R/C Sub, Scratch-built From Sewer Pipe

[MrChiron12]

I'm a West Virginian

[randomsubjectkids]

how do u keep track of it when its under water?

[Rapidnadion]

@randomsubjectkids Often, we can't! It surprises us a lot, and on a recent shoot it almost hit us a few times. We were in the water, filming in waders for the emergency-blow videos, and it showed up out of nowhere a few times. Spooky.

[randomsubjectkids]

@Rapidnadion ive got a sugestion, a gps on it that measures what depth its at and where its at for example it would say; 12 feet deep and 10 yards out

[minhtranthong]

Well done! Congratulation

[Mrhevytanker]

now thats just awesome

[BenCooperMusician]

1:17 looks like an aerial shot of a full size sub!

[Rapidnadion]

@BenCooperMusician We love it when that happens, especially when that's the look we're going for. Thanks!

[ZehqMW]

I've been a fan for a few years now, but dayum, I really want one of these! :D

[Rapidnadion]

@ZehqMW Thanks for sticking with us - we'll try to keep posting cool videos. This isn't the last we'll see of Virginia, either - stay tuned. :)

[texfanusa]

Ah, excellent work indeed! Kinda makes one wonder just how many feet of pvc have been used over the years by modelers of all types, eh? {chuckle} This is a very intriguing build, though, and I'd be curious to know how many tries it took to get the ballast juuust right for diving-under-power purposes. It doesn't take terribly much depth before the radio signal is lost, either, eh (radio waves don't do well under water!)? Really enjoyed the vids of the build and its trials! Thanks!

[Rapidnadion]

@texfanusa We did indeed have to fiddle with the ballast quite a bit to get her to dive; it's a fine line to walk between too-buoyant and not buoyant enough. As for signal problems ... switching from salt water to fresh helped out a lot in that regard ... in fresh water, she can go forever on a submerged run, no matter how deep, it seems!

[TK42138]

Superb work!!

Nice touch adding the crew dialogue.

[Rapidnadion]

@TK42138 Thank you! We were hoping people would appreciate those clips; the source is credited in the video info.

[PollitoCrash]

that need fuel or electricit?

[Rapidnadion]

@PollitoCrash This is an electrically-powered boat.

[faisalswave]

Give it a missile silo.

[Rapidnadion]

@faisalswave Oh, it's in the plans. :)

[5050killerboy5050]

yoyu love boats and sub i lvoe you :D

[Rapidnadion]

@5050killerboy5050 Thanks!

[GenerationKill001]

You guys always ALWAYS do the best work!!!!

[Rapidnadion]

@GenerationKill001 Many thanks!

[4ucarlosmurphy]

I thought subs were called BOATS?

[Rapidnadion]

@4ucarlosmurphy They are, traditionally. We selected "sub" for the title to make it more clear.

[Mrgunlover2]

how long does she stay under for?

[Rapidnadion]

@Mrgunlover2 Not very long; only as long as she's going forward, since that's what's keeping her under. Once we finish sea trials, we'll get a longer dive.

[richardarichter123]

neat stuff the rc world is so amazing love it

[2142jjj]

that things beautiful, how much did it cost to make it?

[Rapidnadion]

@2142jjj Thank you. Around $500 in materials and about a month to build.

[gentzler]

Engineering is going to kill you if you keep broaching that propulsor. Get the damn pilots under control!

[Rapidnadion]

@gentzler Genuine LoL. "Maneuvering, Control; we'll work on it!"

[legojoe12345]

Amazeing! You guys must have put a hell of alot of work into that thing!

[Rapidnadion]

@legojoe12345 About a month, with one guy (Willie, the father side) working almost every day. We'll make more videos showing her off soon enough. :)

[Sonjayw8]

everytime i watch one of your videos I wish i had more time to sit and build models like i used to... thanks for the awesome video!

[Rapidnadion]

@Sonjayw8 Someday you might find the time again! Glad you're still enjoying our vids - thanks for sticking around!

[mazack00]

1:00 love the bubble formations around the prop cover.

[Rapidnadion]

@mazack00 Thanks! Same here. The "in your face" propeller shot usually finds its way into our videos - they're just so cool to watch.

[MrEpical1337]

Is it me or does that look like a missle? Nice work btw. Looks very un-nimble but still nice

[Rapidnadion]

@MrEpical1337 It's not just you. It's rather striking how submarine hulls resemble upscaled torpedoes. As for how she handles - she's actually more nimble than in this video (we shot at high frame rate and slowed it down to add a sense of scale), but she's still a heavy beast! :)

[MrBob1423]

how long did it take u 2 build?

[Rapidnadion]

@MrBob1423 This build took just shy of a month, with a *lot* of engineering difficulties and challenges. We'll be making a how-it's-made video on this model soon.

[MrBob1423]

@Rapidnadion dang!! it only took you less than a month to iron out all of the problems

[Rapidnadion]

@MrBob1423 Well, not exactly; it took a month to build the ship. Ironing out the difficulties will take some more time. That's what Alpha trials are for, though! :)

[MrBob1423]

@Rapidnadion oh ok still amazing though

[themagby2]

Another top notch job XD

[Rapidnadion]

@themagby2 Thanks! We try.

[MrCreatureofHabit]

This....is talent.

[Rapidnadion]

@MrCreatureofHabit Many thanks.

[o3941]

Is this a static or dynamic diving system. It looks dynamic, but I'm not sure.

[Rapidnadion]

@o3941 Definitely dynamic. We don't have a watertight capsule or anything; the dive is entirely achieved via flow over the bowplanes.

[o3941]

@Rapidnadion That's what I thought, based on the "With great depth..." part. Would have made this sub just that more awesome if it was Static.

[Brandonloveslegos]

Coolio

[YellingDingo22]

That has got to be the sexiest thing i've seen all day. (Not because of the shape) Very good job on the detail. The only thing I might suggest is maybe make some servo operated ICBM hatches on the top that are openable underwater and waterproofed. For now they would probably only house oxygen which, in-turn, would release some awesome bubble effects underwater. Looking forward to more videos.

[Rapidnadion]

@YellingDingo22 Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed the video! As for ICBMs - the Virginia class doesn't carry them, but we've considered trying to install a Tomahawk-style VLS missile system in the bow. We'll keep everyone up to date on whether we'll actually do that or not. Thanks for watching!

[YellingDingo22]

@Rapidnadion You've passed the test of naval knowledge, I congratulate you. :)

[Rapidnadion]

@YellingDingo22 Ha! Thanks.

[makaibrovlovski]

Maybe try making the signal stronger and mounting a camera on the front of the sub? That would be pretty epic.

[Rapidnadion]

@makaibrovlovski Can't do much about salt water's effect on radio waves, but we may use a long antenna extender in the future. As for on-board cameras - that's coming soon. We have a much older, less-polished video with some on-board submarine footage on our Channel page.

[makaibrovlovski]

@Rapidnadion The longer antenna is what I meant, doesn't that enable you to go deeper?

And a more polished video would be awesome. Haha

Great video, by the way. I noticed that I didn't mention that ;)

[Rapidnadion]

@makaibrovlovski Thanks. Yes, a longer antenna mast would let us go as deep as the mast was tall (until pressure became a consideration). Only problem is aesthetics; huge masts like that are out of scale and look ... rough. We may have to return to that, though (we used a tall antenna mast on the previous submarine).

[manuel32720011]

LOL, with great depth come great signal loss. i kinda laughed there. but seriously thats a friken awesome sub.

[Rapidnadion]

@manuel32720011 Ah good ... the lame joke played. :) Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[ciukcia989]

it must be pretty hard to capture all that on a video.

[Rapidnadion]

@ciukcia989 Yes indeed. It took an entire afternoon and three separate submarine cruises (battery charges) to capture the footage needed for this three-minute video (and the model's builder was busy for two straight weeks beforehand)! But good cameras and a good crew make all the difference.

[britannic192]

Nice Video!

[Rapidnadion]

@britannic192 Thank you!

[britannic192]

@Rapidnadion Hey! Just calling it like it see it!