This is a 1/720^th scale model of the fated airship “the Hindenburg” by Revell Germany . It is the second plastic model that I have completed this month. Prior to this, I had not built anything since the fall of 2000 (High Power Rocketry got my attention for a while).

I really didn’t pay much attention to the scale of the model until I started building it. I noticed the access hatches on the engine pods, and then checked the scale and my eyes just about popped out of my head! This thing is more than half the scale of my 1/350 Iowa battleship and the airship model is still 13” long.  Now the actual size (803 feet) of the Hindenburg was truly apparent to me!

The kit’s main parts are the two fuselage halves, which fit at the ends, but not in the middle (bowed). I wondered how I was going to get them to fit, so I just squeezed the halves together (dry fit) and they ended up meeting perfectly. So I just applied glue to the ends first, mated them together and worked my way down the halves towards the center, applying gel cement and pressure as I went. I secured the airship halves with masking tape while they dried, and monitored any slippage of the halves over the nest 20 minutes.

The two tail pieces were then added, along with the engine pods, landing gear, and gondola. I spent more time on the pods than any other part of the airship. The few detail that there are exist only on the exterior of this model.

I added a few guy wires (using the stretched sprue/superglue method) at the tail and the forward engine pods as the box art suggests, and almost went blind in the process. I used ModelMaster clear flat over ModelMaster chrome silver overall. I had some problems with the clear flat peeling, but a re-application of the clear cover those mistakes fairly well.

The kit decals lacked swastikas (something about not being legal in Germany ), so I had to make a run to Hobby Island here in Houston for a set.

Overall I think it turned out well. It may not win at a contest, but it sure was fun to build, and that’s most important! 

Jon