I used to watch this video over and over again when I was younger. Desperate to build my own. It's only now that I'm finally building my own sub, as a full on adult. Thank you for inspiring a navy, submarine obsessed younger me 😃
This is great you guys, thanks for sharing it. I have been wanting to build an RC version of the USS Ohio SSBN 726 since I served on it back in the 90's, you guys have given me new ideas on how to do it... already figured out the dimensions, just need to do it!
How on earth anyone could dislike this video is beyond me! I'm not really into rc models, but my friend recently purchased one and asked that I look into them. I told him that I would, but only in something that interested me, like rc submarines. So, that is what brought me to this video and I'm blown away at every aspect of it! The build, the narration, the cameras angles and the verbiage or script. Job well done! Thank you very much for sharing!
SkullBone361 I quickly vetted Imma Ten, he seems to be hating everyone, he even was trying to call a war veteran a "waste of a life", and people are calling him "Not just a moron, but an ugly moron.", and "Hey Son Of A Bitch! How does it feel to be a Moron???"
because this is a dynamic diving submarine, meaning it has to run and use control surfaces to dive instead of ballast tanks. it's a low man's way of building r/c sub.
There are shaft seals available from model sub vendors. We like Go Pro cameras for underwater videoing; we haven't felt the need for lights as we film near enough to the surface.
Man, I love how you narrated the build of this sub. It was like something out of Modern Marvels. You did a awesome job on this video and on the sub! Good work sir and take care. Wow
You guys are great...love your videos... Not only are you clever, but ingenious as well. There's nothing so fine, as something home-built, and your own design!
In salt water the sub goes out of range almost immediately after the antenna dips below the surface, so we stay at periscope depth most of the time. When we're running in fresh water, we can pretty much have it do anything we want as far as underwater maneuvers. Being able to see it then becomes a challenge.
The first stern section was assembled like the bow, or nose... since we don't own a lathe, round mahogany 1-1/2" thick discs, stacked up and marine glued together, starting with 4" diameter and making each successive one smaller. Then lots of sanding. Good luck!
@TomCat686 So glad you found us! Subscribe and you'll be informed when we post more videos. We're on a short hiatus now but will be shooting more videos in the coming months!
Twenty years ago I made two sewer-pipe submarines with the exact same concept. Mine were straight-running, though, and lacked the power to submerge with dive-planes. Styrofoam was used to form the bow, stern, and sail, and the hull flooded completely with water to reduce buoyancy. I'm glad to see someone else was able to take the same idea all way way to radio-control!
@firemaker22 The lead ballast keeps the sub at the proper trim level and at the proper draft, yes. Determining that was the product of some bathtub float testing. But the lead is the only ballast we use; no water comes on board the submarine; it is always positively buoyant.
@nghonleong Thank you! The hatch was cut from the PVC pipe and several pieces of scrap PVC were glued to the inside of the hull to serve as a hatch seat/coaming. The hatch itself is not watertight; we seal the seam using wide (2") clear tape before each voyage.
Wow, great documentary narrator voice! You guys did an awesome job of documenting this build and making the video seem very authentic. I particularly like the bit about the decals fairing well during storage.
@icedraikon Thanks for visiting our site! We don't currently offer any of our models for sale, as it just takes too much time and effort to build them, and we like to keep them on hand for more video shooting. We usually keep the how-to videos to a single one per boat.
@texfanusa You know, it's very time consuming and at times frustrating, but the rewards can be pretty incredible too. Woodland Scenics makes some great products, and they're excellent people - very nice! Thanks again for the compliments on this one.
@modelman76 It flooded while submerged, probably through one of the shaft seals for the bowplanes or the propeller shaft. When sailing in cold water, the pressure inside the sub gradually falls as the air inside cools, and this vacuum tends to exacerbate any flooding that occurs. We think that's what happened.
Yet another fine addition to the line-up! You guys make r/c aaaawfully tempting but I've already got too many irons in the fire! LOL Never would've dreamed I'd run across Woodland Scenics being used on a submersible, either... Very cool, though, all around! :)
I was surprised you didn't use ballast tanks. But then, I was on a sub back in the '70's while in the navy. I always wanted to build a working model. If I had, it would have used ballast tanks the same way a real sub does. Using just planes alone does give you an incredible safety factor.
@YellingDingo22 That's great to hear - these how-to videos aren't usually big hits for us, as far as view count; we do them for fellow hobbyists. Hope you find it useful! And thanks for the compliment!
@brickerproductions You had it right the first time. Removed the "correction." :) And ... thanks a lot, man! It's always nice to hear from the longtime fans first!
@spurlicos82 Thanks very much. A lot of hard work went into her! Re: convoy sailing ... that's been discussed a few times. The ships aren't to scale with one another, but that could be fairly easily dealt with in-camera. The biggest obstacle is lack of operators! But we'll find a way to make it happen ... hopefully in an entertaining way. Thanks again for the compliment!
Man, if I had the time and the money.... Great job on the sub, guys; she looks amazing. Have you guys ever sailed the ships as a convoy? Y'know, the Virginia, Destroyer 702 and the Kitty Hawk all moving at once?
@Raptorgrizz Oh that would be amazing to see. Please do that! If you do, keep us up to date on the build - post pictures to our Facebook wall (just search for RapidNadion). Would really love to see a 726-class R/C model build!
Have you thought about using the "Towed Sonar Array" as the antenna so you could run underwater, and still have good control? You can make it buoyant enough to keep the antenna above water, and use it as a recovery line in the event of catastrophic failure.
Does this model basically work under the same principles as the deep flight submersibles? Because you're just using the dive planes in order to dive without any ballast tanks. Also is there any way to calculate how much ballast you need along with the thrust that the motor and planes produce in order to make it dive on the first try?
We intentionally launched slightly light rather than heavy to avoid the 'big' problem. By calculating its volume, we were able to figure the boat + ballast target displacement, which varies by ~ 3% between fresh and salt water. We figured the motor and belt reduction drive would be adequate from experience with other models, and made the bow planes area large enough to help pull down the bow. They have been reduced by 30% now that we have the ballast dialed in.
Just an idea for your next projects, for your diving and signal loss you could rig a simple circuit to release a trailed array. When there is signal loss, using a relay, it will automatically deploy and float a radio wire (28 ga magnet wire) to the surface using cork or something buoyant.
I know it’s been like 7 years since this model has been built, but perhaps some kind form of water bladders could be installed to take in water on command, adding enough weight to submerge. The water bladders could work with a small water pump, which takes in the water when told, but can also push the water out when necessary to resurface.
Excellent work- you are a truly skilled modeler and craftsman. I have built several models in my life and it is nice to see the scratch built fabrication of components. If you have not already considered it, may I suggest that you incorporate 3D printed components into your next build. The propeller shroud and supports could easily be printed as a single component, saving considerable fabrication time and ensure the uniformity of clearance between the prop and housing inner wall. The entire aft section could actually be printed as a single unit. The conn, planes, and bow section with flange would also be great candidates. I do take pleasure in building from scratch but it was hard for me to ignore the versatility and economy of the 3D print and the advantages of being able to control the essential properties of the parts (strength, finish, DENSITY) and of course being able to reprint parts at will if needed. Just a suggestion.... :) Awesome craft !
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else needs to find out about model railroad track planning try Panlarko Amazing Railroad Planner (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got great success with it.
Hey that's pretty awesome, what sort of radio gear do you use? I would have thought radio waves under water may have been an issue. Ever thought about putting FPV on it. Now that would be something to see.
Very informative. I'd like to see some detail on the propulsion shaft intrusion point on the hull, mechanics on the bow planes and rudder. The servo hook-ups and linkages with hull intrusion points too. I'm sure more basic builders will want to know this too. What is the range of the receiver and antenna length? Are you using a 2.4Ghz system? I think you get my drift by now. Thanks.
Keenan, the rudder, bow planes and propeller shaft penetrations all go through simple 'o'-ring seals and have been free of leaks. We're currently optimizing this boat so it can submerge / surface without having to be moving.. More details to follow. Thanks for watching!
@The7humpwump Ohhh tragedy! It never feels good to lose a model, but that must've been a really tough one. It's scary when they don't come back up, isn't it?
I'm not sure what you did with the Baton Rouge but since you said that the whole thing was un able to be recycled I was thinking you could give it a final resting place at the bottom of the lake your near or whatever you want to do with it I mean it's your model
I built a my model of the USS Ohio out of a sewer pipe (which I bought from Lowe's) and used old water bottles for both the bow and stern sections. I used the cap of one of the bottles for the propeller and used leftover plastic from the bottles to build the sail, rudders, and dive planes. I made 24 missiles for my sub out of styrofoam peanuts, carved launch tubes into the pipe for them, and put 24 12g CO2 cartridges in the nose cone and below the sail to propel them. I ... (continued above)
@ciukcia989 If the mini-missiles are protected from the salt water (by a missile tube and hatch) until they're ignited, the water won't bother them. Have you seen our Underwater Rocket Launch video?
Thanks! How was the boat kept water tight throught the external linkage to the rudder(the holes where the rudder arms went through) and the access hatch
Hello. I also want a submarine Ohio-class build (USS Kentucky) and would like to know how you have built so beautiful wooden stern of Virginia. Thank You
A short length of silicone tubing , whose midpoint is where the propeller shaft exits the tubing, works for us. It gets a good grip on the larger diameter tube end, and where it grips the lightly greased shaft it will keep water out while putting little friction on it.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I used to watch this video over and over again when I was younger. Desperate to build my own. It's only now that I'm finally building my own sub, as a full on adult. Thank you for inspiring a navy, submarine obsessed younger me 😃
This is great you guys, thanks for sharing it. I have been wanting to build an RC version of the USS Ohio SSBN 726 since I served on it back in the 90's, you guys have given me new ideas on how to do it... already figured out the dimensions, just need to do it!
How on earth anyone could dislike this video is beyond me! I'm not really into rc models, but my friend recently purchased one and asked that I look into them. I told him that I would, but only in something that interested me, like rc submarines. So, that is what brought me to this video and I'm blown away at every aspect of it! The build, the narration, the cameras angles and the verbiage or script. Job well done! Thank you very much for sharing!
SkullBone361 I quickly vetted Imma Ten, he seems to be hating everyone, he even was trying to call a war veteran a "waste of a life", and people are calling him "Not just a moron, but an ugly moron.", and "Hey Son Of A Bitch! How does it feel to be a Moron???"
because this is a dynamic diving submarine, meaning it has to run and use control surfaces to dive instead of ballast tanks. it's a low man's way of building r/c sub.
There are shaft seals available from model sub vendors. We like Go Pro cameras for underwater videoing; we haven't felt the need for lights as we film near enough to the surface.
Man, I love how you narrated the build of this sub. It was like something out of Modern Marvels. You did a awesome job on this video and on the sub! Good work sir and take care. Wow
You guys are great...love your videos...
Not only are you clever, but ingenious as well.
There's nothing so fine, as something home-built, and your own design!
It's immencely difficult for me to come across components and resources, so I greatly admire your craftsmanship and skill. Great job guys.
In salt water the sub goes out of range almost immediately after the antenna dips below the surface, so we stay at periscope depth most of the time. When we're running in fresh water, we can pretty much have it do anything we want as far as underwater maneuvers. Being able to see it then becomes a challenge.
The first stern section was assembled like the bow, or nose... since we don't own a lathe, round mahogany 1-1/2" thick discs, stacked up and marine glued together, starting with 4" diameter and making each successive one smaller. Then lots of sanding. Good luck!
Alex, all the linkages run internally. The hatch is taped closed just prior to launching.
@TomCat686 So glad you found us! Subscribe and you'll be informed when we post more videos. We're on a short hiatus now but will be shooting more videos in the coming months!
Twenty years ago I made two sewer-pipe submarines with the exact same concept. Mine were straight-running, though, and lacked the power to submerge with dive-planes. Styrofoam was used to form the bow, stern, and sail, and the hull flooded completely with water to reduce buoyancy. I'm glad to see someone else was able to take the same idea all way way to radio-control!
@firemaker22 The lead ballast keeps the sub at the proper trim level and at the proper draft, yes. Determining that was the product of some bathtub float testing. But the lead is the only ballast we use; no water comes on board the submarine; it is always positively buoyant.
i came across your channel by complete accident and im glad i did you have some really cool videos and ideas its fun to watch!
@nghonleong Thank you! The hatch was cut from the PVC pipe and several pieces of scrap PVC were glued to the inside of the hull to serve as a hatch seat/coaming. The hatch itself is not watertight; we seal the seam using wide (2") clear tape before each voyage.
A wonderful job converting sewer drain pipe into a modern day submarine. Bravo!
The video presentation top knotch, thanks for sharing.
Great job! Love the narration voice, sounds like a pro!
Wow, great documentary narrator voice! You guys did an awesome job of documenting this build and making the video seem very authentic. I particularly like the bit about the decals fairing well during storage.
@icedraikon Thanks for visiting our site! We don't currently offer any of our models for sale, as it just takes too much time and effort to build them, and we like to keep them on hand for more video shooting. We usually keep the how-to videos to a single one per boat.
@firemaker22 The submarine is a dynamic diver; the flow of water over the bowplanes causes her to dive, instead of taking on seawater ballast.
@texfanusa You know, it's very time consuming and at times frustrating, but the rewards can be pretty incredible too. Woodland Scenics makes some great products, and they're excellent people - very nice! Thanks again for the compliments on this one.
@modelman76 It flooded while submerged, probably through one of the shaft seals for the bowplanes or the propeller shaft. When sailing in cold water, the pressure inside the sub gradually falls as the air inside cools, and this vacuum tends to exacerbate any flooding that occurs. We think that's what happened.
Not a sub guy but I can appreciate all the work and craftsmanship. She's very cool.
Yet another fine addition to the line-up! You guys make r/c aaaawfully tempting but I've already got too many irons in the fire! LOL Never would've dreamed I'd run across Woodland Scenics being used on a submersible, either... Very cool, though, all around! :)
This video is really a wonderful reference for building my own submarine.
Thank your for your video!!
I was surprised you didn't use ballast tanks. But then, I was on a sub back in the '70's while in the navy. I always wanted to build a working model. If I had, it would have used ballast tanks the same way a real sub does. Using just planes alone does give you an incredible safety factor.
@MrPlumpmaster Word from the builder is that it's a Futaba; it's a 4 channel,FM,75mhz Skysport model T4YF. Hope that helps!
Anyone else rewatching this Chanel in 2022 for a nostalgia trip?
@YellingDingo22 That's great to hear - these how-to videos aren't usually big hits for us, as far as view count; we do them for fellow hobbyists. Hope you find it useful! And thanks for the compliment!
Good luck with your scratch build!
I love this video! Can't wait till you guys make more!
i just love the spirit you guys have...the naration was perfect
I have no idea how these guys have only 100,000 sub subscribers they should have millions of subscribers
The pipe, from a construction site, the motor and electronics from on line sources. Mike's Sub Works has lots of parts.
Excellent how to vid...That's why I subscribe!
@brickerproductions You had it right the first time. Removed the "correction." :) And ... thanks a lot, man! It's always nice to hear from the longtime fans first!
@spurlicos82 Thanks very much. A lot of hard work went into her! Re: convoy sailing ... that's been discussed a few times. The ships aren't to scale with one another, but that could be fairly easily dealt with in-camera. The biggest obstacle is lack of operators! But we'll find a way to make it happen ... hopefully in an entertaining way. Thanks again for the compliment!
Beautiful model.
one hell of a build. looks nice.
@TK42138 Thanks! We'll try to keep making them for our more involved projects. Next up: how-to videos for the rocket barge and R/C aircraft carrier.
you guys are really talented
Really cool.
Hoping to see more videos from you soon!
Man, if I had the time and the money.... Great job on the sub, guys; she looks amazing. Have you guys ever sailed the ships as a convoy? Y'know, the Virginia, Destroyer 702 and the Kitty Hawk all moving at once?
@Raptorgrizz Oh that would be amazing to see. Please do that! If you do, keep us up to date on the build - post pictures to our Facebook wall (just search for RapidNadion). Would really love to see a 726-class R/C model build!
Have you thought about using the "Towed Sonar Array" as the antenna so you could run underwater, and still have good control? You can make it buoyant enough to keep the antenna above water, and use it as a recovery line in the event of catastrophic failure.
Great video! though such a nice submarine deserves a ballast system! keep on the good work! greetings from Venezuela
It is very,very,very cool submarine!
Does this model basically work under the same principles as the deep flight submersibles? Because you're just using the dive planes in order to dive without any ballast tanks. Also is there any way to calculate how much ballast you need along with the thrust that the motor and planes produce in order to make it dive on the first try?
We intentionally launched slightly light rather than heavy to avoid the 'big' problem. By calculating its volume, we were able to figure the boat + ballast target displacement, which varies by ~ 3% between fresh and salt water. We figured the motor and belt reduction drive would be adequate from experience with other models, and made the bow planes area large enough to help pull down the bow. They have been reduced by 30% now that we have the ballast dialed in.
I'm making my own rc submarine and I am asking what tape do you use to seal the hatch?????
@sdhfyu It would be fun to do a static-diving sub someday, but there are no immediate plans.
3 standard servos, the 4th channel is the motor's speed control.
@Mrgunlover2 Thanks! Glad you like it!
Great project and presentation.
@JacobSprague707 Hi Jacob. No, we don't sell any of our models, unfortunately. This video is as close as we get to offering a tutorial.
Thats very cool. Keep up the good work.
That would be fun. We might do just that.
This is SOOOO amazing!
Just an idea for your next projects, for your diving and signal loss you could rig a simple circuit to release a trailed array. When there is signal loss, using a relay, it will automatically deploy and float a radio wire (28 ga magnet wire) to the surface using cork or something buoyant.
I know it’s been like 7 years since this model has been built, but perhaps some kind form of water bladders could be installed to take in water on command, adding enough weight to submerge. The water bladders could work with a small water pump, which takes in the water when told, but can also push the water out when necessary to resurface.
@modelman76 ... till now. :) Thanks for watching!
Excellent work- you are a truly skilled modeler and craftsman. I have built several models in my life and it is nice to see the scratch built fabrication of components. If you have not already considered it, may I suggest that you incorporate 3D printed components into your next build. The propeller shroud and supports could easily be printed as a single component, saving considerable fabrication time and ensure the uniformity of clearance between the prop and housing inner wall. The entire aft section could actually be printed as a single unit. The conn, planes, and bow section with flange would also be great candidates. I do take pleasure in building from scratch but it was hard for me to ignore the versatility and economy of the 3D print and the advantages of being able to control the essential properties of the parts (strength, finish, DENSITY) and of course being able to reprint parts at will if needed. Just a suggestion.... :)
Awesome craft !
+John Young Thanks for commenting; 3D printed parts looks like something we may try on future builds, thanks for the suggestion!
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else needs to find out about model railroad track planning try Panlarko Amazing Railroad Planner (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got great success with it.
Speechless...
simply awesome.
Excellent video and very informative! How did you make a watertight hatch for the servo and battery area?
@drwaffleboy7 Materials cost for this boat was about $500, but the man-hours were up in the 250 range.
Hey that's pretty awesome, what sort of radio gear do you use?
I would have thought radio waves under water may have been an issue.
Ever thought about putting FPV on it. Now that would be something to see.
This is just...so damn cool.
@MiniCheetah Thank you!
Very nice. How deep did you go untill you lost the signal? Is the E-blow a built in safety feature?
Outstanding!
fantastic that was so cool, hey could you guy's possibly make the seaview too ?
very creative !
great work.
Very informative. I'd like to see some detail on the propulsion shaft intrusion point on the hull, mechanics on the bow planes and rudder. The servo hook-ups and linkages with hull intrusion points too. I'm sure more basic builders will want to know this too. What is the range of the receiver and antenna length? Are you using a 2.4Ghz system? I think you get my drift by now. Thanks.
Keenan, the rudder, bow planes and propeller shaft penetrations all go through simple 'o'-ring seals and have been free of leaks. We're currently optimizing this boat so it can submerge / surface without having to be moving.. More details to follow. Thanks for watching!
Rapidnadion do a rocket that go high thin comebacks
The seals we use can be found at Mike's Sub Works (give them a Google search).
@The7humpwump Ohhh tragedy! It never feels good to lose a model, but that must've been a really tough one. It's scary when they don't come back up, isn't it?
I'm not sure what you did with the Baton Rouge but since you said that the whole thing was un able to be recycled I was thinking you could give it a final resting place at the bottom of the lake your near or whatever you want to do with it I mean it's your model
Really thats impressive I have seen them before and they are massive the biggest ever
I built a my model of the USS Ohio out of a sewer pipe (which I bought from Lowe's) and used old water bottles for both the bow and stern sections. I used the cap of one of the bottles for the propeller and used leftover plastic from the bottles to build the sail, rudders, and dive planes. I made 24 missiles for my sub out of styrofoam peanuts, carved launch tubes into the pipe for them, and put 24 12g CO2 cartridges in the nose cone and below the sail to propel them. I ... (continued above)
Amigo excelente trabajo...felicitaciones!1 y saludos!!
Gracias, Miguel
Very cleaver dude well done :D
@ciukcia989 If the mini-missiles are protected from the salt water (by a missile tube and hatch) until they're ignited, the water won't bother them. Have you seen our Underwater Rocket Launch video?
@Rapidnadion i did see it. it would be awesome to see a video of you setting up those missiles. :)
@666crazytrain1 We'll try to keep up the videos!
@Rapidnadion i moved from there last year i miss it so much :(
@MnktoDave @PirateSygnal Thanks very much!
:) Thanks Rapidnadion.
This is amazing!
Thank you for that answer, but the sub still needs the ballast. right?
What did you mean by "calculations"? What did they consist of? Your subs are amazing!
A fan from Finland
@ciukcia989 Hopefully that'll come to pass! We've got about 7 videos to shoot in the next two weeks first. :)
nice job
That's really cool. Well done :)
Thanks! How was the boat kept water tight throught the external linkage to the rudder(the holes where the rudder arms went through) and the access hatch
SICK!!!
@AlNuci @19Fubar71 @blancolirio Thanks very much, guys.
@Rapidnadion :D I was tired and confused that day. I should really go to bed earlier.
Yo-yo-yo I’m not alone in watching the vid in 2019
Hello. I also want a submarine Ohio-class build (USS Kentucky) and would like to know how you have built so beautiful wooden stern of Virginia. Thank You
did you make the stuffing box?if yes please tell me how to make one :)
A short length of silicone tubing , whose midpoint is where the propeller shaft exits the tubing, works for us. It gets a good grip on the larger diameter tube end, and where it grips the lightly greased shaft it will keep water out while putting little friction on it.
How did you seal it with out locking up rudder movement