Does anybody know if there ever was a 1/350 Graf Zeppelin kit made? If not, would any available kits in this scale provide an acceptable flight deck, or will this have to be a scratch build?
None. There was one in 1/200.
The flight deck would be the easy part. The hull would be a challenge. There are 1/400 card models.
This is for a rather ambitious “what-if” project. A buddy picked up an old R/C Iowa Class Battleship hull about 55 or 56 inches in length (approx. 1/187 scale?) and we’re trying to figure out what to do with it. We want to do a German vessel, the first idea was to work in 1/72 scale. Unfortunately this limited us to something in a light destroyer category, not enough fire-power. The current thought on this is now to put a flight deck mid-ships, with turrets fore and aft on a lower level in 1/350 scale. Lots of kits and after market to pick apart in this scale.
Revell made a 1:720 scale Graf Zepp. It ranks fair to good on Rajens Kit List http://www.quuxuum.org/rajens_list/shiprevs.html#RevellGrafZ
At one time White Ensign made an airwing for it
somebody made a made of a 1980’s-90’s what-if battleship carrier using an iowa class battleship with a “y” shaped flight deck over the stern. it kept the forward guns & superstructure but lost the stern turret & supposedly used harrier jets.
There was 1:200 very high quality papercard model of Graf Zeppelin issued by Polish company Angraf, 2008-01. At the moment company is out of business.
Some pictures of Angraf’s Graf Zeppelin:
http://modellbauer.forum-aktiv.com/t5867-graf-zeppelin-1200-von-angraf
AUSGEZEICHNET !!
Hey,
It’s Nichimo that made the “what if” model of the USS Iowa, modernized with a y-shaped flight-deck aft of the ship. I heard Lindberg was supposed to release a 1/250 or 1/200 scale model of the Graf Zepplin.
Woody
That was a previous incarnation of Lindberg, run by the guy who got fired by the board of directors for producing the POS Japanese subs in 1:72 scale.
I saw some pictures of a test article for the Graf Zep built by a freelance “master modeler” that this same ex-president hired. It looked like it would have been another POS product. It got canceled. Don’t hold your breath for it.
And that’s the problem, Ed, because the original ship was also a POS.
Lacking a task force to protect it, way too tall to survive detection, and having a flight deck and operations scheme that only the first three USN CV’s had, it would have lasted about until mid 1942 before it was sunk.
One can hope that Lindberg will decide to get out of the pool toy business and back into the model business. One can hope …
a 1/350 Graf Zeppelin would be great! Someone just please make one, the possibilities for "what if " abound!!!