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Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

The Zeppelin is complete and in place!   Took me about a week to get the "finishing touches" done as I had to wait for some styrene strips in the mail...

Lights off:

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...and lights on:

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Pulling up to Strato Station:

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Looking down on the city:

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One final thought:   Since this thing is lit by LEDs, I have literally build a LED Zeppelin.

*cue opening riff from Stairway to Heaven*

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Neat idea! I often wondered about the idea to moor blimps and such at the Empire State Building, the current 104th floor observatory was supposed to be the mooring area/waiting room, they actually thought people would walk across a gangplank going to the blimp a thousand feet up in the winds......*shudder*...it is still debated whether they ever actually tried such a mooring.  

 

You project is an homage in another way, a Mitchell B25 crashed into the empire state building in 1945 (I apologize if anyone else mentioned this, didn't see it in the threads). 

 

@Forty Rod posted:

Have you given any thought to rigging the props to rotate?

Great job.

Tom,

I did give it some thought.   There's certainly room in the nacelles for a small motor if you hollow them out...  however, I thought what I had planned was complex enough, and wasn't sure I could pull-off even that, so didn't want to take the risk with the propellers too.

bigkid,

I modelled my mooring tower (loosely) on the Empire State Building one - using it to envision how a small zeppelin could dock to a building and allow passengers to "de-blimp".  I honestly didn't think about the B-25 connection, so good catch!

@frizzinbee posted:

 

 One final thought:   Since this thing is lit by LEDs, I have literally build a LED Zeppelin.

*cue opening riff from Stairway to Heaven*

Love it! They were ahead of their time!!

It would be cool it you had a ceiling- even black fabric stretched across the joists for a night look. Permanent or temporary and then take some more photos.

EDIT. Just watched the above embedded video after I posted the below.  Since the text I wrote is essentially that, I apologize for the redundant post.


It was built as a mooring tower, but never really expected to be used as such. During construction of the Empire State Building the nearby Chrysler Building was also going up, and was set to be taller than the ESB. The bragging rights, and therefore expected rents, would go to the tallest building. But there are architectural guidelines for what counts as the building and what doesn’t. Radio masts don’t, for example. But a mooring tower would because it could accommodate people. So one was hastily designed and added to the ESB to ensure it would gain the “highest building” status.

Last edited by ByronB

Thanks for that info. That is a heck of a project, and very cool kit bashing!! I noted the Graf was actually a 1:48 model. That would be cool in of itself. Food for thought. I wonder if they are still out there for sale?? I'll have to give it a look. Thanks again.

I think the Zeppelin model kit itself (unaltered) is 1:245, if I recall correctly.   The kit was made by Hawk and they still pop-up occasionally for good prices.   I bought mine on ebay when I found a reasonably priced one - it took a little while, but there are deals to be had if you're patient.

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