Aerial Battleship- shipyard model

[NazT]

Both the GUNTHER walker and RAKETENTRUPPEN are from Paolo Parente's DUST GAME, good kits, I recommend them!

That's Edward Fox, isn't it!? 

Blimey! I think you're right!

Still, British actors always make the best Nazis, don't they?

Not just Nazis but super villains in general!  Excellent work Herr Döktor. Your build threads are just fab!

[Dave the Troll]

Next up, I'll be working out where the guns will go, building the guns, and adding more guns.

Did I mention the guns?

May I suggest that you place gun turrets next to the guns in order to protect the guns from assailants who have boarded the hull?

[Inflatable Friend]

Egads man!

You appear to have been crafted from refined brilliance and coated with creativity. I feel this earth thing called jealousy seeping from my pores.

[WillRockwell]

I sort of miss the smokestacks

[Herr Döktor]

Next up, I'll be working out where the guns will go, building the guns, and adding more guns.

Did I mention the guns?

May I suggest that you place gun turrets next to the guns in order to protect the guns from assailants who have boarded the hull?

You're exactly echoing my thoughts!

Which is slightly perturbing.

I sort of miss the smokestacks

Me too, perhaps once the masts and rigging are in place, it won't notice so much...

Ordered tapered brass masts and photoetched railings, in 1/350th scale, making this monster around 350 metres long, 100 metres longer than the Hindenburg and the same length as the US Navy's Enterprise aircraft carrier.

[The Inventor]

I love it!

I showed it to my Dad who used to build model ships and he thinks this is bloody brilliant!

I cannot wait to see the finished project.

[akumabito]

* looks at title *

Soooo... when the ship is done, you'll add a floating shipyard then? Yes? Maybe something along the lines of the space docks used in Star Trek.. http://johneaves.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/the-spacedock-from-st-nemesis/

[Cubinoid]

Wow. Model making is so much fun! I love these build photos and the ship is wonderful in 2D, but will be amazing in 3D. Good work there, Herr Döktor!

[Herr Döktor]

It being a somewhat dull weekend weather wise, I've cracked on with the weaponry:

So far, there's mountings for thirty-six cannon, not counting the two turrets on the deck.

[Cubinoid]

Love it! And the escape hatch for the Dalek pilot is EX-QUIS-ITE! EX-QUIS-ITE!

[Mechanism Man]

Ah, Herr Doctor... So the secret to excess spare time is conjuring up a convergence of bad weather and needy relatives which conspire to keep you at home for long periods.... Hmm, genius. I can feel a few well placed banana skins and a big, steampunk, cloud seeding machine coming on. In fact kate Bush has already designed just the thing which would also, and quite coincidentally, look fine on the back of your beautiful airship! -

http://gentlebear.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/kate-bush-cloudbusting-43056.jpg

Wonderful work Doctor, I wish I had your magic ability to create something that is so much more than than just the sum of it's parts.
Bravo!   

[Herr Döktor]

Ah, Herr Doctor... So the secret to excess spare time is conjuring up a convergence of bad weather and needy relatives which conspire to keep you at home for long periods.... Hmm, genius. I can feel a few well placed banana skins and a big, steampunk, cloud seeding machine coming on. In fact kate Bush has already designed just the thing which would also, and quite coincidentally, look fine on the back of your beautiful airship! -

http://gentlebear.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/kate-bush-cloudbusting-43056.jpg

Wonderful work Doctor, I wish I had your magic ability to create something that is so much more than than just the sum of it's parts.
Bravo!   

Why, thank you, MM! Coming from a gifted artisan as yourself, I'm very flattered!

And that Kate Bush picture reminds me, I must get 'round to finishing my Electrostatic Cloud Emasculator:

http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17447.0

[Cubinoid]

I just followed the link and was thinking what a useful device that would be when I think I may have spotted a lifesize Dalek lurking in your laboratory! Beware Herr Döktor  - I think your models may be growing in size! 

Love your work - can't wait to see the finished article.

[Colonel Sanders]

Bloody Brilliant! You're very skilled! Keep us apprised to the construction of your fine vessel.

[Mechanism Man]

Ah. Yes. The Electrostatic Cloud Emasculator. Hmm.... missed that one. What on earth made me think that I alone had spotted the Cloudbusting/steampunk link before anyone else?! Oh silly me. I should walk these hallowed halls a little more often to keep up - but there's just so much here now! Tactile sometimes feels as busy as Blackpool beach on August bank holiday weekend when the sun is shining and there's free ice cream and Flakes being given away by the Mr. Whippy van - whatever happened to the heady days of 1 or 2 new posts a day?!
Anyway, top work my finely hatted friend.
I'll watch with bated helium fuelled breath (if I can find my way through the deck chairs and sand castles).
 
 
 

[Herr Döktor]

Done some deckwork and railings:

You can see the planking better here:

Also added two huge storage tanks- what's in 'em: Hydrogen? Helium? Gin? Tonic? Tea?

[Utini420]

Dear Doktor, just last night I was wishing I had your telephone number, so I could ask what the right and smart way to cut accurate circles into spheres might be.

As it turned out, I got back in touch with my inner crazy, and just took after the thing with a plum bob, a marker, and a motor tool.  And what do you know, it came out allright!   

[Affian]

Herr Döktor what is the dark grey material that you use in your model building? You seem to be able to build any shape from it and it boggles my mind.

I can see what looks like Plasti-card used for details like the bridge (the white stuff).

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

I just followed the link and was thinking what a useful device that would be when I think I may have spotted a lifesize Dalek lurking in your laboratory! Beware Herr Döktor  - I think your models may be growing in size! 

Love your work - can't wait to see the finished article.

Herr Doktor has admitted in public to making a lifesize Dalek to no less than the musical satirist Mitch Benn before the entire UK National Science Fiction Convention (Eastercon). He is a Who fan and proud of it. Now if he can just make me a lifesize Karen Gillan....

[Herr Döktor]

Herr Döktor what is the dark grey material that you use in your model building? You seem to be able to build any shape from it and it boggles my mind.

I can see what looks like Plasti-card used for details like the bridge (the white stuff).

Its almost all plasticard, some of it is car body filler ('Bondo'), and it's only grey because I've sprayed it with grey primer!

Meanwhile, added pipes:

Now all I have to do is duplicate it on the other side...

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Beautiful, one tends to forget that Battleship Grey is a legitimate part of the paint chart, most spaceship models these days are more colourfully painted, this gives this a continuity with the old great battleships of WWI and WWII, their direct descendant.

Must try Bondo myself, I normally use Milliput, but it is expensive and a strong irritant.

When is it expected to be launched and can we get a champagne minature for the job?

What it is reminding me of is the Spaceship Titantic in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, this is its miltary sister ship.

[James Harrison]

This is really turning out to be a great build.  It looks wonderful in battleship grey, but just imagine how mind-boggling it would look in a dazzle camouflage scheme:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Ld.Willoughby]

Herr Doktor are the larger areas on the ends of the gun platform to be rotating turrets?

[Herr Döktor]

Herr Doktor are the larger areas on the ends of the gun platform to be rotating turrets?

Oh yes, larger cannon in the end turrets, smaller cannon between them.

[Herr Döktor]

I've managed a few more hours on the ship:

Following Mechanism Man's advice, I'm putting a double barrelled cloud buster on the prow:

The cone and ball will eventually be cast in clear frosted resin, 'coz thats what cloud emasculators look like.

After thinking long and hard about the tailplane, I gave up using my imagination, and instead, used Google, and found this interesting photo:

Thus inspired, I came up with this:

No idea if this arrangement would work, but it does look more interesting than the traditional style tail; also note the six bladed air screw- scaled up, it would be over 70' across.

There are two more turbine-like airscrews to go behind the outer envelopes, and I've also mirrored the pipework around the deck:

Got more done than I intended, although my original intent was to make a base for it, so I could use the vice it's currently being held in...

Oh well, maybe next time!