Choosing A Model Submarine To Build?

Choosing which submarine to build can be a very personal thing.  You may have a strong desire to Model one particular submarine, this could be anything from a famous submarine in history, from Film, TV or a book, a famous historical submarine to a modern nuclear submarine, a static model, a ship in a bottle to a fantasy model from Science Fiction.  There are thousands of subjects to choose from and each has it's own merits and problems.  This is not intended to sway you towards a particular subject to model or one method of construction but more a collection of observations relating to the practical side of constructing model submarines either static or fully operational ballasted radio controlled models.

One of the most important decisions that you will make is how big is your model going to be.  This is a subject that does not receive the consideration that it deserves.  Out on the water an eight-foot long model can look very impressive, but before you start building you should ask yourself the following questions.

Where am I going to keep it?  How am I going to get it into the water? More importantly how am I going to get it out again,  as in the water with the hull partially flooded the weight could easily double.  Trying to lift a model of this size and weight without assistance is a sure way to damage the model or even yourself.

If you need some practical experience of living with a large model you could try borrowing a canoe.  Try moving it about in your shed or workshop!  A model of this size will weigh a lot more than the canoe and may be considerably more fragile.

If you are not building your own hull remember that most of the available commercial hulls are usually around the five to seven foot long size.

Don't think that your model has to be large for all the radio equipment; we have seen fully functioning radio-controlled models under a foot long. A popular mini-sub is available off the shelf at about 50 mm long!  At this small size construction is somewhat specialised and the equipment may cost slightly more, but it can be done and it allows more room for a larger fleet even if you live in a small flat.

It is often said that the ideal size is a submarine that can fit into the back of a family car.

There you have it, the problems associated with the size or not depending on your circumstances.  After all you may have a truck with a hoist so an eight foot model should not pose too much of a problem, you may want to climb in and go for a dive too, it 's no joke as others have already done just that.

Finally, for those out there who want a "Big One", remember to take care of your back when transporting it, it will weigh even more when lifting it out of the water.