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Scale Model Explosive Boat
This is a model of a 1944 German radio controlled explosive boat, the Tornado. It was intended to be piloted to within half a mile of the anchored target ship and then the driver would bail out over the side. A radio control operator in a nearby boat would then steer the Tornado into the target. With over 1500 pounds of amatol on board it would have been a formidable anti-ship weapon. Smaller boats were used successfully against Allied shipping, but only one Tornado was built - as a test bed. The Kriegsmarine used two floats from a Ju-52 transport and the jet engine out of the V-1 cruise missile, both plentiful in 1944. The Tornado made 48 knots on smooth water but was not suitable for rough seas.
The model uses 33" long fiberglass airplane floats and a Scorpion SII-3026/1190 motor running on 4S1P. The model Tornado easily exceeds scale speeds and demonstrates how the prototype might have behaved. Some historians have stated that it would never have worked, but witness reports and my model prove otherwise. This model was never intended to be a speed demon but it will run at 25 mph for about 10 minutes. I thoroughly enjoy piloting the Tornado around.
Sorry about the short video, I took it myself while driving. I'll get better stuff later.
Beauty.jpg
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The model uses 33" long fiberglass airplane floats and a Scorpion SII-3026/1190 motor running on 4S1P. The model Tornado easily exceeds scale speeds and demonstrates how the prototype might have behaved. Some historians have stated that it would never have worked, but witness reports and my model prove otherwise. This model was never intended to be a speed demon but it will run at 25 mph for about 10 minutes. I thoroughly enjoy piloting the Tornado around.
Sorry about the short video, I took it myself while driving. I'll get better stuff later.
Beauty.jpg
.