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Thread: Zeppelins Rising

  1. #1

    Default Zeppelins Rising

    The Height Climbers are ascending!



    Here's a sneak peak at the Zeppelin Works Latest, L41 in tan and L44, L45, L48, L53 are in the new black colors. The first three are getting engines and bomb doors fitted at the present, guns, and insignia are in the print shop as we speak.



    L41 was the first conversion to the Height Climbers, features 6 props!



    L42 and following were only 4 prop designs and were in the new colors-quite evil looking!



    And just to compare, here the newbies are with the one that started it all, the L11



    Now back to work! (I mean play!) Clipper running in the arms race!

  2. #2

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    So, seriously: How hard would it be to convert one of these into a minis-carrier?

  3. #3

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    Chris, I figure you'd need to lop it in half and hollow out the halves--I've actually been doing "concept studies" on something similar, and currently think it'd be easier to do building up a Stoff or Thorsten Brand paper Zep (at least for a Type P) around a big hunk of square tube as a central "box girder." For a build based on one of these, I would ask Clipper to see if he had two bad envelopes, one each bad front and bad tail, and lop them with a little overlap then shave down to "true" rather than lose the kerf of sawing a one-piece in half.

    What I would do for storage would be a 5-drawer-per-half version... inside the girder holds planes, then two vertical and two horizontal rectangular drawers around the girder for rulers, cards, chits etc. If somebody can get me a dimensioned-including-angles cross-section of any Type R through X, I can work up some concept sketches... pretty much the biggest differences in the envelopes all the way from R to the monster XE's is the length of the center 'cylinder', though control and engine gondolas may vary (and I suspect were occasionally swapped out completely, as on their P-Q predecessors).
    Last edited by Diamondback; 07-16-2012 at 16:23.

  4. #4

    Thumbs up

    I can see the need for MUCH bigger Gaming Tables

    Awesome, Clipper!

  5. #5

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    The mini carrier idea kinda starts a Russian Doll thing, if you use the Zeppelin to carry the minis, you will need a case to carry the Zeppelin in order to protect the Zep, and it ends with one of these:



    Which is not a bad thing, but kinda hard to move around . . . Clipper checking to see if zoning is approved for a big hanger.

  6. #6

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    I was thinking if you make the engines and gons mount by pins or magnets, I was thinking maybe you could put a couple hidden sockets to mount a carry handle on top, and store the dicey bits in one of those drawers.

    Either that, or a case that holds the two halves side by side, maybe join the sections together with magnets and have the bottom use magnets or a metal plate to secure them.
    Last edited by Diamondback; 07-16-2012 at 21:23.

  7. #7

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    So,when is the weekend course in Zeppelin building?

  8. #8

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    This is all very interesting chaps.
    I may even be able to get away with a Zep that could be explained away as extra storage!
    Rob.

  9. #9

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    Wow cool models, but you definitly need a big gaming table...

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheeling Turn View Post
    Wow cool models, but you definitly need a big gaming table...
    I think you could probably squeeze a fair sized one of those too inside that hangar thing - Even with Clipper's vast collection. But perhaps not for more than a year or two, if he keeps up his current production rate.

    /Niclas

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheeling Turn View Post
    Wow cool models, but you definitly need a big gaming table...
    Which we have! And yes, they are very cool

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheeling Turn View Post
    Wow cool models, but you definitly need a big gaming table...
    You'd be surprised how easy it is to fit one of these on just the two WoW gaming mats...

    Zeppelin Dawn

    Big fun in a small space!

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ranger View Post
    You'd be surprised how easy it is to fit one of these on just the two WoW gaming mats...

    Zeppelin Dawn

    Big fun in a small space!
    Hmmm.... caged zeppelin matches
    Karl

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Diamondback View Post
    I was thinking if you make the engines and gons mount by pins or magnets, I was thinking maybe you could put a couple hidden sockets to mount a carry handle on top, and store the dicey bits in one of those drawers.
    This would work. The method of mini-carrying i was thinking of was more a "chest of drawers" approach, tho': Along the top, a series of "drawers" each holding a mini (plus perhaps some of the related ancillaries), which can be slid out -- something like this:

    <OOOOOOOO> (eight drawers)

    with the end-caps used to hold pegs and such.

  15. #15

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    Thought about something similar at first, but between all the moving parts, the additional complicated geometry, and structural strength questions along with not wanting an more visible "seams" than necessary all led me to the approach I took. Then again, I was also working from the starting assumption that it would have to endure UPS/FedEx or airline baggage-gorillas paid for strong backs, weak minds and NO concept at all of "Handle With Care" on a regular basis... also, inside the girder would have a foam tray for as many planes as I could pack into it safely--my goal was to be able to store a two-seater oriented the same as in its original factory package, then just line foam-and-plane "slices" up down the girder's length.

    Doing it your way, I would want secure latches and to hide the seams along the rings and longitudinals, make things look like any other panel of the ship as much as possible.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Diamondback View Post
    Thought about something similar at first, but between all the moving parts, the additional complicated geometry, and structural strength questions along with not wanting an more visible "seams" than necessary all led me to the approach I took. Then again, I was also working from the starting assumption that it would have to endure UPS/FedEx or airline baggage-gorillas paid for strong backs, weak minds and NO concept at all of "Handle With Care" on a regular basis... also, inside the girder would have a foam tray for as many planes as I could pack into it safely--my goal was to be able to store a two-seater oriented the same as in its original factory package, then just line foam-and-plane "slices" up down the girder's length.

    Doing it your way, I would want secure latches and to hide the seams along the rings and longitudinals, make things look like any other panel of the ship as much as possible.
    Looking forward to seeing your storage/game piece solutions.

  17. #17

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    Really cool would be if I could get Thorsten and Clipper to compare notes... I'm not sure how long this would be, I'm in a "concept sketches" stage.

    Heck, I can't even get SketchUp to print full-scale...

  18. #18

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    Ok, as soon as I am back on my feet again I have a great surprise for you Diamondback! Just what the viper asked for and more! Zeppelin storage and more!!!!!

    Clipper giddy with delight!

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Diamondback View Post
    Thought about something similar at first, but between all the moving parts, the additional complicated geometry, and structural strength questions along with not wanting an more visible "seams" than necessary all led me to the approach I took. Then again, I was also working from the starting assumption that it would have to endure UPS/FedEx or airline baggage-gorillas paid for strong backs, weak minds and NO concept at all of "Handle With Care" on a regular basis... also, inside the girder would have a foam tray for as many planes as I could pack into it safely--my goal was to be able to store a two-seater oriented the same as in its original factory package, then just line foam-and-plane "slices" up down the girder's length.
    Am I supposed to be picturing your version as "a long tube with a detachable cap at one end, and a series of mini-carriers stacked inside"?

  20. #20

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    Chris, I'm envisioning a break-in-half arrangement, where the five drawers in each half would be roughly in a plus shape running down the long axis of the ship. Not so much one tube with detachable end, as two tubes with possibly extra storage for small stuff inside the nose- and tailcones on top of the "flat" and "skinny" drawers. (It helps to consider, I store each plane's deck, card, pegs and base all stacked together inside a beader's mini-Ziploc that fits 'em like a glove, pegs in the hollow bottom of the base.)

    Like this for rough cross-section:
    --- flat above
    [] [=] [] two tall, narrow flanking the girder and its drawer
    --- flat below

    And the center drawer something like this in side view, [] being the individual planes and their cushion carriers:

    . ______
    <______|_[]_[]_[]_[]
    Obviously not to scale, but this should give you an idea of how the center drawer would slide out--plane slabs would load either transverse (across the ship) or longitudinal (down its length) as mini size required.

    Full disclosure: I am a LOT better with ideas, concepts and theories than translating them into hardware--I JUST completed my first model build in many years a couple weekends ago, and it was only one of those Revell MiniKit Fokker Dr.I's. Logic puzzles like "how COULD you do this?" are the kind of thing I like to relax with... and hopefully, they'll keep my brain stimulated enough over the years to avoid my family's usual devolution from Alzheimer's when I get to that age.

    Clipper, you ever play with Google SketchUp? I'm building a few digital P/Q's in that (P prototype, P production and Q) to try to figure out if all this could fit. Given that the Thorsten Brand ship is built from cardstock, is about a 2-3mm "outer ring" left outside the hollowed-out section likely to keep enough structural strength, or should I make it 5mm?
    Last edited by Diamondback; 07-18-2012 at 18:59.

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    Quote Originally Posted by clipper1801 View Post
    Ok, as soon as I am back on my feet again I have a great surprise for you Diamondback! Just what the viper asked for and more! Zeppelin storage and more!!!!!

    Clipper giddy with delight!
    You're scaring me, man!

  22. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by clipper1801 View Post
    Ok, as soon as I am back on my feet again I have a great surprise for you Diamondback! Just what the viper asked for and more! Zeppelin storage and more!!!!!

    Clipper giddy with delight!
    Quote Originally Posted by Hunter View Post
    You're scaring me, man!
    You should be scared, you live near him Of course, you also reap the fruits of his madness, so it evens out.
    Karl

  23. #23

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    Latest thing in living room decor! Just a few more days dear, then they will fly to new homes!



    Clipper thinking on branching into home interior design . . .

  24. #24

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    I already have a scenario for play/play testing these. Can't wait to try!



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