From: DMeriman@aol.com

Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 11:33 PM

To: undisclosed-recipients:

Subject: R/C'ing the Revell 1/72 GATO Class Static Submarine Kit, Part-31

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R/C'ing the Revell 1/72 GATO Class Static Submarine Kit, Part-31

A Report to the Cabal:

"If I don't get out another Cabal Report pretty soon I'm going to go out of my fuck'n mind!" Or words to that effect blazed in Neon through my mind as I rolled out of bed this morning. Ellie wanted to know what I was so pissed about and I told her: I simply can not enjoy this hobby/business unless I'm bragging about my work to others (who may want to hear about my work or not, I don't really care!). Her response: "Let's do de-caffe this week, OK?"

So, like it or not, I'm at the keyboard again, with an update on how the GATO r/c conversion project is coming along.

As most of you know by now I'm working with Caswell Inc. to convert the fine Revell 1/72 GATO kit from a static scale display piece to the status of a fully capable running r/c model submarine. I, Crazy Ivan, and Big Dave did just that with our versions of the Revell kit at the last SubRegatta. Now, on to give you some more insights on how I configure my WTC's, and a better look at how they work within the Revell model kit.

The swing-arm translates the linear motion of the SubDriver bow plane retract push rod and converts that motion to a vertical motion at the three-element magnetic pushrod. The magnetic pushrod pushes or pulls the iron ball at the end of the torque tube bell crank. The linkage is in the 'deployed' position here. Note that the swing-arm rotates about an aluminum shaft that is affixed to the inside of the hull. My initial swing-arm arrangement had the unit mounted to brackets that projected from the after face of the motor bulkhead -- very bulky and hard to maintain or adjust.

The torque tube drives the retract mechanism gears to push the bow plane struts outboard, pushing the planes to the 'deployed' position.

Note that the forward end of the bow plane pushrod terminates as a magnet that engages an iron ball atop the bow plane operating shaft bell crank.

The swing arm pulled down by the retract/deploy servo pushrod. This is the 'retracted' position for the bow planes. Note the extensive use of magnetic couplers for all SubDriver to control surface linkages -- thanks, Brian, a great idea!

And the retracted planes ...

To the left I've arranged a swing-arm, its pivot shaft, and pivot shaft foundations as they would look in operation. Note the extensive use of magnets to hold things together.

So, I say to Ellie one late night in the shop, "Hey, how about grabbing a seat at this table saw and hack me off a few hundred seal bodies from all this sprue material?" About an hour later -- my back to hers as she cuts sprue and I turn brass -- I hear a 'Thwang!!!!' as her forefinger looses a contact match with the table-saw blade.

Needless to say, that put an end to that nights shop work and commenced a head-long rush to the local hospital emergency room to have her finger put back together again.

And then we had to wait for her pain pills! I told her to tough it out, I wanted to go home and get some sleep.

Women!

Next day (I even waited till after she had done the breakfast dishes) I suggested she get back to the shop and finish cutting out those seal bodies. In answer, she displayed an as yet undamaged finger. Wow!

What's her problem!?....

"You want me to cut what? ... today?". "Get out of my face you callous, mean-spirited, round-eyed, white devil-man!"

Yes, dear ...

We were working up 3/16" water tight seal bodies. These are used as the motor output shaft seal foundations within the motor bulkheads on our larger SubDriver units. The GATO Sub-Driver, for example, uses two of these seals. The seal body is turned from polyurethane plastic -- in actuality, a length of 3/8" diameter sprue channel that we salvage during our fittings kit casting sessions.

Waste not, want not.

What a GATO SubDriver owner gets when he orders ones of these things from Caswell Inc: The SubDriver itself (with installed geared motors and gas type ballast system), a bag of resin and metal parts needed to convert the Revell GATO kit from a static display piece to a practical, well running r/c submarine. The other bag contains spare fasteners for the SubDriver as well as a spare ballast system hose, pushrods, Kli-Con magnetic couplers, and an air-brush propellant adapter.

A close-up look at two sets of Kli-Con magnetic couplers. These permit quick, tight joining of the SubDriver pushrod to the control surface pushrod. Threaded brass adapters at the end of each coupler permits lengthening/shortening of the linkage to set control surface center.

A batch of GATO SubDriver's about ready to be shipped to Caswell Inc., then on to waiting customers.

A Revell GATO conversion kit laid out for inspection. Recently we added a retract mechanism swing-arm and a proper set of replacement stern planes to the kit.

So, in the middle of all this GATO crap I let myself get talked into producing a SubDriver (formerly known as a WTC) to fit the 39" long SEAVIEW kit produced by Moebius Models (due to hit the shelves later this year). Here are some of the preliminary sketches I did after being informed of the models inside dimensions. Stay tuned, Voyage fans.

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