any one who has managed.

[warspite]

Again Deans did one using the same running gear, they showed all of the models including the S boat at Kirklees one year.

[warspite]

As I said, this is mine done badly, no speed, sits low in the water, ran only once or twice and then mothballed, the insides have probably rotted now.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Ei3X0A6Q0 (copy and paste, its the run 2 version - not the vastly faster one in a swimming pool - i wish)

[redpmg]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc9jnkO5qag
try that view - gives all the details of the components used too

[rnli12]

Thanks all, I think it will be a challenge!!

[Dean's Marine]

here is one of the deans marine vospers in actionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3HcMGoYfQs

[rcboater1]

That URL doesn’t seem to work.....

[redpmg]

Tamiya used to market a combined ESC /Receiver  with a small servo attached for their 1/10 cars . Snag is they are 27mhz which can sometimes be a problem depending on your location. Would seem to be a Futaba product made for Tamiya . Work equally well with Hitec or Futaba transmitter or the Tamiya one of course - take up to 7.2v which would suit a small 2 cell Lipo - not sure how they would run on a single cell. I have three of these combos which still work very well after 30 years - possibly they make an up to date 2.4 Mhz version ? - or there have been sets for sale on E bay from time to time (fairly recently). Run two servo type motors easily - more than enough power for the Vosper..........There was also a high powered version by Futaba for a motorcycle using Mosfets , allowed up to 20amps - but as with motorcycles no reverse..............Works well but a bit of a pain when stuck somewhere after a lapse of attention...............

[Dean's Marine]

That URL doesn’t seem to work.....

works O K
 try
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3HcMGoYfQs

[rcboater1]

That worked- thanks.


Are those micro running gear sets still available? I was Looking through the Deans site last night, couldn’t find them.....

[warspite]

which kit was this, the airfix one has the twin orkilion on the front and 4 torpedo tubes, this one has two and gun towers, is it the elco?

[Allnightin]

Are those micro running gear sets still available? I was Looking through the Deans site last night, couldn’t find them.....

The eRC combined Micro Stik Receiver ESC and servo board 4499533 used in the Deans video of the Revell Vosper 72ft type MTB was designed for use in a range of ready to fly indoor RC planes that are no longer available but you might find the unit itself still but do note the accompanying Transmitter would also be needed as the Rx would not be compatable with a standard 4 channel 2.4GHz Tx.  Deans also did the Minigear 2 combined Rx and ESC unit which was very similar to the unit I used in my Airfix 73ft Vosper type MTB as covered in my post above and this is still available from Micron RC and is compatible with standard 2.4GHz Tx and also provides astern power.

[Dean's Marine]

That worked- thanks.


Are those micro running gear sets still available? I was Looking through the Deans site last night, couldn’t find them.....

Hi Full set is Discontinued at the present time Ron