# Airship Modelers



## LTA (Jun 17, 2013)

Anyone interested in airships on here?


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Yes.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Okay, seriously, I have what I'd call a casual interest in airships that started at a very early age. When I was much younger I would go to work with my father on non-school days just to hang out, and on his way he would occasionally drive past the Goodyear blimp base in Gardena, CA. Being young and impressionable, the first time I saw the blimp I thought it was the coolest thing ever, so I went to the library and checked out a few books on airships (yes, I'm that old). At some point in the 70s I built a Hindenberg kit (probably Revell) and Revell's Goodyear Blimp kit, both of which are long gone now, and I currently have another Revell Goodyear Blimp kit and a Glencoe U.S. Navy Blimp kit in my stash waiting to be built.


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## philo426 (Mar 4, 2009)

I scratch built one a few years ago.


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## philo426 (Mar 4, 2009)




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## nautilusnut (Jul 9, 2008)

I am! Most of mine are still waiting to be built. I have a half-finished Hawk Graf Zep. The new Lindberg release. The Revell Germany 1/700? kits. Both Hindenburg 1 &2. A Maquette R-101, a Glenco Navy Blimp, (sold my Revell one) and both the Graf Zep and Hindenburg Skytech kits. I also still have the old AMT kits.

Guess I better get busy.


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## Barrymartin (May 17, 2013)

I am quietly interesting in Airships, its a rc flyer that uses a pair of horizontal propellers to lift it into the air. The only reason this design works is that the Airship itself has no skin. Instead, you see the skeleton of the dirigible – and that’s pretty cool. it can fly for about 5 to 6 minutes on a 60 minute charge. its running distance to about 30 feet, and has gyroscopes to help keep it balanced while flying.


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## Cajjunwolfman (Nov 15, 2004)

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/


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## AZbuilder (Jul 16, 1999)

*LTA Modeling*

This is a "Me To" reply, as I have built several styrene and paper airships.

John Davis 
AZbuilder

*Let Your Imagination Soar*


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## Poseidon (Aug 30, 2004)

I also have a long time interest in airships. Perhaps it was the movie; Hindenburg that got me going. I was around 11 years old then. I have built the Graf Zeppelin (the injection molded version), I have built the Hindenburg; and I have built the Goodyear blimp - the one with messages on paper that scrolls around. I live in the Los Angeles area and have often tried to get a ride on the Goodyear, but no luck.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Poseidon said:


> I live in the Los Angeles area and have often tried to get a ride on the Goodyear, but no luck.


I worked for a Goodyear retailer in the mid-80s for nearly a year, and _*I*_ couldn't get a ride on their blimp.  We (the other employees and I) were told that the Powers That Be at Goodyear are very selective about who is allowed to ride in one of their blimps; apparently it's akin to being knighted or becoming the Pope.


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## Joe Brown (Nov 16, 1999)

I've been plodding along on a build of the _Hyperion_ for over a year & 1/2... my build times are never very fast.


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## Joe Brown (Nov 16, 1999)

Forgot the link...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157634668359950/with/9299090799/http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9299090799/


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## btbrush (Sep 20, 2010)

Would this include the Albatross from Master of the World? Or are we talking 'real" airships?


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## Joe Brown (Nov 16, 1999)

Since the _Hyperion_ was only flown by SFX in a movie, if the Albatross ain't allowed, then, mine ain't either. :tongue:


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## philo426 (Mar 4, 2009)

Click the pic to view the clip


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## Jodet (May 25, 2008)

I'm very interested in Airship models. Anyone have one they recommend? How is the AMT Hindenburg? Does it come with Nazi decals? I know the German Revell version doesn't. 

Any recommendations welcome.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Jodet said:


> I'm very interested in Airship models. Anyone have one they recommend? How is the AMT Hindenburg? Does it come with Nazi decals? I know the German Revell version doesn't...


I don't have one, but based on what I've read online Round 2 has apparently omitted the swastikas from the decal sheet on the most recent release.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

I'm into airships too. I've got Revell's Hindenburg, AMT's USS Akron and Maquettes R100. There's some new WW1 Zeppelin's that have just come out also.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Zombie_61 said:


> I don't have one, but based on what I've read online Round 2 has apparently omitted the swastikas from the decal sheet on the most recent release.


Did anyone check to see if there's some curious black bars, maybe arranged in odd ways on the decal sheet? This is a 'workaround' I've seen on other kits. See, you combine a pair of those odd black bar decals and surprise, it's a swastika.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The reissue kit DOES have Swastikas. You have to assemble them from broken down arms, which is somewhat common these days. You get a bunch of black zig zag arms that you overlay one on top of the other to make a complete swastika.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

djnick66 said:


> Steve H said:
> 
> 
> > Did anyone check to see if there's some curious black bars, maybe arranged in odd ways on the decal sheet? This is a 'workaround' I've seen on other kits. See, you combine a pair of those odd black bar decals and surprise, it's a swastika.
> ...


I don't mean to get into politics here, but . . . am I the only one who thinks this is STUPID??


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

If they want to sell the kits in Germany and most of Europe, it's the law there, and for a good reason. Even seventy years later, there are still neo-Nazis active who are a major threat.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

scotpens said:


> I don't mean to get into politics here, but . . . am I the only one who thinks this is STUPID??


No, you're not. I also think it's foolish and stupid and ultimately ends up doing the opposite of the desired effect. 

Banning a thing, telling people it's shameful and horrible and bad and not to be discussed always, ALWAYS ends up actually giving 'power' to that thing, making it more desirable BECAUSE it's seen as forbidden. 

The fear is, if you do something that uses a forbidden thing that MUST mean you agree and follow and believe in that thing. I'm pretty sure a person that wishes to build an accurate recreation of the Hindenberg is NOT covertly stating they are enamored of National Socialism or wishes to exterminate any class, race, sex or creed. 

Pretending some dark thing from the past doesn't exist does nothing to educate people into what happened, why it happened and to be vigilante that it doesn't happen again. 

Did I manage to state a position without overtly offending?


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

Owen E Oulton said:


> If they want to sell the kits in Germany and most of Europe, it's the law there, and for a good reason. Even seventy years later, there are still neo-Nazis active who are a major threat.




But there's neo Nazis everywhere. I hardly think those idiots would buy an airship kit anyway and Revell could easily do them in sections. The Hindenburg looks really bare without them and I had a problem finding some markings the right size.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Owen E Oulton said:


> If they want to sell the kits in Germany and most of Europe, it's the law there, and for a good reason. Even seventy years later, there are still neo-Nazis active who are a major threat.


But that's the exact issue. Banning that and the other insignia actually transforms them from simply marking to sigils, with power. It makes the underground stronger. It makes the markings coveted. It's the opposite from the desired effect. 

And it's damn foolish. Nowadays one could dive into the movie 'The Battle of Britain' and digitally erase every single swastika from every single frame, you're STILL showing a movie filled with arms, equipment, uniforms, vehicles (see also the Japanese 'Nazi Designer Fetish' so, so visible) and, honestly, the entire 'German Side' of the movie presents the Luftwaffe in a fairly positive light (noble warriors fighting for their land and leader, not bad guys bombing and trying to impose their will on unwilling nations) which I would think might be considered more problematic than some paint shaped like a canted hooked cross. 

Now I need to say, I LOVE 'The Battle of Britain'. It's a rousing good movie and my god to see so many classic planes flying around. We'll never have a movie like that again, with many many REAL WW II planes carting about the sky. I do not believe it is in any way 'pro Nazi'. It does have a romantic view of the Luftwaffe I believe, and I know they resisted Nazi influence for a fair amount of the war but still, they were still the bad guys.


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

SUNGOD said:


> I'm into airships too. I've got Revell's Hindenburg, AMT's USS Akron and Maquettes R100. There's some new WW1 Zeppelin's that have just come out also.


Sungod, 

Have you seen these for the USS Akron/Macon kits? Scaled to the kits. I have a set, very nice considering the size of them. The trapeze arm is a little off but again it has to do with the scale.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/R...-scale-to-match-the-amt-kit?optionId=59297180

There is also a decal sheet available for the USS Akron/Macon as well.

Warbird Decals USS Akron, Macon Airship Decal Set for the AMT Kit, SP0 - Warbird Decals

I have the Frog R100 but it is missing 1/2 of an engine and 1/2 of the command gondola. The Maquettes kit isn't an absolute copy strangely enough, very nice though.

Don


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yeah I think it is dumb to try to hide history but in Europe there are various restrictions to what they consider blatant use of it. Kit makers today sell internationally, so it makes sense to obscure them on the decal sheet. The odd thing is that it's not like you can't own it, you just can't sell it over there. Strangely enough too I have bought some Huma 1/72 aircraft kits, made in Germany, and they included Swastikas on the decal sheet, although they are not shown on the kit box art. All this foolishness is nothing new either. Aurora got into trouble in the 50s when their original burgundy metallic red Messerschmitt was sold in Europe with swastikas on the box. There are similar restrictions, legal or self imposed, in Asia. The old 21st Century Toys "Flying Tigers" P-40 did not feature the Nationalist Chinese sun burst stars because that symbol is either illegal or not recongnized by the Chicoms who made the toy plane.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Not to mention recent issues of the 'Dukes of Hazzard' General Lee which takes great pains to not show the roof of the car. I have no idea if they include the Confederate Battle Flag decal or not. 

(mind, I'm not equating that flag with the swastika, just putting it in the category of 'symbol that we're supposed to pretend never existed')


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I always figured that anyone who is upset by a swastika (understandably in many cases), isn't going to be buying a model kit of a Nazi airplane, so why _not _have them on the decals.

I also have Huma kits with swastikas, made in Germany.
Some model companies have a good solution - I've noticed decal sheets where the swastikas are the last decals on the end of the sheet. That way they can cut them off for European sales, and leave them on for US sales.

In any case, there are tons of aftermarket decals that include them. I'm sure I have enough hakenkreuszen to last the rest of my modeling life. And if I need a custom size I can make it in CorelDraw and print it on decal paper.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

John P said:


> I always figured that anyone who is upset by a swastika (understandably in many cases), isn't going to be buying a model kit of a Nazi airplane, so why _not _have them on the decals.
> 
> I also have Huma kits with swastikas, made in Germany.
> Some model companies have a good solution - I've noticed decal sheets where the swastikas are the last decals on the end of the sheet. That way they can cut them off for European sales, and leave them on for US sales.
> ...


Well, exactly so. And conversely I strongly doubt anyone would buy a kit JUST to have the swastika decals for their own whatever purpose.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Its not really about individual likes or not but laws. In much of Europe you can't sell kits or anything else with swastikas particularly on the box but also inside. Kits in Europe generally are not shrink wrapped so its not like the legally offensive decals are sealed and hidden in a wrapped box either. To be able to sell kits internationally, companies just decide to either not include swastikas, or break the swastika down into component parts on the decal sheet. A similar analogy today would be how by 2017 there has been enough public outcry about the Confederate Flag that it has been largely removed from a lot of products that used to have it... ranging from the General Lee car, to bags of toy soldiers sold at Gettysburg. While the flag isn't exactly illegal, it is unpopular enough in enought circles to restrict its public use and display.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

A sad side effect is otherwise beautiful boxtop art with a glaring inaccuracy. I especially love Shigeo Koike's box art for Hasegawa. The man's a genius! I consider his art historical illustrations. Yet he's forced to either leave the swastika off, or (ugh!) paint a solid black diamond in its place. The most extreme example was a Finnish fighter with a great big ugly blue square on its side :O. I can't help but think of it as revisionist history (although I completely understand, on the other hand).


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

Warspite said:


> Sungod,
> 
> Have you seen these for the USS Akron/Macon kits? Scaled to the kits. I have a set, very nice considering the size of them. The trapeze arm is a little off but again it has to do with the scale.
> 
> ...



Thanks for that. Interesting stuff there.


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## Malmklang (Nov 14, 2017)

It's really sad that swastika is now associated only with nazi (and will be always), earlier this symbol had a totally opposite meaning...


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