An epic naval battle of amazing proportions! “Amazing” being miniature and “epic” being, well, let’s just say we had to wear eye goggles. Really! The incredibly talented seamen hand-crafted the robotic warships and controlled them from the side of Maker Faire ocean with radio remote controls, shooting 1/4″ diameter steel balls from their ships’ torpedo tubes. The ship models are replicas mostly from World War II, but one brave soul brought out his tiny pirate vessel. The battle known as Axis vs. Allies, meaning that all the ships had at some point in history fought for either side, in World War I or II. Founded in 1986, Western Warship Combat Club puts on all kinds of events, as we learned from Dan Rygasewicz, a founder. Dan also said that if you have ever put a firecracker in a toy boat in your bathtub, you will know exactly why playing with toy boats in the water is so mesmerizing.

Episode links: Western Warship Combat Club, Maker Faire