Zeppelin !

[LorenSharp]

You mean we were on the track before?

[Martian]

24 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

You mean we were on the track before?

We might have been but that question is long since impossible to answer, as, from about post number two, nobody, myself included, had any idea what "on track" was. I think it was something about an overblown gas bag dropping horse dung while it floated above Melchett Towers. Lady M was horrified whereas Baldrick thought is was some sort of food aid drop to the denizens of Much Snivelling-in-the-Swamp. Something to do with floaters anyway. Doubtless @general melchett will be able to "clarify" matters?

 

None Too Hopeful of Mars 👽

 

PS: Just to get even further  off track, the L.25 is now in primer and I might be able to start painting her next week. The LZ.85 just needs her outriggers soldering (not soddering!) and she will be ready for priming. Apologies for the digression.

[LorenSharp]

Apologies for the digression accepted Herr Martian. It's good to hear the old gas bag ( Not the General)is ready for the paint shed. Can't wait to see how she turns out.

[Bigdave22014]

On 9/28/2023 at 10:06 PM, TheBaron said:

We need to start a sweepstake.

I'll have a fiver on Tweed thong, peephole weskit, and a brass ear trumpet*

 

*Not worn in ear.

 

My Psychiatrist would like a quick chat with you about her increased workload.... 

[LorenSharp]

6 hours ago, Bigdave22014 said:

My Psychiatrist would like a quick chat with you about her increased workload.... 

Probably because this bunch alone would make for another advanced and specialized Psychiatry p.h.D all by their lonesome

[Martian]

I have finally managed to get the Snowman kit of the LZ.85 complete to the point that, aside from a quick clean up, she is ready to go to primer. I have now had time to assess what I think of the kit so far. It still represents great value for money but I think it tries too hard in some areas, most notably the brass. The etched fret supplies panels for the corrugated sides of the gondolas and on the face of it they look very good. However, when applied to the model, their thickness makes them look just what they are; stuck on panels. As the corrugations are all but invisible to the naked eye, it is probably better to leave them off the model and this is something I will be doing on future builds. The exhausts are made from a folded over brass part and I decided to replace them with items made from Albion Alloys brass tubing. Brass rod was also used to replicate the grab rails on the gondolas as I feel that the stantions on the kit parts are too short. As with my other Zeppelins, I soldered the out rigger supports from some 0.3mm of Albion's finest brass rod. The parts on the kit fret would most likely pass muster in this small scale but seeing as I have the wherewithal to make more three dimensional items, I knocked a set together in the space of an afternoon. I used the kit brass for the radiators and soldered them to some 0.2mm brass rods for their supports.

 

 

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough earlier today to come across a good picture of the LZ.85 which shows the patchwork effect on her hull to good effect and gives me a good idea as to what part of the Zeppelin that the sample of fabric I have comes from..

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Martian 👽

[LorenSharp]

That is a remarkable job so far Martian. I like it, and I don't like nuthin'

[Pete in Lincs]

Glad to see you back at the coalface, Martian. Lovely work as always. 

[Navy Bird]

Outstanding work, mate.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Terry1954]

It's so good to see your skills back on this again Martian. In fact its always good to see your skills on anything!

 

Brilliant stuff, and I can't wait to see the display at Telford. T'will be worthy of beer I reckon?

 

Terry

[Bigdave22014]

Nice to see this gas bag back again, although i think the flags behind the gondola's need a bit more work.....

[Martian]

1 hour ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Nice to see this gas bag back again, although i think the flags behind the gondola's need a bit more work.....

Evil Child! The "flags" are there as visual aids in locating the gondolas when they get dropped and appropriated by the carpet monster.

 

Martian 👽

[perdu]

Never you mind Martian sir, I think the flags are brilliant and as 'lessons in doing' ought to be highlighted as a good practice method, daily.

 

And yes possibly two beers Terry mate.

[Tiger331]

I have only just picked up on this WIP thread but will be very interested in seeing at least one of these models at SMW'23. It's not normally an area of interest for me but I'm helping to facilitate a Battlefield Tour to the Island of Saaremaa (Estonia) later this month where we will study Operation ALBION, the first truly Joint (Air/Land/Maritime) amphibious operation, which the Germans mounted in October 1917. The Germans employed a number of Zeppelins in the Baltic Sea region for aerial reconnaissance ahead of the landing force. I've been involved in researching and facilitating these tours for several years but for some reason have only just started paying a bit more attention to the airships.   

 

   

And this is one of the sites the Zeppelins were looking for.....The Russian Navy seaplane base at Kihelkonna (sometimes referred to as Papasaare). These are the original buildings from that period, though they have been modified over the years. The Estonian AF utilised the facility between the wars before the Soviets re-occupied the base after WWII. I understand it was used well into the 1950s and maybe even the 1960s. These were the main hangars with the slipway rails located just behind the point where I took this photo last month. This part of the site was recently put under a preservation order. There are other buildings on the site that have been occupied by local fishermen for some years and there is some re-development ongoing elsewhere on the site. Many of the period buildings that were in the forest behind the main base are still present too, as is the original access road which has also been preserved. 

 

The Russian seaplanes that were based here in 1917, and used mainly for aerial observation, failed to detect the massive German fleet that was assembling in the Gulf of Riga. At the time (October 1917) the base was hampered by a series of ongoing strikes (brought about by the Bolshevik Revolution) and a lack of spare parts to repair the aircraft.

[LorenSharp]

6 hours ago, Martian said:

Evil Child! The "flags" are there as visual aids in locating the gondolas when they get dropped and appropriated by the carpet monster.

 

Martian 👽

This is why you are the "Big Brain" Oh great Mega-Mind!

[Pete in Lincs]

It's time this thread got a boost back up to the top. And I've just found a picture on line to add to it.

I don't know the provenance of the picture, so I'll simply add a link. I hope it's new to you, Martian. 

 

1917: German Zeppelin L-49 crashes in Bourbonne-les-Bains, France

 

https://64.media.tumblr.com/93afad78da5caf1b9afa06c8410ad9f0/9c9cbf7ca3fd854d-ed/s540x810/727b97e9dfbfd0a646b64ab4a1f6a834befbcaf8.pnj

[Brandy]

Perhaps it needed a bath? Or a Whiskey?

 

Ian

[Terry1954]

On 10/7/2023 at 9:06 AM, perdu said:

And yes possibly two beers Terry mate.

 

Only two? 

 

31 minutes ago, Brandy said:

Or a Whiskey?

 

That's more like it!

 

T.

[Martian]

4 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

It's time this thread got a boost back up to the top. And I've just found a picture on line to add to it.

I don't know the provenance of the picture, so I'll simply add a link. I hope it's new to you, Martian. 

 

1917: German Zeppelin L-49 crashes in Bourbonne-les-Bains, France

 

https://64.media.tumblr.com/93afad78da5caf1b9afa06c8410ad9f0/9c9cbf7ca3fd854d-ed/s540x810/727b97e9dfbfd0a646b64ab4a1f6a834befbcaf8.pnj

Thanks Pete. Strangely enough, I have just bought a copy of that picture along with a few others of the incident. Given some of the detail in the pictures of the incident, it is probable that a model of the ship will will be be added to the display.

 

I haven't been idle since my last last post, the Takom 1/350 L.25 and the Snowman 1/700 LZ.85 have been getting their paint jobs and the process of rigging the L.25 has begun. Off to Melchett Towers tomorrow but will try and get a picture or two up tonight.

 

Martian 👽

 

PS: I am advised by our esteemed General that we are due to meet during our visit. No coming in mufti this time we expect you in full Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town dress on pain of a "romantic" weekend away with Baldrick.

 

 

[perdu]

Busted

5 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

 

Only two? 

 

 

That's more like it!

 

T.

Minima need to be set, my lad.

[heloman1]

Looking good Martin, going to look super under prime and top coat.

 

Colin

[Martian]

On 17/10/2023 at 18:08, Pete in Lincs said:

It's time this thread got a boost back up to the top. And I've just found a picture on line to add to it.

I don't know the provenance of the picture, so I'll simply add a link. I hope it's new to you, Martian. 

 

1917: German Zeppelin L-49 crashes in Bourbonne-les-Bains, France

 

https://64.media.tumblr.com/93afad78da5caf1b9afa06c8410ad9f0/9c9cbf7ca3fd854d-ed/s540x810/727b97e9dfbfd0a646b64ab4a1f6a834befbcaf8.pnj

I did a bit of sleuthing about the L.49 and she was one of five Zeppelins lost during what became known as the "Silent Raid" on 19th October 1917. Due to the great height that the raiding airships came in at and cloud cover and wind conditions, none of the raiders were detected before they dropped their bombs. However, the same wind blew many of the raiders off course and over France. The l.49 was intercepted by French aircraft and, following a failed attempt to outrun them by using her superior climbing and diving performance, she was force landed by her crew when the ship's destruction appeared inevitable. The design of the United States airship Shenandoah Leaned heavily on information gathered from inspection of the L.49.

 

The other ships lost were:

L.45, Crash landed Laragne, crew captured.

 

L.45, Shot down by French AAA over Lunéville with the loss of the entire crew.

 

L.52, Attempted force landing at Dammartin where the control car was ripped from the ship, leaving the rest of the Zeppelin to drift over the Mediterranean where it eventually  exploded, killing the remaining five crew members 

 

L.55, Crash landed on the river Werra, Thungaria, where the ship was declared a total loss.

 

Informative of Mars 👽

 

PS: Melchie says I should apologise for the rare sensible post and to assure you that normal service will be resumed as soon as possible, sooner if he has his way.

[Pete in Lincs]

Yesterday afternoon, in the midst of Lincolns latest Monsoon. I took a small boat downriver to Melchett towers.

There, in a West wing attic, I had the honour of watching Martian scribing lines into a large model of a Q class Zeppelin.

The ambient light wasn't at it's best due to the weather, so I gather he was seeing by infra red. He said Ultra Violet is considered 'Girlie' by his kind.      Lady Melchett was in the East wing knitting sou'westers for the Lincoln lifeboat crews. 

Crivens the Gardener had been digging for victory (despite being told that he should look in Portsmouth harbour) and had been swept away by a small tsunami.

Baldrick was in the cellars with his stirrup pump trying to keep the water levels down. So the General made the tea himself using an old Fujimi instruction sheet.

Mine was served in a relic of his Colonial days. A large mug marked 'A Present from Hyderabad' in Sanscrit. Complete with a scene from the Kama Sutra on one side.

Darling was apparently in the kitchens baking biscuits, But seems to have gotten lost on his way up to us. Or the Generals pet Kraken got him. Again.

Nevertheless a good time was had by all. Time passed, it got dark, and I'd missed the 6 pm canoe.

So I had to lash together a rude raft from parts of the Gibbet and paddle myself home before curfew.

Looking forward to next time. I'll try to remember to bring my Elephant gun and a native bearer. Oh the fun we had.,,

 

[general melchett]

I'm glad you enjoyed your time at MT Pete, the time passed by so fleetingly that we barely noticed the encroaching darkness and quickly rising river level. It was only as the water lapped at the threshold of the portcullis that we decided to call it a night, glad the gibbet came in handy, after the ritual sacrifice we thought we had no further use for it. Hope your journey back to In-Lincs Towers wasn't too much of an ordeal and that the floatation devices worked as advertised. It was wonderful to see the true might of your Maschinen Krieger creations, they were wonderous to behold. Martian thoroughly enjoyed waving his great big Zeppelin about with wild abandon as Andy, the long suffering MT mechanic, looked on in shock and awe (mostly shock). Baldrick was last seen pumping away furiously in the catacombs and Darling, poor dear is still AWOL, one day after sending out a ten-man search party to track him down. So far all we've found is a trail of biscuit crumbs and a much thumbed copy of 'Life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps' magazine. 

Must do it again soon...if only for the sake of the regiment.   

 

A stolen moment from the evening's proceedings, before things got too far out of hand............Martian going through his 'Is that a Zeppelin in your pocket or are you just...etc' routine...

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22 by general melchett

[Martian]

15 hours ago, general melchett said:

I'm glad you enjoyed your time at MT Pete, the time passed by so fleetingly that we barely noticed the encroaching darkness and quickly rising river level. It was only as the water lapped at the threshold of the portcullis that we decided to call it a night, glad the gibbet came in handy, after the ritual sacrifice we thought we had no further use for it. Hope your journey back to In-Lincs Towers wasn't too much of an ordeal and that the floatation devices worked as advertised. It was wonderful to see the true might of your Maschinen Krieger creations, they were wonderous to behold. Martian thoroughly enjoyed waving his great big Zeppelin about with wild abandon as Andy, the long suffering MT mechanic, looked on in shock and awe (mostly shock). Baldrick was last seen pumping away furiously in the catacombs and Darling, poor dear is still AWOL, one day after sending out a ten-man search party to track him down. So far all we've found is a trail of biscuit crumbs and a much thumbed copy of 'Life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps' magazine. 

Must do it again soon...if only for the sake of the regiment.   

 

A stolen moment from the evening's proceedings, before things got too far out of hand............Martian going through his 'Is that a Zeppelin in your pocket or are you just...etc' routine...

 

 

 

 

Thanks General, at least people can see the size of my Zeppelin now! (Fnar, Fnar, Snurf, Snurf)

 

Martian 👽