ACADEMY PRODUCTS Supreme F-1 Hydro

Radio Control Boat Modeler, Aug 2004 by Uravitch, Rich

The easy way to step up to F-1 fun

Tunnelhulls are among my favorite types of rac-ing boat; they're quick, agile and so sleek that you just know they're going to be fast. That's why when the folks at RC Boat Modeler asked me to review Academy Products' Supreme F-1 Hydro racer, my response was a definite, "You bet!"

This speedster-with its factory-assembled onepiece ABS tunnelhull-is remarkably easy to build (as you'll soon see) and, within a few hours, it can provide novices and experienced boaters the thrill of piloting an electric outboard tunnelhull.

WHAT YOU GET

The first thing you'll notice about this kit is that there really isn't very much to build. The heavy-gauge, vacuumformed tunnelhull arrives assembled and is watertight. Its molded-in battery compartment accepts battery packs of up to 7 cells (8.4 volts) in a flat configuration. There's room to slide the pack forward or aft slightly to properly balance the completed model. At the forward end of the compartment, you'll install the radio box that houses the receiver and the servos for the rudder and speed control. It is waterproofed (or at least made waterresistant) by a formed cover that's held in place by a couple of strips of what Academy calls "Magic Tape" (Velcro). The power switch is mounted on the underside of the cover with the slide portion exposed, so you can access it without having to remove the cover. All of the mechanical components, especially the injection-molded out-drive parts, are first-rate. The cable drive mechanism that connects the motor to the prop fits precisely, and so do the bearings that support the prop shaft. Not only is all the necessary assembly hardware included, but the proper size of the hardware pieces to be used in each step is also clearly shown in the manual.

You'd think that such a highly preassembled model would have a thin manual, but its 16 pages walk you through the Supreme's assembly, radio installation and prep process. The detailed illustrations are easy to understand and have symbols that indicate where grease, instant glue, or cement are required. Step 1 tells you how to prepare and mount the motor; Step 11 has you fit all the cosmetic covers and the cabin parts. It took me about three hours to get from Step 1 to Step 11, but I spent more time personalizing the hull than assembling it! The boat will look just fine if you leave it entirely white and apply the supplied self-stick decals.

MANUAL WALKTHROUGH

Rather than detail what you'll find in the manual, I'll just offer tips that I hope you'll find helpful. When you install the outdrive cable in the Teflon housing, make certain that there isn't any binding or "wind-up." The instructions advise you to put a dab of grease on the cable, but that didn't completely eliminate the binding that I knew would rob the motor of power. Not only will it cause the motor and mechanical speed control to run hot, but it will also dramatically shorten run times, so make sure that the outdrive spins as freely as possible. The same applies to the two bronze bearings that support the prop shaft; in my kit, one seemed to have a high spot on it. I forced a dab of grease into the race, worked it by hand a bit, and the binding was soon gone.

The kit's injection-molded servo tray accepts servos of standard size. If you use smaller units, you will need to fashion an adapter mount for the tray. With standard servos and a 2-channel receiver, space in the radio compartment is a little tight, but all of the equipment will fit if it's positioned carefully. When you hook up the pushrod that connects the throttle servo and the speed control, be very careful when you bend and route it because it must exit the box in the right place to be connected to the speed control's arm. The rubber "accordion" boots for the pushrod exits are a nice touch; they help keep water out of the radio box, but the boot that protects the throttle pushrod was almost impossible to use because the pushrod is particularly short. Only the cabin requires any work: it has to be trimmed along the aft and bottom edges to fit on the hull correctly. It is held in place by two long strips of Magic Tape.

Very little adhesive is required to build the Supreme. Most of the building involves the installation of the radio and the mechanical assembly of the drive components and the controller; the rest is painting and detailing.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Although I have a fair selection of spray equipment and airbrushes in my tool assortment, I thought I'd take the "budget" approach to finishing my Supreme. With that in mind, I explored my inventory of colors in conventional spray cans; I had enough white, yellow and red in them to do the job.

After I lightly scuffed all the plastic parts with a fine Scotch-Brite pad, I wiped the surfaces down with a solvent cleaner to remove any remaining film, oil and fingerprints. Placing the spray can in hot water for a short time improves the quality of the paint job because the heat raises the pressure in the can to better atomize the paint, and the heated paint flows better. Be very careful when you heat the can; two or three minutes in a container of hot tap water is sufficient. Do not use boiling water!