Airship LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" - Currell.net

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The German Graf Zeppelin was the most successful passenger airship of all time, travelling over one million miles during her 9-year career. Built in 1928, the ship's length of 237 metres and 105,000 cubic metre volume made her the largest airship constructed up to that time.

In October 1928 the ship made the first of many voyages to the United States. Other notable achievements in the early years were a round-the-world voyage in 1929 and a trip to the Arctic in 1931. The Graf Zeppelin began the first transatlantic airship service in 1930, and construction was begun on two much larger ships to expand the service.

The destruction in 1937 of the first of these new ships, the Hindenburg, shattered public confidence in airship travel, and the Graf Zeppelin was retired soon after. In 1940 she was broken up, her aluminum frame being re-used for Germany's war industry.

The German Graf Zeppelin was the most successful passenger airship of all time, travelling over one million miles during her 9-year career. Built in 1928, the ship's length of 237 metres and 105,000 cubic metre volume made her the largest airship constructed up to that time.

In October 1928 the ship made the first of many voyages to the United States. Other notable achievements in the early years were a round-the-world voyage in 1929 and a trip to the Arctic in 1931. The Graf Zeppelin began the first transatlantic airship service in 1930, and construction was begun on two much larger ships to expand the service.

The destruction in 1937 of the first of these new ships, the Hindenburg, shattered public confidence in airship travel, and the Graf Zeppelin was retired soon after. In 1940 she was broken up, her aluminum frame being re-used for Germany's war industry.

Information on the Graf Zeppelin from other sites:

LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin - Wikipedia article.

Graf Zeppelin - (YouTube video) A selection of newsreel clips showing the mighty airship.

Information on the Graf Zeppelin from other sites:

LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin - Wikipedia article.

Graf Zeppelin - (YouTube video) A selection of newsreel clips showing the mighty airship.

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Airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin

Illustration of Graf Zeppelin

Photo of Graf Zeppelin model

Skill Level 3/5
Previous experience recommended.

This model builds into a replica of the Graf Zeppelin at the time of her 1929 world voyage. It is available in 1:700 scale (over 13 inches / 33cm long when complete) or 1:400 scale (over 23 inches / 58cm long).

You will need a colour printer capable of handling card or cover stock to print the parts sheets. 67 lb cover stock (approx 8.5 thousandths of an inch or 0.2 mm thick) is recommended.

See photos of the finished model.

Brief history and related links.

The model files

1:700 scale

grafzep_instr700.pdf - 136 KiB - This document contains the instructions only (4 pages).

grafzep_parts700.pdf - 1.29 MiB - This document contains the parts for the Graf Zeppelin model (3 pages).

1:400 scale

grafzep_instr400.pdf - 136 KiB - This document contains the instructions only (4 pages).

grafzep_parts400.pdf - 1.23 MiB - This document contains the parts for the Graf Zeppelin model (10 pages).

The parts and instructions are in Adobe PDF format. Your web browser may allow you to read and print these files, otherwise you'll need a PDF reader such as Adobe's Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader.

Last updated on 5 February 2021
Copyright 2008-2021 by Ralph Currell.