Good, when I get my sounds ill be happy if you want to share our files. I want to collect as many as I can so even I won't know what is called out.

ill tell you what. we have a guy, Norm, who has the best sound system on any model I have ever seen. I am going to use it in its simplest form. it uses a memory chip, ill use a 2 or 8 gb chip to store my sounds for it. one could ever have sound cards ready for any situation.

let me share this with you, but don't let anyone else know about it, wink. you'll need two small smartphone type extension speakers, the better ones of course. then a memory chip, a power supply or just use onboard power if you have enough extra power for a days sailing. then this card http://r.ebay.com/WJviTS . now this can be setup to turn on/off with transmitter if you have extra channels. the amp on this card makes for a home stereo sounding system. it should also make for Awasome canon fires sounds if your speakers are good enough.

anyway I can talk more about this another time, so getting back to crew sounds can someone recommend the best old movie that I can use where the crew isn't covered over with music or other sound effects. I have spent many many free hours looking for anything near this in many areas on the net and no luck yet.

g

Ray, your Surprise is hull number 20. I saw years ago a map on Philips webpage showing where in the world the kits got sent to. I can no longer find that info. My question is, with the numbering, does #20 mean that Philip sold that many of the Surprise kits or does he add the hull number to include all three kits. Another way to ask this, does the hull number show the total number of all kits sold. I would like to know how many kits are now sailing and how many might just be display models. It just seems that there must be 10 of these ships floating around somewhere. You and Dan are the most visible of the kits sailing for sure. I would like to see a yearbook of ship photos posted here for a nice collection to be seen.

Just in case the other Captains are reading this, can I ask you to post your favorite photo of you ship or build to date. With any luck we should get 15 to 24 photos here for a roll call. Please post a photo even if your ship is still in the shipping case. I think I found a guy doing a build on the forum a few years ago and then could not finish it. He then posted he wanted to sell the kit as is to someone who wanted to finish it. Does anyone know what happened to that kit?

So let's find these ships before the trails get to cold. Maybe some of these ships need to be rescued and may need a new shipyard to be finished.

What should be posted.

1. Hull number
2. Location
3. Favorite photo
4. Short story and current condition,

Hope this works.
Gary

Gary,
Per our conversations about gun improvement, reload, etc, here's a drawing of how you might easily change the current guns over to the new reload system.

Use current barrels, wiring, rotary switch.
Remove the brass bolts on the current guns and replace with same size polypropylene bolts. They need some lathe work to shorten and slightly modify. A brass tube glued into a hole drilled in the center of the bolt will be the new contact for the wiring and serve as a socket for the contact pin on the new reloadable cartridge barrels. The current barresl are already grounded, and the new barrel inserts will be in contact with those. So rewiring is not necessary.
Tubing sizes will need to be determined per the ID of the existing barrels.
Contact tube sizes recommended are:
3/32" brass or copper tube for the reloadable barrel contact pin
1/8" brass tube for the socket pin in the new plastic breech bolt.

Simple mod and you will have much improved reloadability and firing reliability.
Additional details on the new reloadable barrels - call and we can discuss. Also have the info on source of the polypropylene bolts (they take high temps well)
Cheers

Dan,
I like the new idea. I feel I need to do this now. Perfect time of the year. Ill call in that I have given a lot of talk with buddy about the straw loading idea that can be brought lakeside in a belt leather holder with a flap that can carry 64 loads say and be at the ready for bring in ship for reloading and going right out with only minuets dockside. I am getting some straws in the morning to fix up a few for trying out. You also had a like to straws that came at a count of 1500 to a box. That would have to be a lifetime supply and Tim and I could split a box or even make that a threeway split if any interest.

Having the straw loads are brilliant in that they can be made days in advance and then no spillage, and not effected by wind, fog, rain, and more important for being in Golden Gate Park the seemingly non threatening aspect of what is being put into the barrel. No Red Cans with lots of X's on them. It will look user friendly.

Love it

G

Hi Gary

We can print peace signs and happy faces on the straws so as not to upset the locals.

kind regards
Tim

Gary,
I was in a daze when we talked - right between ideas on the loads, so I'm sure I made no sense in our conversation.
Bottom line, the straws are the best aproach now, I think.
Once the guns are made, the straws are easy to make up.
I test fired over 40 straws today. Reload is super fast. Pulled the blown straws with a pair of long tweezers, then insert the new load.
Not a misfire at all, until somewhere about 30 shots. Turned out to be gunk in the barrel - probably leading to poor contact of the nichrome wire with the sidewalls. But that was 30+ shots in one test gun, one shot after another. Swabbed the barrels with ammonia on fat Q-tips and no more misfires.
I'm using 11/32" OD tubing (5/16" ID), and McDonalds straws fit perfectly. They measure about 8mm diameter.

Still LOL Tim. That's perfect. Ill look to see if I can order those straws, good on you.

Dan, you were making things crystal clear on the phone. You are in your genius mode now and have hit this redo dead center. It still offers all the things I like with the system I have now, then adds more relighability and makes it easy at the lake. I think the black straws will let you make the straws be able to stick out the end of the barrel maybe 1/4" so you will not need tweezers and can maybe add a bit more magic dust inside for the show. So I get some straws tomorrow and try out the idea myself.

I don't have a drawing program like you or Tim. Ill have to ask what program youuse and maybe iI can do drawings later, but I see something like what you laid out for me a few posts ago with only one inner insulated contact for one side and using the grounded barrel as is for the other. Using the plastic cap end like you say and with some kind of insulated contact that would lay on one inside half and on that same piece bend it in for the center of the plastic cap and solder the normal little copper contact that would then stick through the plastic cap to attach to my hot lead as before. Its simple and again only one part inside the barrel for the straw. I can just draw it then take a pic with phone if you want to see this. More later, phone battery going away. C ya

G