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Blimpwerks: Scratchbuilt 1/144 Zeppelin Q Class


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A bit of cleanup on the prints, a bunch of thinking about how to solve some problems, but no real updates - my modelling time has been taken up doing stuff for other people. :( Some WWI and some Zeppelin-related though, which should be pretty cool if it pans out.

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"Great War GB"? No wonder I haven't seen this build before- or at least not here at ARC. Your work, as always, is cutting edge and a joy to watch come together.

Go Mikey go!

Edited by chuck540z3
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OK when are you planning on putting out the kit?

Funny you should mention that... :whistle:

Got some figures in the post today. They should add a nice sense of scale to the project. And better yet, got word that my next batch of prints is *finally* done, and should be here at the start of next week. Progress.

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  • 1 month later...

Minor update. The scratched styrene tailplanes were getting battered a bit from handling (it's hard to be really delicate with the tail when you're busily sanding four feet away...), so I decided to re-do them in brass.

Re-printed the tailplane skeleton templates, bent and trimmed some brass square rod to shape, then soldered all the bits together:

IMG_1062_zpsfxb5gq4t.jpg

I'd post in-progress photos, but there's not really all that much to show. Tons of tedious measuring, cutting and filing, but nothing terribly interesting. Just imagine the before photos being of a straight rod, and the after photos showing slightly bent rods lined up with the templates, plus a whole bunch of short rods. :)/> The various bits and pieces were taped down to the templates to set the alignment, then a drop of flux and a couple of seconds under the soldering iron to secure everything.

IMG_1063_zpscmtxcsjz.jpg

Next step will be to (re?) skin these in styrene sheet, cut the plastic tails off the Zepp and attach the brass replacements. Note the extended lengths of rod towards the bottom/rear corner of the fins - these will get anchored into the spine, which should add a nice bit of rigidity to the whole assembly. Assuming I can drill the locating holes correctly... sort of feels like I'll be doing keyhole surgery!

Interesting statistic, though: the four tailplane skeletons took just under eight feet of 1/16" brass square rod.

Edited by MoFo
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There's always someone who takes modeling to a whole different level......ISN'T THERE????? Looking at this for the first time and this is absolutely incredible. A little late in the evening for me to read the entire WIP but I plan on it as soon as I get a minute. Thanks for sharing.

Elmo

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  • 2 months later...

This month I have mostly been: sanding! Like, a sickening amount of sanding. Think it sucks having to putty, sand and feather in some ill-fitting, 1/2"2 Landing gear door? How 'bout filling and sanding 671 square inches of long, straight, facets.

I think I'm nearly done smoothing out the balloon. I actually came *this* close to binning the scratchbuilt part and just printing out the entire envelope, as I wasn't satisfied with the somewhat wavy seam lines. I wanted something crisp and geometrically perfect, and computers are much better at that than people. But, after many, many applications of putty and careful sanding to try to straighten the creases as much as possible, I'm finally at a point where I'm pretty much satisfied. Still not 100%, but it's pretty close. I'll shoot some pics of the putty-speckled mess ASAP - it's really not pretty at the moment. Hopefully I can get a coat of primer on this weekend, then it'll be ready to have the rib tapes tediously applied (some .7mm pinstriping tape), another coat of primer and then finally, *finally* ready for paint! Oh, and plus scribing the surface detail, and adding the tailplanes, and scratching some sort of brass tail tip so the resin part doesn't keep %$#@ing chipping, and, and, and... :(

Also: jeebus help me, I've just received a copy of the R-Classe Datafile and I'm already starting to goof around in CAD. Maybe my project for 2016? Eep! :o

And just so this post isn't *completely* devoid of pics, here's a quick comparison of the various Zeppelin Classes. Other than the Q Classe (which is the one I'm building), they're just rough sketches, but they're all properly scaled, if the shapes aren't 100%.

Zepp20Comparisons_zpsvixilozh.jpg

From top:

M Classe, the relatively puny early war Zepp, more reconnaissance oriented than a bomber.

Q Classe (subject of this build)

R Classe (the first of the Super Zeppelins; bigger balloon for a higher service ceiling in an attempt to skim over British air defences)

W Classe (the Afrika Shiff, designed to fly from Germany to Tanzania, to resupply troops)

Hindenburg, just to show how truly massive the airships got. The Q Classe is huge in 1/144. I can't even imagine a Hindenburg!

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Finally had a sunny day (the zepp is a little big to squeeze into a photo booth), so as promised, more pics. I think I'm just about ready to lay down a final (I hope...) coat of primer, so the next major hurdle will be figuring out how to precisely locate the individual rib stations. I *had* planned to print out a template which I could simply lay along each skin panel, but after all the filling and sanding, the shape is a tiiiny bit out of whack. Unfortunately, a degree here and a mm there, over a four foot span, adds up to about a 3mm error overall. :( So now I've got to figure out a plan B.

First up, an overall view:

IMG_1269_zps34ebog69.jpg

Zooming in, you can do some archaeology sorting out the various layers. Almost has a psychadelic vibe:

IMG_1275_zpsbzmti3pp.jpg

Tailplanes are done, but just test fitted. It'll take a bit of putty and sanding to blend these in, but hopefully nothing too serious...

IMG_1271_zpszgvb1wys.jpg

Gun platform has been fitted. It's actually *too* good a fit - it press fits snugly into place, so by the time I add a few layers of filler primer, primer and paint it'll probably be too big for the hole. Guess I'll need to do some careful filing (and masking)

IMG_1273_zpscutx0dtw.jpg

...and as a teaser, while it's been raining the past few days, I finally caved in to the siren song of the R Classe schematics. :D

R_zpsbhqc86ib.jpg

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~ jeebus help me, I've just received a copy of the R-Classe Datafile and I'm already starting to goof around in CAD. Maybe my project for 2016? Eep! :o/>

R-class, schmar class! Go for the big one...the Hindenberg! Yeah! :banana:/>

Absolutely superb job, Mike. From start to finish. Great to see all that hard work and planning coming together in a final product!

Cheers,

Russ

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<...>

Zooming in, you can do some archaeology sorting out the various layers. Almost has a psychadelic vibe:

IMG_1275_zpsbzmti3pp.jpg<...>

"Up, up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!"

The_5th_Dimension_-_Up,_Up_and_Away.jpg

Fantastic build! :thumbsup:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I think I've solved my rib tape dilemma.

The problem was, I needed a way to securely mount the Zeppelin so that it was plumb, straight and true, with a template underneath so I could mark off the rib stations, yet it had to be free to rotate around its axis. A four foot lathe would be one possible solution, but kind of tough to find, so I sort of bodged my own:

IMG_1283_zpsjtvx4sz3.jpg

The notes should explain things (excuse the blurry, hasty photo), but basically, I can now rotate the model around a rod inserted in the 'spine', while it's held firmly in place with a couple of jigs. So by holding a square to the markings on my template, I can transfer those dimensions to the model, which will mark the positions of the rib tapes.

It's basically a fiddly, annoying way to mark off a whole slew of really precise (I hope) points, so that I can connect all the dots.

A few more hours of carefully setting the whole thing up, and I should be able to get marking. The really frustrating thing about all this is, if it all goes according to plan, it will probably only take me about 10 minutes to mark everything off. Weeks of planning, hours of preparations, for a few minutes actual work. Sigh...

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My congratulations to you! This is a massive undertaking, in size as well as scope.

...

A few more hours of carefully setting the whole thing up, and I should be able to get marking. The really frustrating thing about all this is, if it all goes according to plan, it will probably only take me about 10 minutes to mark everything off. Weeks of planning, hours of preparations, for a few minutes actual work. Sigh...

That's what construction jigs are all about, right? Same with masking.

And, well, my model building is also sometimes like that...Hours, days, weeks to figure out how to do something and then seconds to minutes to actually do it...

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That is some amazing work Mike. You know every time I see your "ship" I keep thinking it is some sort of sci-fi creature with all of the colourings on it.

Hope to see this one day. You probably won't have it finished for September at the Calgary show right?

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Assorted updates with mixed news.

Good: the lathe idea worked (although it was painfully tedious! line a square up to the template, slide it against the Zepp, tick a line, rotate, repeat sharpening your pencil every few dozen lines...)

Bad: in my haste to get started and squeeeeeze the nose section into place, I cracked the nose cap. I *should* have disassembled the jig and re-assembled it around the blimp, but no, I had to force it... :(

Good: The nose cap had lost some definition anyway through sanding and filling, and I have a spare, so it's not the end of the world. Bit of measuring and sawing and it was gone.

It also gave me the chance to model the ultra-rare, MiG-21-style Zeppelin:

IMG_1286_zpszsdxndgc.jpg

Striping went pretty easily with some .7mm Aizu tape (basically, thin width Tamiya tape). About 12m worth - don't think I've ever burned through so much tape so quickly. :D

I also attached the revised tailplanes. They'll need a bit of filler around the seams, and I'll have to re-apply some of the rib tapes which will get obliterated in the process, but it's back to looking like a blimp again. Shaved down some excess plastic and test fit the spare tail cone too, and the fit is almost perfect. Good thing - I don't want to get into a major sanding operation now that the tapes are on!

IMG_1288_zpsxdg9megy.jpg

I also cut off the cracked nose, as mentioned above. I trimmed a little too much plastic, so added a .010" shim to build up the gap. Pretty pleased with the test fit:

IMG_1287_zpshjckrjcb.jpg

...and then finally, I decided to test fit the control surfaces. I'll need to tweak the location points slightly, and I need to figure out how to skin them, but it's the first time I've had a basically complete balloon. Quite pleased with things. :)

IMG_1289_zpsxnpdwnt7.jpg

So a touch of Mr. Surfacer on the tail fins, then it's ready for a final (hopefully, ohpleaseohpleaseohplease) primer coat. Starting to feel like the end is in sight.

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Mike, looks like you overcame your little problems with a bit of finesse. Good show.

As for the control surfaces, maybe you can go to the what the RC guys do and skin it with tissue paper and dope. Hmm, now that I think about it, maybe dope and plastic don't mix. Maybe tissue paper and white glue solution? Probably give you that nice fabric effect too?

Edited by skyhawk174
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Quick primer coat on. There's a bit of touch up sanding to do, but nothing too serious.

What IS more serious: I've got some Sharpie bleeding through where I marked a few areas to be sanded/filled. :( That's not the end of the world - I can sand it down and hopefully remove all traces of the ink. What IS bad is, I'm almost positive there are other sharpie-ed markings that haven't bled through and which could be a ticking time bomb. Granted, the stuff that's bleeding through was 'full strength', while the stuff that's not showing was mostly sanded away, so hopefully it'll be okay but... I'm worried some unseen bit of ink might work its way out over time. :(

Any suggestions for creating a barrier for the ink? I know paint won't work. Future? I'm tempted to coat the entire thing in decal film... The alternative is to strip the rib tapes, sand the last coat of primer off, strip all traces of Sharpie, re-mark the rib locations, re-tape and re-prime.

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  • 1 month later...

Whoah... it's been a while since the last update. :)

I have been chipping away at the beast, though.

So... UPDATE! :D

I ended up sanding back the primer coat to eliminate all traces of Sharpie. Then another few primer coats. A few bouts of curing in the sun, followed by a few more bouts of fixing depressions and sink marks that appeared when it got too hot from sitting in the sun. :( More primer. More sanding. A brief diversion into a couple of touch up guns, including a Paasche model whose blue powder coat melted on contact with lacquer thinner.

It's been busy, but not particularly photogenic.

In the end, I went with a spray bomb ivory base coat. This worked well, but again, kind of tough to photograph. Once this was cured, I masked off individual sections and shot a streaky coat of various linen-ey tones to give a bit more visual interest and depth, much like David Straub's build: http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Events/y2006/ipms_nats/05-zeppelin/index.html Which is where it lies now:

IMG_1325_zps5lcwj88m.jpg

It's quite stark at the moment, but it's not done yet. ;)

IMG_1322_zpspnuvmeux.jpg

Tailplanes have been skinned, and drilled out for rigging. The rigging took a bit of head scratching to figure out, but I think I'm on top of it now. That will be done with monofilament, after painting is completed. The nose and tail cone are still just press fit, hence the gaps.

IMG_1324_zpsvmmyy8rn.jpg

You can also see the tail bumper in this view. It was grafted over the lower fin, made from some curved brass square-rod and styrene sheet. Other items of note include the rib tape detail on the fins, which helps camouflage the fact that I muffed up the rib spacing inside, as well as the somewhat wonky, wandering lines along the length of the balloon - unfortunately it's not razor sharp and arrow straight, but it's as good as my patience would allow.

I have also got the base roughed out (necessary before I can start adding gondolas):

IMG_1320_zpsbzmlmxnf.jpg

56" x 12", it's built from MDF sheet and framing, cut and glued together. Aligning holes for the support rods was a little tricky, and I'm glad I don't live in an earthquake zone, but I'd rather sacrifice something that was rock solid in favour of something that looks unobtrusive and 'light'.

Next step: I'll be giving the entire airframe a coat of clear flat mixed with the base coat to blend all the tones together and ease back the contrast. Then the upper, central portion will get masked off and a coat of smoke, to simulate the looser weave used to vent excess gas. A few decals, some rigging and it's on to final assembly.

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