First of all - thanks for all your kind comments!
Before going into some details about building Luise, a word about her crew: well, errr, it's not finished yet. To be honest, it's not even started.
I had too many other things to do. I'm sure you'll understand. So many distractions and diversions ...
Same is true with more photos and detail shots: haven't got any. I finished the ship at the end of 2006, but didn't manage to get some photos until 2 weeks ago. What a shame!
But I will do some detail shots very soon, promised!
It all started with the very nice b/w-illustrations in "Steam Age", one of the recommendable books for "Castle Falkenstein". There was one picture showing a pilot steering a kind of steam airship with a large steam engine behind him, and I was fascinated by this idea and execution immediately. And just started thinking how to build it ...
When I discovered the cheap Glencoe 1/330 US Navy Blimp kit at the next modelling show, I knew I could start building. More infos on this kit here:
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/glen/kit_glen_blimp.shtmlOnly the two halfs of the helium bag were used from the kit, fins removed and nose modified with thin plasticsheet and putty. A thin strip of plasticsheet covered the seam betwen the two halves where some eyelids from thin wire were glued in to be used for later rigging.
Next came the platform, scratched from Evergreen plasticsheet, strips and profiles and nice "victorian"-looking fences from some H0 railroad stuff I had in one of my (many) bits-boxes. Most fun I had building the steam engine from many bits-box parts, scratched cylinders, handrails, foot-pedals and lots of different sized rivets. If you go for serious VSF vehicle building, you just can't live without a good punch-and-die set for getting all the needed rivets, and nothing else leads to such nice results that fast. Years ago I invested some money in a decent set from Historex agents and can only heartily recommend it:
http://www.historexagents.com/shop/tips_punch.phpThe large smokestack of the engine was firmly glued into the airship's underbelly, another piece was glued exactly on top of the other side looking like the stack is going through the ship's bag. Another piece of plastic rod was used to connect the aft parts of the ship. These hollow connections are used for holding two brass rods to get the ship onto it's base when gaming. Last part of the construction were rudders and fin, first from an Airfix biplane kit, last scratchbuilt from plastic sheet.
After construction everything was airbrushed with two or three coats of Tamiya light browns, the engine with some gunmetals and silver and then a little drybrushing to enhance all structures. After a protective coat of matt varnish the hardest piece of work was all to be done: hand-painting two prussian motifs showing the eagle inside a Lorbeerkranz and the line "Pro Gloria et Patria". I hope I must not do this ever again
That's it, and I will get some detail shots for you soon.