Time lapse build WARNING - Not sixth scale; tenth scale instead.

Not very prolific as of late, but I did complete a little project for a friend yesterday and had the idea of putting my phone on a tripod to shoot a time-lapse video of the entire build.

Sorry, it's not sixth scale. Most of those are scratch builds and just take too damn long to document properly. So, guys, if you want to blow it off these pages, that's ok. I won't take offense.

The soundtrack is the old Grand Funk Railroad in their heyday.

Let 'er rip.

Nice build. Would have been cool to see it racing off down the street when you were done.

Stryker2011 wrote:Nice build. Would have been cool to see it racing off down the street when you were done.

Thanks, brah. It was kind of fun. It's been a long time since I built any kind of kit.

Yeah, that would have been cool, but I was having trouble getting the radio system to work properly. I had steering, but no damn throttle control. Might have had something to do with that old radio system I tossed in there. It's an old analog system that was sitting in my shop gathering dust, as all my current stuff is digital. Since I was building for a friend, I figured I'd throw it in.

All my testing revealed that the radio works (steering) and the motor turns and moves all four wheels properly. Just couldn't get any throttle control and finally got tired of screwing around with it.

Nice build and nice vehicle, too. I wish I could build with this speed (yes, yes, I know).

I appreciate discussions like this.

I'm not much of a builder

I'm more of procuring what is BUILT.

Very cool time lapse, that looks like a lot of fun. Would love to see how well it drives.

GubernatorFan wrote:Nice build and nice vehicle, too. I wish I could build with this speed (yes, yes, I know).

Thank you, GF. Yep...me too.    Time lapse is something I've always been fascinated with, but I normally forget to plan for it when I begin a project. Didn't forget this time.

It's a pretty nice little model truck. ((I actually own a 1:1 87 Montero (Pajero everywhere else in the world but North America.) Bought it new in October of 1986. I've modded it with a turbocharged engine and special differentials, so it will keep up with traffic.))

The model will go pretty well, too, but the kit itself is about 10+ years old. RC technology has come a long way in that time, but since I built it for a friend, I figured I go stock and let him mod as he sees fit.

DeltaForceChung wrote:I appreciate discussions like this.

I'm not much of a builder

I'm more of procuring what is BUILT.

Much appreciated, DFC. The building is the really fun part for me. Even as a kid, I was always constructing something or another for GI Joe and his buddies. There was a rope and pulley system in our backyard that could be used to transport old Joe to almost anywhere in the yard without him ever touching the ground. Then, one day, my mom got tangled up on her way to the clothes line.

...that was the end of that...

Fox915 wrote:Very cool time lapse, that looks like a lot of fun. Would love to see how well it drives.

Thanks very much, Fox. You might be surprised about performance.

It will scoot pretty well as is, but could do with a brushless motor and a few more volts of battery power. As I said, not for me to mod. I know how to drive hot RC cars. He might not, so he can build up to it.

The dirty little secret is that I pulled a DFC with this kit and bought two. Both have been in a storage closet in our bonus room for at least 10 years, as I've been more into sixth scale during that time. One of these days, I'm liable to pull the other kit out and mod the hell out of it. Of course, the thing to worry about then is an accident. Depending on speed and surface, a wreck could totally destroy the model.  

Very Cool video, great job!

dadrab wrote: "The dirty little secret is that I pulled a DFC with this kit and bought two".

This part made me pause for a bit, then it made me smile. (I can be a bit slow sometimes)

Also on the topic of RC cars, you made me remember that I had a Tamiya 1:10 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV RC when I was a kid (almost 20 years ago ). It was stock though, as I'm not knowledgeable about modding, but it was so much fun to drive and it blew my mind back then with its speed and handling.

I've no idea how far the technology have come for the RC cars today, but I'd love to see them in action. Also thanks for a blast of nostalgia, maybe one day I'll dig it up and see if it'll still run.

Bad Wolf wrote:"Very Cool video, great job!"

Thank you, Bad Wolf. I appreciate it.

Fox915 wrote:I've no idea how far the technology have come for the RC cars today, but I'd love to see them in action. Also thanks for a blast of nostalgia, maybe one day I'll dig it up and see if it'll still run.

The tech has come light years, truthfully.

Back when these were being made (your EVO, too) brushless motors were some experiment going on in a lab as was LIPO battery tech. The perfection of those two things alone have been major strides. Radio system have gone digital and fully programmable, so they are smaller, have twice the range and are more reliable. The best thing is that they're a fraction of what they used to cost.

When I bought my first multi-channel radio system, I was building a boat that called for eight channels for all the optional equipment to work. Being that the United States RC population, at the time, was flying, radio systems for surface channels (meaning models that don't fly) were scarce and limited. Three to four channels were all that could be had. More could be sourced from Europe, but I ain't in Europe, so... I opted for an "air" system, knowing that I could never run my boat near an RC flying field or at an RC show.** I was actually breaking federal law by putting that system in a boat. And, I had to settle for seven channels due to expense. That damn system cost me over $700.

**In those days (and all before it) a radio was set at the factory to a specific frequency (from a set assigned to hobbyist by the FCC). If you were flying your plane on a 72.451MHz radio system and I, running my boat in a nearby pond, turned the radio for my boat on (same frequency), you would lose all control of your plane and it'd crash and burn.  

With the rise of digital, all those rules went out the window. Digital systems "frequency hop," many times per second and receivers are paired (tied) to its transmitter, so it really doesn't matter about frequencies much any longer. There are those who would argue that point, but the physics of their logic doesn't stand up. It just doesn't matter. Still, the FCC has inserted itself into the mix much like the FAA has into world of drone flying. I will agree that the latter is more necessary, but not so much the former.

Now you've been fed more than you ever wanted to know, and for that I apologize.  

Thanks again for the kind comments and pull that old EVO out and go have some fun with it.

Wow! From what you've told me, light years was probably the right word. I do faintly recall my car came with a pre-determined frequency, I think it was a chip you put into the the controller? (I'm not so sure, it's been a really long time).

Now I can only imagine the boat you've built to be quite amazing, 7 channels you say? That's insane! (I think my car had only a 2 channel radio). It's a shame I've never seen RC boats in person. But for planes however, I remember I was awestruck and frightened at the same time at their blazing speeds and maneuverability.

Okay, before I go on and on, I just wanted to say that I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain the technology and it's advancement to me (and in great details too). For that, thank you. It's been such a pleasure to read and learn.

Cheers

Think nothing of it, brah. I don't know very much in the great scheme, but what little I do commit to memory, I try to learn completely.

About that old boat, it was, and still is, pretty damn cool. RC functions include forward, reverse, steering (of course), lighting, water cannons that operate in the horizontal and vertical planes AND squirt water, raising and lowering anchors. The one option I did not make operational (because of the expense of an additional channel) was raising and lowering the life boat over the side.

I'll see if I can shoot some photos of it and toss them up here. Though it's not 1:6 scale either, it's massive...about three and a half feet long. Main power comes from a motorcycle battery and there's another battery pack for the water cannon pump. All the electrics could use a good upgrade, however, as that stuff is pretty antiquated by today's standards

It was a helluva lot of fun, but took me about three years to complete...and that was before kids. SOB would have taken me twice that long if I'd done it during the "raising children" phase of my life.

It shoots WHAT now?   *mind explodes*. Man! That is beyond awesome!

Earlier, I was trying to figure out why it needed that many channels, I could only think up 4-5 functions. Now it all makes sense! Even without the lifeboat functions, it still is such an amazing feat.

And yes please, I'd like very much to get a glimpse of this beauty.

Cool video and cool build! How long did it actually take from start to finish in real time?

Yep, RC is very cool and very addictive. I was totally immersed for a period of about 4-5 years several years ago flying RC warbirds. Never actually got up to 1/6 scale but I had one in a box unbuilt for a few years before I sold it. The closest I got was about 1/7th scale for an FW-190--awesome plane! If you think 1/6 figures are expensive, you should try RC flying, or any of the RC hobbies! Although there's a lot of cheap stuff out there that flies well, just a single good quality airframe in a larger scale with good components will easily top $1000 all up, not including fuel (gas, nitro, or batteries).

And you're right, RC technology has been supercharged in the past 10-15 years, and that includes all aspects: transmitter/receiver frequency tech, propulsion tech (electric motors and batteries are just incredible today; and you haven't seen RC until you've seen an actual miniature turbine engine in a perfect 1/6 scale f-16 take off from a tarmac runway--looks, sounds and smells like the real thing!), and airframe tech with all the light and strong materials used to make incredibly scale looking planes, using foam and carbon fiber and fiberglass. And most of the models these days are prebuilt unlike the old days when you had to glue together a bunch of balsa--it's mostly about assembling and choosing power and radio systems, and maybe repainting if you're into that sort of thing (I am!).

My last and current transmitter is 7 years old and was considered state of the art at 9 channels and 2.4gHz frequency hopping. It still holds up well even today, but today's TXs are up to 12-16 channels for about the same cost or cheaper. I still like mine though and don't plan on upgrading unless it craps out--used to the feel and programming at this point. And a single transmitter usually has 20-40 model memory settings, so one is all you'll need for all your models. My high point was 10 different planes off the same transmitter, but I only own 4 at the moment. I don't fly so much anymore, but do occasionally show up at the club field a few times a year to keep the skills up and see old friends.

And yes, about the FAA... they are constantly trying to impose restrictions on model flying but so far Congress has protected the legitimate hobby from onerous regulation as long as it's done at AMA sanctioned club fields. But it is a threat to the hobby if all the drone wahoos get into trouble with all the stunts their pulling. Rant off.

Ironically, it was my RC conversion of the TUS Schwimmwagen that got me into RC planes in the first place. Hmmm, I wonder if I should post that thread...

I've got lots of pics from my RC days but I don't want to hijack this thread. Sorry for the rambling post but seeing this unexpected thread I had to chime in since it's been such a major part of my life for the past ten years.

Anyway great job dadrab! Hope to see the video of it zipping around when it's finished!

A great build Ed, enjoyed the vid and the sound track too.

Cheers,

Peter.

Fox915 wrote:It shoots WHAT now?   *mind explodes*. Man! That is beyond awesome!

I reckon I should have mentioned it's a scale model of a Rhine River fire boat. Thus, it has water cannons to...well...put out fires. That part of Germany is heavily industrialized.

Here's a crumby iphone photo of the boat and a couple of other builds I've done through the years. Again, not sixth scale, but pretty cool nonetheless. I'll pull it down one of these days and do a shoot of it outside. It's really pretty on the water. Oddly, I was reminded of the old album by Ken Hensley (founding member of Uriah Heep) entitled Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf as I shot the photo. I could call it "Old Builds On A Dusty Shelf." I digress...

tankgirlfuzzy wrote:Cool video and cool build! How long did it actually take from start to finish in real time?

Yep, RC is very cool and very addictive. I was totally immersed for a period of about 4-5 years several years ago flying RC warbirds. Never actually got up to 1/6 scale but I had one in a box unbuilt for a few years before I sold it. The closest I got was about 1/7th scale for an FW-190--awesome plane! If you think 1/6 figures are expensive, you should try RC flying, or any of the RC hobbies! Although there's a lot of cheap stuff out there that flies well, just a single good quality airframe in a larger scale with good components will easily top $1000 all up, not including fuel (gas, nitro, or batteries).

And you're right, RC technology has been supercharged in the past 10-15 years, and that includes all aspects: transmitter/receiver frequency tech, propulsion tech (electric motors and batteries are just incredible today; and you haven't seen RC until you've seen an actual miniature turbine engine in a perfect 1/6 scale f-16 take off from a tarmac runway--looks, sounds and smells like the real thing!), and airframe tech with all the light and strong materials used to make incredibly scale looking planes, using foam and carbon fiber and fiberglass. And most of the models these days are prebuilt unlike the old days when you had to glue together a bunch of balsa--it's mostly about assembling and choosing power and radio systems, and maybe repainting if you're into that sort of thing (I am!).

My last and current transmitter is 7 years old and was considered state of the art at 9 channels and 2.4gHz frequency hopping. It still holds up well even today, but today's TXs are up to 12-16 channels for about the same cost or cheaper. I still like mine though and don't plan on upgrading unless it craps out--used to the feel and programming at this point. And a single transmitter usually has 20-40 model memory settings, so one is all you'll need for all your models. My high point was 10 different planes off the same transmitter, but I only own 4 at the moment. I don't fly so much anymore, but do occasionally show up at the club field a few times a year to keep the skills up and see old friends.

And yes, about the FAA... they are constantly trying to impose restrictions on model flying but so far Congress has protected the legitimate hobby from onerous regulation as long as it's done at AMA sanctioned club fields. But it is a threat to the hobby if all the drone wahoos get into trouble with all the stunts their pulling. Rant off.

Ironically, it was my RC conversion of the TUS Schwimmwagen that got me into RC planes in the first place. Hmmm, I wonder if I should post that thread...

I've got lots of pics from my RC days but I don't want to hijack this thread. Sorry for the rambling post but seeing this unexpected thread I had to chime in since it's been such a major part of my life for the past ten years.

Anyway great job dadrab! Hope to see the video of it zipping around when it's finished!

Very much appreciated, TankGirl. The build took about 10 - 12 hours all told. Just a little here and a bit there, but I did remember to set the phone every time I sat down, so I got the whole build. Now would be a good time to give a nod to my lovely bride who stepped around the card table for a week during the build.

I'd love to see some of your planes and RC builds in general. Feel free to post them here and we'll call it the RC thread to keep the non-sixth scale stuff corralled.

peter the painter wrote:A great build Ed, enjoyed the vid and the sound track too.

Cheers,

Peter.

You're most kind, Peter. Thank you and I'm glad you did.

The old Grand Funk was about as raw as they could be. Originally a three-man band, the addition of a keyboard player in the late 70s really filled out the live sound. This track was recorded in the early 80s, I believe. Still, their passion for playing and energy on-stage, and even in studio, made me an addict to their sound early on. They were always the underdogs and critics bitched about them every time a new release came out, but they sold millions of records (I bought them all) and packed stadiums for many years - even selling out Shea Stadium in New York faster than the Beatles had a few years earlier.

*Gasp* She's such a beauty, Dadrab. Even bigger than I had imagined. And whoa, are all those water canons fully functional like the real thing? How would one control all three of them? I've only seen videos where there's just one water canon, and man, those things has quite a decent range.

All the discussion here is such a new and mind blowing experience for me, and now TankGirl's got me intrigued about RC planes too now.

The idea of an RC thread is really cool. Though I may not have anything to add, just marveling at them would be quite enough for me.

I'll tell you a cool story about those water cannons:

Keep in mind that I built it over 25 years ago now...no forums...hell, no internet...no local club from which to pull ideas...nothing. I was wrestling with now many functions I could get out of how few radio channels. The build sheet called for the two water cannons on the top of the superstructure to operate independently from the one on the front deck. The front deck cannon was to operate horizontally in conjunction with the lifeboat crane (meaning if one turned, the other did too. I'd already decided I wasn't going to actuate the lifeboat crane.

But, I wanted all three of the cannons to operate in tandem, but for the life of me could not figure out how to get the front cannon to turn in the opposite direction. You'll notice the two rearward cannons face to the rear. The front cannon faces to the front. There are large pulleys on the bottom of some brass tubing that extend well into the hull. If you link all those pulleys together with one belt (actually nylon string) you can get them all to turn at one time. Problem is, while the rear cannons would face left on a left movement of the stick, the front one would face right.

That seemed kind of stupid and I was almost ready to continue the build so that only the two rearward facing cannons worked and the front one was just static, pointing toward the front.

Then, I was on the phone with my dad one night and was telling him about the build. I brought up the problem to him and, very offhandedly said, "put a loop in the belt."

"What???"

"Yeah, put a loop (meaning a twist) in the belt between the front cannon and the two in the back. That way, when the rear cannons face left, the front one will too."

Damned if he wasn't right. There's a reason I've long said he was the smartest guy I've ever known. He could pop out a solution like that as if it were nothing. Didn't even have to think about it. It was staring me in the face the whole damn time and I'd gone brain numb trying to figure it out.

I'm with you, man. I want to see TankGirl's planes, too.

Anyone who's got some other-than-sixth-scale RC goodies they'd like to share, please feel free to post them up here. I'd love to see/discuss them.

What? No flamethrowers or autocannons?


Very cool project. The time-lapse video and music are nice touches.

That is one cool looking boat, dadrab! Do you have any pics/video of it in the water?

Okay, I'll bite:


That's a pic of yours truly with my "sport scale" Kyosho FW-190. It's a 55 in. wingspan (or 1/7.5 scale) and about 7 pounds with a 1400 watt electric power system and flies about 80-90 mph straight and level. It's a balsa prebuilt kit that required only gluing of the two halves of the wing together (it is removable) and of the tail feathers and control surfaces, as well as assembling and gluing/screwing/bolting the power systems and radio equipment. It's obviously not a true "scale" model as you can see the tail feathers are oversized for stability and the wing chord is thicker for better lift. But the overall shape is very convincing in the air, and the cool thing about it is the covering came preprinted in that color scheme which is very accurate to an actual plane that flew with 8/JG2 in France in 1942-3. At the time I was flying it with a two-blade prop and non-scale spinner, which made it look even less scale but gave it more speed. Since then I switched back to the scale spinner and a three blade prop which looks very scale in the air, and gives it more thrust but less top speed.

Here's a video of me flying it several years ago, set to Aces High from Battle of Britain. This shows the scale prop and spinner, along with more scale looking and better struts for the landing gear.


And here's a repainted foam model of a Bf-109G, smaller at about 50 inches but close to the same scale as the 1:1 was smaller than the 190. You'll notice how the shape and details are much more scale than the 190. It's amazing what they've done with foam in the last ten years. Extremely light, it's a beautiful and fairly easy flyer although TOs and landings are tricky with the narrow landing gear and grass fields (usually ends up on its nose at the end of the rollout!). I modeled it on a historical photo of a real plane and put a ton of work into the airbrushing and weathering.



The cool thing about this one was I actually made a 1/6 scale pilot bust to go into the cockpit. It's a little oversized, but actually pretty close as I used a smaller female head and put a BBi flight helmet on her. If you look at wartime pics of the 109 you'll see how big the pilots were in relation to the cockpit--it was cramped!



I started out with the LKpW101 leather helmet but ended up with the more iconic LKpN101 mesh flight helmet with different goggles that you see in the final pic.

Finally, one of the highlights of my flying days remains the two separate times (in different years) I got to fly actual RC jets at a local jet meet. I was "buddy boxed" with the owner who took off and landed it but handed me full control in the air for about four minutes of "do whatever you want" (inside the designated flight area, of course!). Although "only" a trainer jet, it still flew at over 150 mph (the real scale ones can go over 200). Here's some pics of me with one of the planes, plus some beautiful examples on the flight line. Many of them are actually exactly 1/6 scale and use pilot figures from BBi etc. Usually those figures are too heavy for most planes but these jets have so much thrust it just shrugs off the extra ounces. Remember, these are real turbine engines that use actual jet fuel!

@ dadrab: Very impressive boat, WOW!

@ tank girl: Amazing looking airplanes and video and extremely cool lineup of jets!  WOW!


Thanks for sharing!

Wow. Super impressive, Tank Girl. That video was cool. (Perfect landing.)

Dadrab, that’s a very cool and heart-warming story, I enjoyed reading that very much. The advice from you dad was brilliant, he sounds like a really cool guy. And thank you for curbing my curiosity about those canons.  

TankGirl, your planes are an astonishing marvel, I really enjoyed watching the flight video. Also, I thought the pilot in the cockpit was really neat, the flight helmet, the goggles, and parts of her uniform look really cool. And man! All those jets in the line-up, just stunning!

Thank you both of you, for sharing all these marvelous creations, this thread has been an eye-opener.

shazzdan wrote:What? No flamethrowers or autocannons?

 Naw...can't have everything on one build. HA!

Thanks very much, sir.

tankgirlfuzzy wrote:That is one cool looking boat, dadrab! Do you have any pics/video of it in the water?

Thank you, Tankgirl. I do have photos, somewhere, but I'll have to either dig them up and scan them OR, charge up the batteries and go shoot some new ones. That sounds like a plan...

Your planes are beautiful. I especially like the Focke-Wulf. It's so nice looking, I'd be scared to fly it...same with your foamie. Wonderful paint work. The time you put into it shows.

Damn fine flying in the video, too. Stryker pegged it...beautiful landing.

That's a skill I do not have and I have great admiration for those who do.

That pilot head isn't supposed to resemble anyone we share forum correspondence with, is it?    The shape of the face is close.

Fact is, I've been working on a flying model (scratch build) for quite a while and can't get the damn thing off the ground. Needs more thrust... If it ever goes airborne, I'll show it here as it does have to do with sixth scale.  

BAD WOLF-787 wrote:@ dadrab: Very impressive boat, WOW!

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, Wolf. Mighty nice of you to drop in and look.

Fox915 wrote:Dadrab, that’s a very cool and heart-warming story, I enjoyed reading that very much. The advice from you dad was brilliant, he sounds like a really cool guy. And thank you for curbing my curiosity about those canons.  

Thank you both of you, for sharing all these marvelous creations, this thread has been an eye-opener.

Well, I reckon I grew up like most of us...parents suck. However, with age (hopefully) comes a little wisdom and one day it dawned on me that my folks weren't nearly as stupid as I'd given them credit for being. My mom had a stunning singing voice (truly) and my dad could knock on the door of genius from time to time. Wish they were still here.

Glad you've enjoyed the thread thus far. I appreciate the interest...I really do.

Now, let's see about charging those batteries...

And, I forgot a cool/sad tale from the days of my youth as a newspaper reporter.

@tankgirlfuzzy - I have seen RC jets fly...and then...

...here goes.

It must have been in the mid 80's. I worked at the daily newspaper in Anderson, S.C. and part of my gig was covering everything on Sundays. One Sunday afternoon, I was sent to a rather large RC air show in a nearby town.

When I got to the airport, the place was packed...no where to park...people all over the damn place.

I walked around for a while and looked at all the beautiful aircraft - and, there were a lot of them in all shapes and sizes.

Folks were flying and watching and having a good time, in general.

There was one guy who flew RC helicopters. Man, was he good. The boy could roll the chopper upside down and hover...and hover...and just stay put. Lower and lower he'd go until the blades were actually cutting off the tops of the fescue grass risers on an unmowed part of the field. He was killer.

Then, another guy stepped up to fly his jet. I don't remember the exact make, sorry. But, it was a beautiful build. I'd already talked to him about the plane since it really stood out and it was huge. He showed me around it and explained about "ducted fan" engines and all that.

Well, he did all the pre-flight stuff and finally taxied it down the runway. All the way down to one end, it rolled. He turned it around and goosed the throttle coming back. The plane took to the wing beautifully.

Once he was airborne, he throttled back a little, but didn't put his nose down. The big model began to slow...he was stalling and he knew it.

He throttled back up, leveled it out a little and then nosed back up to gain some altitude.

I don't know if he lost throttle control or exactly what happened, but at about 100 feet, the big bird just stopped...stalled with the nose up going nowhere fast.

He began to slowly lose altitude. But suddenly, the nose went down and he powered right into the ground.

There were pieces of that plane scattered for 50 yards.

While I felt really bad for the guy, he kind of shrugged it off and began collecting pieces. (I could have sworn I saw a tear, though...)

Despite my sorrow at his misfortune, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.