LZ127 Graf Zeppelin

[Bengalensis]

It happens frequently that we sit down and just enjoy life up on our balcony. After a glass, or three (four?), of good wine towards the evenings I then get to see many fantastic moments of history passing by, mainly on the lake in front of us. There have been numerous well known vessels passing through, and some lesser known, but for some reason only I seem to see them... Sometimes however there are also old flying machines passing me. Yesterday evening was such a moment.

And this time I managed to catch my moments with a camera!

Suddenly I could hear the sound over the sky from something with several low revving engines obviously moving slowly. And then it appeared at low altitude behind our roofs, an airship, which turned out to be the mighty LZ127 Graf Zeppelin! It slowly came closer.

The captain made a slow turn in front of me and then it slowly disappeared over the house roof. These where the best shots I got.

Well, that's really the only way this model looks any good I'm afraid. It's the old Hawk 1/245 (they say) scale kit of Graf Zeppelin, and it really has it's serious short comings. This is actually an abandoned project that was kindly donated to me by a friend who had given up on it some years ago. I can't blame him, and I'm really glad I didn't go out and spend the current asking prices for the kit, which could possibly have happened. The hull halves were glued together, half the seam sanded, three fins fitted and the main gondola finished when I got it.

I planned to make some corrections and detailing, but very soon I realised how much that was wrong with the kit needing scratch building, like everything, and then the hull itself would still have it's problems. There isn't much that is correct anywhere on the model, and the engine gondolas and small details are also moulded in nylon which makes them completely hopeless to work with. So after finishing the fourth fin and disassembling the gondola and improving its bottom shape I gave up on that path and took a brake.

Two weeks ago I picked it up again and decided to just finish it as it was, paint it decently well and make it look like something that could at least remind of Graf Zeppelin from a viewing distance hanging from the roof in my work room. I would still like to build a more correct and detailed model, but not from this kit...

[Martian]

Looks pretty impressive to me!

Martin

[goggsy]

That's really nice, I wonder why we don't see more airships? I'd love to have been around when they were still flying, they are one of my favorite sort of aircraft.

[ludwig113]

always have wanted to do one of those, very nice.

paul

[batcode]

very nice,cant say seen model one these before,thu looks great ,love the pics thu

Edited August 6, 2013 by batcode

[TCinLA]

I remember being just jealous as could be at age 11 when my best friend Richard across the street got one of these for his birthday when it first came out. It was far beyond the abilities of both of us put together. Yours definitely looks like "a" dirigible if not "the" dirigible.

[Sosezi]

Looks Great Indeed!!!!! Love those flying Sausages!

Edited October 9, 2021 by Sosezi

[kev67]

Not the best photo, but is an original one taken by my mums father, I believe in the 1930's and showing the Graf Zepplin I imagine flying over somewhere in the UK, probably near London

 

[europapete]

Awesome photo Kev, thanks for sharing. Regards, Pete in RI