Model building

This weekend, while in the hobby store, picking up parts for my Husband's RC airplane, I was struck with the desire to build a plastic model kit. I haven't built a plastic model in about a decade! Of course being me I would have to choose to kitbash something for the first time too!

This is the kit I choose

Revell's minikit of the Hindenburg. It is a painted snap together kit. No I am not a weenie, I just wanted a small Zeppelin. The kit does not have a scale marked on it, and for my uses, it doesn't really need one. You see I decided to Steampunk it!

First step was research, so off I went to my Husband's bookshelf where I pulled out his Hindenburg book. Inside I found a very nice drawing showing the relative scale between the Hindenburg and the Titanic.

Why is this important? Well because my Zeppelin is going to have steam smoke stacks of course!

Now as you can see the drawing was smaller than my model, so I had to enlarge it. Not wanting to turn my computer and do it all accurately in CAD. (Because this is supposed to be fun and fictional.) I just traced the illustrations on some velum and then used my proportional dividers (LOVE them!) to scale the titanic up to be the approximate size of my Hindenburg model.

The the fun designing began. (notice the "help" I got from my children?)

Decided on the top design.
Part of the design was for a propellar to be coming out of the tail. My Husband assured me he had some in a 1:700 scale battelship model that had a full hull and waterline option. He was going to build the waterline option so had no need to the propellars. I think it was the Tirptiz, though it could have been the Yamoto, I know it wasn't the Missouri or Prinz Eugan, any ways it doesn't really matter which kit, now does it.
So I had to find the box. All the kits were in boxes in the garage, the first two boxes I opened were packed just before my eldest was born 5 years ago. They were not the right boxes. Of course the model I was looking for was the last box I opened. I then spent the rest of the day cataloging my Husband's model stash of 70+ kits. Okay okay, I have two kits in there too.
But the good point is I found the bits I needed!
 I decided to take all 4 propellars and the two propshafts (the battelship onmy needed two, but the trees were duplicated) I will only be using three.

I put the pieces in a small plastic bag and started with the scratchbuilding.
First up was the side sails, since they go into the side seam it seemed like a logical easy place to start.. These started life as square stock syrene that I rounded and tapered to the shape I wanted.

I then marked the locarions and filed in the holes for their placement at the side seam.

This is where the model stands today, I have marked the locations for the smokestacks and the front sails. Next is drilling the homes for them.