“Wanna race ? Amigo ?”

The RODEN model of the Zeppelin Stakken R.VI. My goal was to build a seaplane version—which doesn't exist as a model—to recreate one of the four models built in 1917…

Diorama of the Staaken L Zeppelin, camouflaged with diamond patterns, on a snow-covered grassy base

Eric GALLAUD's superb model of the land-based R VI...

I reworked the thermoformed floats, which came from an old Contrail box...

Unassembled gray parts for the Zeppelin Staaken L: spars, rudder, and tail surfaces set against a pink background

The floor is cut into several pieces, and 2 mm has been shaved off the thickness because the Stakken L did not have the same underside as the Stakken R.VI, nor did it have the gunner’s hatch (one piece cut into eight sections)...

Engines

A Close-Up of the Staaken's Painted and Weathered Inline Six-Cylinder Engine

Detailed illustration of an inline six-cylinder engine with hoses, exhaust pipes, and ignition wiring harness

The engines are assembled, with a few parts added, such as spark plugs, ignition wires, cylinder springs, etc...

The Staaken L Zeppelin gondola under construction, with its two detailed engine units

They are then positioned in their mounting brackets inside the engine nacelles. The stool is for the mechanic…

Staaken L Zeppelin fuselage assembled in gray, with unfinished cockpit openings

The inside of the gondolas is painted...

The cockpit

Internal structure of the Staaken L Zeppelin fuselage, including fuel tanks and beams

Open cockpit of the Staaken L Zeppelin, showing detailed seats, control wheels, and instrument panel

The interior of the fuselage is made up of its fuel tanks, cargo compartments, cockpit, and struts...

Fuselage of the Staaken L Zeppelin under construction, tubular frame, fuel tanks, and rear tail section

Engine nacelle from the Staaken L Zeppelin mounted on stands, with painted masts and exhaust pipes, red background

Assembled engine nacelle of the Staaken L Zeppelin, featuring its two detailed engines and propellers

The engines are mounted in their nacelles, as are the masts supporting the radiators. The metal reinforcements surrounding the nacelles will be replaced with plastic parts...

Top view of the Staaken L Zeppelin under construction, with speckled camouflage on a white background

You can imagine the size of the model compared to the paint can (60 cm wingspan and 31 cm long!). Some putty work is needed…

The tail section of the Staaken L Zeppelin biplane under construction, with white vertical stabilizers and ailerons

A close-up of the tail…

Close-up of the nose of the gondola, with the windows masked with tape prior to painting

Preparing to paint, including masking the windows…

Painting

Model of the Staaken L Zeppelin being assembled, placed on a desk calendar

The model is painted with an airbrush and a brush (Humbrol 122). The windows and gunner turrets are protected…

Decals

Applying masking tape to the Staaken's fin to paint the cross pattée

Since there were no decals in the right size for this version, stencils were created for both the fins and the wings…

Adhesive paint mask cut into the shape of a cross pattée on one wing of the Staaken

A stenciled Maltese cross with adhesive masking on a wing of the Staaken

Applying the stencils and painting…

Close-up of the white tip of the Staaken's wing bearing a black Maltese cross

Close-up of the Staaken L's wing with a black swastika and a hinged rudder

The result: the covers removed…

Cutting labeled strips of balsa wood under a metal ruler, with a scalpel next to it

Close-up of the ribs of a fabric-covered wing, with a 10-centime coin used for scale

Applying the masking tape strips to the fenders...

The Staaken wing being rigged, with the ribs secured by taut nylon strings

Staaken sail with iron cross and ribs; rigging lines left untrimmed

They are cut out and then glued one by one...

Top view of the Staaken L's light blue fuselage; canopies covered prior to painting

Lower wing of the Staaken L Zeppelin, covered with fabric; ribs and rigging wires still to be installed

…Wide strips—1 mm wide—with small strips between them, ½ mm wide!...

Horizontal tailplane of the Staaken L Zeppelin, made of laminated wood, with clamp-on clamps along the edges

Overview of the tail section…

The fuselage of the Staaken L Zeppelin under construction, with the canopy and float visible

Fuselage and wing of the Staaken L Zeppelin under construction; biplane tail section viewed from the rear three-quarter angle

The masking is complete. Light gray pastel applied with a cotton swab helps bring out the wing ribs and fuselage structures...

Rear tail section of the Staaken L Zeppelin with black Maltese crosses on a red background

Top view of the fuselage and wings of the Staaken Zeppelin, painted with black crosses

…All that's left is to cover the upper wing…

Wings of the Staaken L Zeppelin with a Maltese cross and guy wires, currently drying

Applying the strips to the upper wing; 11.60 meters of 1-mm-wide strips are glued on, along with about a good meter of ½-mm-wide strips!!! You can get a sense of the scale by comparing it to the 10-centime euro coin shown here…

A Closer Look at the Floats and Mast Rigs of the Staaken L Zeppelin

The engine nacelles are attached to the wing, and the cables are positioned...

Engine nacelles and wings of the Staaken L Zeppelin under construction, with a German biplane in the background

…Some of the gondola mounts are also used to secure the floats…

Tail Section

Rear tail section of the Staaken L with an iron cross and rigging, orange background

Close-up of the tail section with struts…

Model of the Staaken L Zeppelin, close-up view of the engines, floats, and rigging

The upper wing is in place and the guy wires are taut…

Close-up of the engines, floats, and rigging of the Staaken L Zeppelin, with a black cross

All the guy wires have been installed...

Model of the Staaken L Zeppelin, three-quarter front view, with detailed floats and rigging

Some 180 hours of work later, the prototype is nearly finished, and the result is a completely original, one-of-a-kind model…

The Setting

The Stakken's wingspan will require an imposing set piece measuring one meter long by sixty centimeters wide.

A large white fuselage panel under construction, leaning against an aluminum window frame

Painted-brick pier base mounted on a wooden base, side staircase, decorative front

Construction of the platform. Extruded polystyrene with a stone-like texture. Wooden frame. The track consists of cardboard sheets that are cut to size and glued together...

A stone pier with a rusty ladder overlooking green water, a diorama-like scene

Wooden diorama base with a brick platform and a resin-cast body of water

Water. Background painting to simulate the depth of the water. Collage of a ribbed Plexiglas panel to imitate the swell. On the panel, applied a first coat of clear epoxy resin mixed with green and blue stained-glass paint. + Two more coats of clear resin, using a hair dryer to create the swell effect as the resin dried...

A stream of water falling into a pond; reflections on the water in front of a brick wall

Flowing water is very simple—you just have to think about it. Water coming out of a faucet never flows straight; it swirls. Take two lengths of fishing line, twist them together, and secure them with Super Glue. Drill a hole in the resin, slide in one centimeter of the twisted line, and glue it in place so you can see the force of the stream through the water. The splashing water is made of translucent silicone (for bathroom caulking) applied with a toothpick; before it dries, use the same toothpick to poke holes in it to create spikes of silicone. Around the edges, a few rings are engraved using a dentist’s drill bit mounted on a mini drill...

Balsa wood frame of the Staaken L Zeppelin, flat-packed ribbed panels

Construction of the hangar. Wooden structure (camembert)...

Front facade of the wooden hangar for the Zeppelin Staaken, on a white background

...After removing the staples, soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then iron them to make them nice and straight and flat. After sanding them, cut each board to size and attach them to the shed’s frame or to the wooden doors...

Close-up of the wooden hangar in Staaken, with weathered siding and small-pane windows

Close-up of the ribbed fabric covering on a wooden wing of the Staaken Zeppelin

The roof is made of very thin, cut-out corrugated cardboard purchased from an art supply store. The door guide rails are protected using cut-up Coca-Cola cans...

The wooden facade of Hangar No. 2, with the door ajar and the lights on at dusk Hangar lighting. Copper tubing, LEDs, and lamps made from syringe tips…