You can try to be unimpressed. You can attempt to feign disinterest. But even the most casual Star Trek fan will get giddy watching this model submarine in action. Apparently there is a group that builds under water R/C vehicles from static models. It’s not Star Trek exclusively either, we saw some anime vehicles as well as a modern-day shuttle replica.
[via Makezine]
What’s the actual size of this model? Awesome btw!
can it roll for evasive manouvers? ;)
Maybe they should go make a borg cube
How the hell would that “swim”??
It’s a CUBE!!
Put pager motors with props in sharpies and make torpedoes. Maybe put a strobe in them, so they flash on impact. I suppose you could even make the torpedoes guided – I’ve seen a guy make remote control paper airplanes, so that should be doable.
It is a Polar Lights 1/350 scale model. It is about 35 in long. More info here: http://www.round2models.com/models/polar-lights/starship-enterprise
And no, I am not an employee of Round 2 or anything like that…just thought you would like to know.
haha 1/350 scale of a ‘fictional’ object lol
I’m torn between “starship Waterprise” and asking for the voyager model sub since they experienced “Fluidic space” in the series.
I am soo sorry, I had to say it
very nice model, congrads
That is so cool. This could be used to make decent low-budget space battle scenes, lol.
“haha 1/350 scale of a ‘fictional’ object lol”
Yes.. because blueprints and plans (eg. images of objects that haven’t been built yet, ie. ‘fictional’) don’t have an associated scale. Right.
Outstanding work, and a beautiful model!
I want to do an X-Wing now! :D
It goes up, down and turns to the right. I kept looking at the video to see it do something else, but no, it was always turning right.
That said, it’s an impressive feat, and a beautifully detailed model.
I’d just like to see it actually maneuver.
Shoot, mang. Just chroma-key out the swimming pool and put in a starfield, you got instant space footage.
I’m more impressed by the pool it’s in and the awesome camera work for amateur footage, though the vectored thrust is pretty awesome.
@DeusExInfernus
Your logical resistance is futile
“He’s listing to the right”
“Wow! That guy really know some maneuvers!”
Mix universes, shake well, and serve.
…and prosper…
Yeah, I was impressed until I say the business end of the vectoring thruster hanging out of shuttle bay. For v2.0 I’d suggest three three thrusters, one tucked in the shuttle bay, and the other two in the warp nacells.
btw, does it go in reverse (without playing the file backwards)
For some reason that music makes me really want to play Deus Ex again.
I wonder how they remote control this stuff. The normal RC radio frequencies do not travel under water.
Nice model! The pool looks so empty, tho.
Some big planets could be added. Your mom’s butt should do fine.
@DeusExInfernus
Re: How the hell would that “swim”??
It’s a CUBE!!
I would think 6 reversible props inside each corner (leaving each corner slightly open) could be programmed to make a cube swim, turn and even tumble under water.
It seems working with the bouyancy of any underwater craft must be pretty interesting to work with. You’d burn out motors just trying not to sink if you aren’t careful enough.
@anonymous
Ya know… I was thinking it would be interesting to see some koi swim by.
That is F’n Awesome
@strider
lol. pour me one of those “startinis”.
What can I say, this is a Trekkies wet dream!
Now if they can develop a caterpillar drive for it Al la Hunt for Red October then they’ll really be talkin’
Couldn’t this be easily used to settle the question of who’s ships are better, Star Trek or Star Wars? You can have the Borg cube go up against the Death Star I( though, they might just confuse it with an advance version of their tactical spheres, but for 0.00047 seconds). Or the Enterprise going after an Imperial Capital Ship( ok, that’s not really much of a match up than a severe beat-down for the Imperial ship).
*ponders the possiblities…*
@Jakededert : I believe it goes left properly, the video edit seems to have preferred the right turns.
@tod : I agree with your koi comment. On a related note, I would like to visit the local aquarium with one of these…
@Lieven lancke : I imagine the RF is similar to that used in model submarines. I am also interested in details, I’d never contemplated how absorbtous water [logically] is.
Also of note, the video credits are from Aqua Modelers Meeting –>> 2008 <<–.
–PidGin128
I have owned a few model submarines, and they use the same RF equipment that any model RC model uses. The only difference is that your range (while submerged) is exceptionally short.
Larger antennas of course help, so it may be the transmitter is using an unusually large antenna and there are large antennas in the nacelles. But there doesn’t seem to be much information on either of those, so it is just conjecture. Of course, the pool couldn’t be much more than 8 to 15 feet deep, so it is never getting very far from the transmitter.
In any event, it does look absolutely incredible moving underwater.
re. caterpillar drive. this could be a problem due to the superconductors and power required but in a saltwater tank it would work using electrolysis via needle electrodes.
failing that, what about using an EDM drive (discharges an HV capacitor through spark gap to produce a gas bubble, which generates unidirectional thrust) .. Full impulse :)
@Lieven lancke, PidGin128
The operating depth depends on what’s in the water. Fresh water is not particularly conductive (in comparison with, say, salt water) so the signal is not attenuated as much.
In pool water or sea water, the added chlorine / salt makes the water more conductive and effectively blocks most signals from going more than a foot or so below the surface.
For real subs, they actually use really really low frequency signals (< 100 Hz) since the attenuation is less for long wavelengths, if you're interested here's a wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_submarines#Extremely_low_frequency
(just took a class in electromagentics at school…glad to see it is useful for something)
As soon as it can first fly in air and THEN go underwater I will be truly impressed. cute though
Extremely cool. To jump on the “now I’d like to see this…” bandwagon, my vote is for the Epoch: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs43/f/2009/119/2/9/chrono_trigger_epoch_vehicle_by_2gunmojo.jpg
Or gradius: http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2008/03/gradius_iii_vic_viper.jpg
Years ago I took a model of “the flying sub” from voyage to the bottom of the sea days and put a pair of windshield washer pumps in it for propulsion. No radio control stuff for me 40 years ago.
ok, i didn’t see anyone else do it, so:
“The pool, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the r/c enterprise. Her seven to ten minute mission: to explore for drain clogs, to seek out new life and new civilizations of insects that have recently drowned, to boldly go where no waterwings or wind-up scuba-diver has gone before.”
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now add some bluray phasers :)
should look cool underwater.