R/C Hovercraft...

[SubaruTiburon]

I saw Junkyard Wars last night and I want to make an R/C hovercraft. Im messin around right now, but i might get serious if it can/will work. Any ideas?

[krayzie]

I saw junkyard war's to and i think an r/c hover craft would be sweet.

[SubaruTiburon]

Ive seen ad's in rcca for a company that makes em. They were kinda cheap too. Around 200 i think..not sure. Look very cool. But this will simply be a lil bit of wood, metal, and radio stuff.

[SubaruTiburon]

Ok, this is out of a 1995 mag of rcca..no website, i think this was before computers were invented, anyways, 165 rtr w/o 2ch radio batt and esc. Good deal though, comes with body, 2 motors, seals, hardware etc. 24" long, 14.5" wide, 2.8 lbs., 1/24th scale. Rather large, size of 1/8th buggy.

[R_C_MAN]

Check out these sites: http://www.kinetics.net/ www.perryshobbys.com (http://www.perryshobbys.com)

[stormperson]

they made a rc hovercraft? cool! i thought they just made the planes. which was pretty cool.

but i know perry's hobby makes and upgrade kit for a hovercraft, you might want to contact them to findout what hovercraft its for.

[Destrega]

Junkyard wars ROCKS!!
anyways my favorite one was the demolition one with the huge hydraulic crane thing that was cool.

[timesheet]

In a simpler time (the mid 80's) a mail order place called Hobby Lobby used to sell Graupner products in the US, and from what I recall they produced at least 1 electric hovercraft. I don't know who distributes Graupner now or if they even still make the hovercraft. I do remember seeing their ads in RCModeler mag back then. That's all I know. Except..... next week on J Wars: ROCKETS!!!!

[hpiguy]

I own the Kinetics SK5 Hovercraft.

Buy it and see some speed for real. 35+ MPH with the stock motors and 1500 batts.

And it runs for well over 20 minutes because the motors are only spinning props.

It's a blast.

You can get them BRAND NEW on Ebay for about 135 dollars from Kinetic's distributor.

[SubaruTiburon]

Im gonna scrap the idea..i have too many things going on right now, maybe ill pick it up at a later date. Rockets..WOOOOO..i want to see the one with the guns the most. HPIguy..holy poopie ca ca..are you serious? I cant beleive that one. Heh..gonna go now.

[hpiguy]

Believe it.

It's easy to get it up to 35 mph.

The hovercraft has no power robbing trnasmission to work through. AND there is no friction with the ground, so the speed is only determined by how aerodynamic the craft is.

The hovercraft is VERY hard to drive at first, with turning and stopping being the hardest of course.

Getting it to go 35 is easy, getting it slowed down and turned around is not that easy.

Kinetics says this speed figure on their website too BTW.

[SubaruTiburon]

SWWEEET Deal..interested in a 1/8th buggy? Ill trade ya! haha Sweet man..how does the thing go with batteries and what for electronics do you need?

[hpiguy]

You need a reversing ESC. The reverse is your only brake as it spins the prop backward.

One servo for rudder, any cheap 9 dollar servo will work.

And of course a radio and receiver and a 6 cell battery.

[RS4_MT_DUDE]

Hearing about Junk Yard Wars reminds me of the time they made r/c air crafts. they found a Jugg and a touring car(don't know what kind they all look the same),well they ended up dismantling them and I about started crying. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/frown.gif

[SubaruTiburon]

I missed that JW. So all we need is regular car stuff. Coool. What about there being 2 motors? Does the esc have to be able to handle 2 of em or is one wired directly to the battery?

[J mAn]

I might get one this sumer. Will they run on snow and ice?

[tc3guy]

Tyco Rc made one a few years ago but it did not work well, but it was still cool looking.

[hpiguy]

One motor is for lift, and the other is for propulsion.

The lift motor is wired directly to the battery. And is turned on and off by a switch.

The propulsion motor is wired to the ESC.

[hpiguy]

Oh and the hovercraft will run on hard pack snow, ice, and smooth water, along with pavement.

It will not run on high grass, powder snow, and you will sink it on rough water, or sand.

[mavrick0611]

itll sink on sand?

[J mAn]

i think he meant it will work on sand.

thank you

[J mAn]

which one is the fastest?

[learjet45lj]

it may not be top quality and but Nikko makes a hovercraft for about 30 bucks. i saw it once at toys r us. you could take it apart and it may give you some ideas on how to build a better one

[hpiguy]

The hovercraft will go fastest on smooth pavement or ice.

I think it goes fastest on big ice rinks.

And in case it was misunderstood, the hovercraft works poorly on loose sand, since the air pressure in the bag can't stay constant when the surface keeps blowing away from underneath it.

[Nairb]

I had a friend in high school that had a Tyco hovercraft. We were on the swim team and he would drive it around the pool just before the swim meets with our high school flag (a small version) on it. It was small and not very fast, but it was cool. I'm sure the one mentioned in RCCA would be the coolest, fastest, and best quality. That's the one I would buy if I was looking for one.

[J mAn]

i had the niko it was slow and did not work well.


should i get the sk5 or the comando? is the comando only more expensive because it is rtr or is the sk5 beter. I'm looking for speed.

[SubaruTiburon]

I was looking at that AirForce recreation one with the twin motors in the rear. For only 30$ more than the SK5, it looks huge and soo much cooler. Hey HPIGUY, isn't yours nitro compatible?

[RC Crazy]

Try the High Speed Amphibious Passanger Ferry "SR-N6". It does 35+mph, its 29 inches long and is 3.2 pounds. Check it out at www.quicktechhobby.com. (http://www.quicktechhobby.com.)

[hpiguy]

Yes it can be rigged with an airplane nitro engine.

The instructions show how to do it.

[J mAn]

which is esier to handle the sk-5 or sr-n6

also would any reversable esc work with it?

[hpiguy]

I use a Traxxas XL-1 ESC because it was only 35 bucks, so yea any will work.

I have no idea which one is easier to drive.

I assume which ever is longer, since it won't swap ends as easy.

[SubaruTiburon]

The one with 2 drive motors is 32 inches long...HUGE if ya ask me. hpiguy..u interested in getting rid of that thing?

[J mAn]

i think i'll get the fast fery with a futaba magnum junior radio and a xxl or rooster esc. I think dual rates would be a usefull feature for hovercrafts.

[hpiguy]

Not really, besides you can get one brand new for 135.

Just add an ESc and radio and go.

It takes a little skill to build but if you can build a 4wd touring car you will do fine.

Takea about 6 hours to build and balance correctly.

[SubaruTiburon]

Balance? Front and rear or left to right or both? Yeah, I am trying to sell my Ofna Hodr Lx 1/8th buggy. 250$ chassis + engine. A new one for 135??? How and where? I saw that stealth h/c and that looked cool, but its posted top speed wasnt very fast.

[hpiguy]

You have to balance it 360 degrees because it hovers ovewr the ground and you don't want to dip an edge or it will always float that direction.

You can find them new on Ebay from a hobbyshop.

Just type in sk5 as the search, or go to www.kinetics.com (http://www.kinetics.com) and they have them too.