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

[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.

[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]

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]

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]

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

[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]

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]

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

[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]

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.

[Battleship]

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

[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]

Cool

[Charlee]

My Fletcher arrived last week and now is on display here at BSI. This model is a life long dream come true for me. I'm an aircraft guy, but a large detailed warship has always impressed me the most. I feel that the actions of a few U.S. Navy destroyers did more to win WWII than the combined effect of the battleships Iowa, New Jersey and Missouri. The Fletcher arrived looking even better than the photos I've seen. I had plans to do some repainting and weathering, but I canceled those today. The model just looks too good the way it comes. I'm just going to add the number 557 to the hull to honor the crew of the USS Johnston. Just thinking about their heroic actions in the Battle of Leyte Gulf brings tears to my eyes, every time.
I can't image that the $999 price will last much longer. It is worth at least three times that much.

[s3viking]

I think I've found a compatible battery. It comes without a connector though. 2800mAh 2S 7.4V ProLite X Rx LiPo Battery, from Thunder Power, thp-2800-2spxrx (chiefaircraft.com)

Here is same battery, direct from the manufacturer WITH the xt60 connector. Thunder Power RC TP2800-2SPXRX – Thunderpowerrc.com

[s3viking]

I opened and assembled the Fletcher yesterday. The ship arrived in very good shape. Kudos to Motion RC and Fedex for packing and delivering it with care. Just one storage locker loose, easy to re-attach.

One issue...the white post of the rear 5 inch gun, when inserted, rubs against the shaft for the rudder servo. Anyone else have this issue, and what did you do for a fix?

Also I've looked to get a second battery but finding the exact match is challenging. It's not available on Motion RC's site. I've seen many with close specs, but not an exact match.

Which battery parameters should be exact and which can be close? the "c" number varies widely, for example. And the XT60 connector isn't common, although one can get an adapter.

[s3viking]

I just purchased one also. I'm on a work trip, so I haven't unboxed it yet. I'm planning to set it up as one of the famous ships which recieved a Presidential unit citiation. Maybe the Uss Evans (fought off kamakazies and survived) or Uss Nicholas...few other possibilities. On another forum, some wrote this in regards to decals...they used a website called Callie Graphics. Here's a link. https://callie-graphics.com/



"Ask her for the ones she just sent me a few months ago. Casey Thrower. Just tell her the numbers you want. Such as:

Callie,
I need your expertise once again. I need the same scale as the first order I made for the sub in 1/72 scale. I need the following:
HULL Numbers 557
Same as hull draft mark except in the following:
0
9
8
7
6
5

Lastly the name JOHNSTON in the same size and font as Scorpion. I’ll send pics. Thanks.
Casey"

[navyman]

I purchased the 72 scale Fletcher class destroyer and am having a fun time with it. I would like to finish some detail work on it by getting a decal sheet for hull numbers and letters for the ship's name. Does anyone have any information on where I may get them? If so, contact me. I have been to numerous sites but to no avail. Thanks, Chuck. chucky.pea@hotmail.com.

[Battleship]

i finally got my Bancroft rc transmitter on Thursday and i finally also got it binned to the receiver thanks to every one at motion rc in cluding ozzi i thought i was going to have to call u but i figured it out thank you very much now i hope that some day i have good weather to run my fletcher so ttyl for now

[Battleship]

hi racer x bb's 2 lb. of bb's will equal the ballast evenly i have yet to try out the fletcher on a maiden voyage the container of bb's 17.99 +1.00 to wildlife and sales tax 1.35 grand total $20.34 that's how much i spent on bb's, if u have a digital bathroom scale just weigh out 2 lbs. of bb the bb's I used was daisy bb's ttyl