Rc typhoon class submarine install#
Rc typhoon class submarine crack#

I had a 3/16' gap in the front that I needed to fill with auto body filler to make a nice, tight seam. I've seen other builds that wind up with a gap in the front, and my kit was no different. More progress! The lid with the Engel subs seem to have an inherent issue with fitment at the bow. It is very unobtrusive and turned out very well. I installed a brass tubing section to help guide the hold down bolt into place. Instead of going with Engel's standard lid hold down that consisted of a long screw going into the lower hull through the top lid, I made it from the lower hull going into the lid upwards. Engel's instructions on this were very precise and I was fortunate not to have to go through a particularly long and frustrating process to get them to line up well. The biggest task was installing them in the hull accurately so that they lined up perfectly with the lid when it was installed.

The dive plane assembly was straightforward. The ingress of water should result in fogged lids. I scrapped the idea of the Engel aluminum lids because I wanted to be able to quickly see what was going on inside the boat during testing and operation. The pressure compartment lids were cut from sheets of 1/4' polycarbonate.

Rc typhoon class submarine crack#

Brittle adhesion may have a tendency to crack over time, and this adhesive has just a small degree of flex that should absorb shocks and provide a long lasting adhesion. I elected to use this instead of the supplied resin and microballoons so that the compartment would have a degree of flex within the hull. The main pressure compartment was installed using a marine adhesive specifically formulated to bond fiberglass. I have wired these directly to the main power lead so that I will never forget to turn the model off during testing or use.

Rc typhoon class submarine install#

The conning tower openings were created and I elected to install some functional LED lighting in the conning tower to help improve visibility and also to provide a visual indicator of the main power activation. Engel's propulsion motors, dive plane retract modules and periscope modules were all assembled and installed with very few issues. Good progress! The pressure hull openings were completed, and the hold down bolts for the clear 1/4' thick polycarbonate lids installed. The process was time consuming and tiring, but not particularly challenging. I used a square file to get the correct shape after drilling the main hole with a standard drill bit. I also began the work of drilling out and filing to shape the many, many (many) grates along the waterline of the model. The fiberglass is very tough, and there are steel reinforcing rods that I went through as well along the perimeter of the original opening. Cutting through the lid was very time consuming, and I went through about three blades by the time I was done. I immediately knew that I wanted to get better access to the pressure hull, so I attacked the lid with a jigsaw. It will have a very commanding presence on (and under) the water!

I am very impressed with the sheer SCALE of the model. This project has officially commenced! The model is astoundingly well packaged and contains excellent drawings and very comprehensive instructions. Propulsion : 2 pressurized-water nuclear reactors, 2 propellersĪrmament : 6 torpedo tubes, 20 ballistic missiles