HMS Snake by meatbomber - Caldercraft - 1:64 - RADIO - RC Conversion

[meatbomber]

Well It took me a while to get the energy to even rebuild my build log. i`ll give it a try. Unfortunately the most important part of it, all the helpfull hints and tips of other forum members that helped to motivate and push me along will not be there anymore. 

at least i can bring back the pics

 

After building several quite successfully sailing RC square riggers with either carved out solid hulls or bread and butter style built up hulls, i thought it high time to start and try a proper planked model (my first!). 

Searching for a suitable model i fell in love with the Caldercraft/Jotika Ltd. HMS Snake kit in 1/64 scale. I like the hull lines a lot, she is beamy and has a not too shallow draft hull to give you some displacement to work with for a RC conversion. I was torn between the Cruiser (like SC&Hs Cruiser class Brig) and Snake which share the same hull, and only differ in their rig (Brig vs. ship rigged) but the Snake kit has been updated recently and so the decision fell for Snake

A direct conversion of the Tonnage of the real ship to scaled down to the scale of the model gives a rough estimate of the displacement of 1,4kg total that should be do able. 

She will have 3 channels: 
rudder 
Fore and Headsails winch servo (all sails forward of CE) 
Main,Mizzen and spanker sheet whinch servo (all sails aft of CE) 

The RC equipment weight about 250g using a 2 cell Lipo to run the RX and a UBEC, I want to have a ballast weight of at least 500g so i`ll have a weigth budget fo the rest of the ship of about 700g. Pretty tight, but we will see. 

i have reduced all the bulkheads to frames to save weigth and the keel part also got reduced for gaining space and also weight saving. 
I have assembled the basic hull skeleton and am going to place the hatches for access between Fore and main mast and 1 between main and mizzen. The rudder servo will be hidden under the poop deck and accessible with the poopdeck removed. 
 

below is the state of the build so far.. unfortunately my buidling stalled out in 2011 as my focus shifted again to RC Heli flying, so she is waiting patiently laid up in ordinary on my workshops shelf until i come back for her

 

[jim_smits]

Great looking build so far! Nice to another Snake build to join the club.

 

Will be following with interest.

[Richard50]

An extremely good build.  Snake was the first ship I built, but she is not a patch on what you have been able to achieve. I will look forward to following your work, and perhaps it might inspire me to re-build parts of my attempt.

 

Best wishes

Richard