Official Discussion Thread: Bancroft 1/72 scale Fletcher WW2 Destroyer -RTR

[Charlee]

Watched Greyhound on Apple TV+ last night. It is excellent with many scenes filmed on the USS Kid. The battle sequences make you feel very proud we have a model of a Fletcher class destroyer.

[Battleship]

Awesome eh where would I be able to buy a 1.6 gigantic scale ww2 rc b29 ?

[navyman]

Ahoy, shipmates! What do you think of a 1/72 scale WW2 Japanese destroyer? I think it would be a grand addition to the fleet and too, would complement the Fletcher. I think we should petition Motion RC for them to get the manufacture to add it to the inventory. Also, the Fletcher comes absent decals. It took quite a while for me to get some from Callie decals and they really made the ship's bows pop. I am contemplating purchasing another Fletcher. If any of you guys are doing the same, we need to ask Motion RC to provide them.

[navyman]

Changes to my Fletcher. The aft stack has a platform. On the platform is what appears to be a magnetic compass. Why there? I removed it and placed it on the roof of the bridge. Decals finally applied and some detail painting. Running at 25% throttle on Lake Tahoe, I got almost one hour sailing time. May the wind be at your backs and the spray on your faces.

[navyman]

I have the Fletcher class destroyer and need a smoke generator. Can anybody out there tell me where I can get one?

[navyman]

I want to recreate the canvas that was sometimes placed over the railings on Fletchers. Around the railings above the Bridge and railings around the funnels. Can anyone suggest a material that would resemble this at 1/72 scale please. Thank you

[navyman]

Instead of buying BB's, I filled two sandwich bags with coarse sand. Works great. The bags seal well. Get all the air out of the bag, and lay in place.

[navyman]

Callie-Graphics produces scale decals for the Fletcher. And by the way, the Fletcher is a destroyer, not a battleship.

[navyman]

Detailing my Fletcher. The firefighting equipment molded to the bulkheads were painted red and the hoses an off white. The compass mounted on the aft smokestack was relocated to bridge where it belongs. It too was painted. The navigator's balls were painted red and green to denote port and starboard and the top mount was painted a brass color. The port and starboard side lights were painted red for port and green for starboard and the sidelight mounts painted out with flat black. I painted the motorboat decks a flat black as some actually were. These are all little things but made the ship really pop.

[navyman]

Hi. The Bancroft Fletcher is my first RC ship. Just thought I would I ask you guys with experience what I could do just to ensure that I don't sink it somehow. I thought about adding some pool noodle foam to the front of the boat since there is quite a bit space up there. So, I cut up some long pieces of a pool noodle and saw just how much of it I could actually fit in the space available in front of the boat. Then I took those pieces out and placed them in a tub of water. I then attached an 8 pound weight to the foam but the foam could not support the weight of 8 pounds, which is the weight of my ship so far. The 8 pounds of weight just took my foam to the bottom of the tub. Any suggestions about this or any other thing I could do to make my first boating experience a success would be most appreciated. I know that your experience in these models will help me avoid some learning pitfalls so thanks again.

[navyman]

Racer,
Your Fletcher won't sink unless you run her in rough water. However, for protection, stretch a rubber band around the base of the aft hatch where the two 5-inch turrets are fitted. Be sure of the ballast weight and test it to be sure there is no list. The video suggests two pounds forward near the bow. Run your ship for a couple of minutes then bring it back to check for leaks. And too, run her in a clear pond that isn't too deep just in case. Happy sailing.

[navyman]

Oh, if you do encounter boat wakes and can't avoid them, point the bow directly into the wave. Ride over slowly and keep power on.