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U.S. NAVY ZPG-2W "Nan Ship" 3-in-1 Kit
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Product Description
This model of a US Navy ZPG-2W can be completed with the undercarriage either up or down and with the airship either attached to its' Mobile Mooring Mast or "in flight". (To depict the ZPG-2N, carefully shave the topmost radar dome from the envelope.) Click through the carousel of illustrations above, to see details of how the kit is constructed.
The kit is available in 1/1250th scale OR 1/1200th scale. You also have a choice of material for it to be printed in. Please check your choices in the top right corner of this page.
Suitable markings are on Decal Sheet CA007 available HERE.
The N-Class, affectionately called "Nan Ships" by their crews, were large, non-rigid type airships built by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation of Akron, Ohio for the U.S. Navy. The Class developed through various configurations including anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning (AEW) versions. The first of the type (Nan-ship ZP1N) was delivered in 1952, with an envelope capacity of 875 000 cu ft.
Experience with ZP1N resulted in the larger (1 011 000 cu ft) and more capable ZP2N - later redesignated "ZPG-2" - and the introduction of the distinctive large radar housing on the belly of the control car. The 2N carried the most up-to-date submarine hunting equipment then available and was a match for any conventional submarine in the world. Deliveries started in 1954.
1955 saw the delivery of the first of the ZPG-2W, AEW version of the N-Class with a height-finding radar mounted on the top of the envelope. Production of the ZPG-2 series ended in 1957 with a total of 17 built including 12 ZPG-2Ns and 5 ZPG-2Ws.
The last version of the N-Class was the even larger ZPG-3W type which first flew in 1958 (model available HERE). Four were built and they carried a massive 42 ft diameter radar inside the envelope. All of the N-Class had been retired by the end of 1962.
The Inspiration for this kit came from reading through the pages of Larry Rodrigues's www.battleblimps.com and from the e-book that he provides as a free download in pdf file format from the site. Larry describes his experiences as an aviation electronics technician in the US Navy in the mid nineteen fifties and gives a brilliant insight into what serving aboard the Nan Ships (and K-Ships) was actually like. His straightforward accounts of the very special considerations needed in taking off, flying and landing an airship are a joy to read. Larry died in January 2017 and I am so glad that I had the chance to correspond with him .
Over 60 years since the Flight Of The Snowbird, March 4-15, 1957
On March 4 1957, ZPG-2N N°.561 nicknamed "Snowbird" after previous exploits during all-weather winter operations, set off on her world record making endurance flight. She flew across the Atlantic and down the coast of Africa and back to the US without touching down or refueling and was in the air for 264 hours and 14 minutes - that's just over 11 days!
SCALE and MATERIAL:
Please remember that you have the choice of scale and of material - please check your choices in the top right corner of this page.
ZPG-2 Length = 343 feet, or 104.55 meters
1/1250 scale model length = 83.6 mm
1/1200 scale model length = 87.1 mm
Please Note that when landed, the N-Class rested in a nose-down attitude on it's under carriage. Once moored at the mast the craft was usually in a horizontal position with the nose-wheel off the ground or even slightly retracted.
For the 1/700 and 1/600 scales versions of this model , please click HERE.
Photos and Film
The N-Class were operational during the Cold War era and relatively little photo and film material about them is available to the public . In fact a lot of information about them is still classified as secret and there are very few film clips in particular, to be able to share.
The kit is available in 1/1250th scale OR 1/1200th scale. You also have a choice of material for it to be printed in. Please check your choices in the top right corner of this page.
Suitable markings are on Decal Sheet CA007 available HERE.
The N-Class, affectionately called "Nan Ships" by their crews, were large, non-rigid type airships built by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation of Akron, Ohio for the U.S. Navy. The Class developed through various configurations including anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning (AEW) versions. The first of the type (Nan-ship ZP1N) was delivered in 1952, with an envelope capacity of 875 000 cu ft.
Experience with ZP1N resulted in the larger (1 011 000 cu ft) and more capable ZP2N - later redesignated "ZPG-2" - and the introduction of the distinctive large radar housing on the belly of the control car. The 2N carried the most up-to-date submarine hunting equipment then available and was a match for any conventional submarine in the world. Deliveries started in 1954.
1955 saw the delivery of the first of the ZPG-2W, AEW version of the N-Class with a height-finding radar mounted on the top of the envelope. Production of the ZPG-2 series ended in 1957 with a total of 17 built including 12 ZPG-2Ns and 5 ZPG-2Ws.
The last version of the N-Class was the even larger ZPG-3W type which first flew in 1958 (model available HERE). Four were built and they carried a massive 42 ft diameter radar inside the envelope. All of the N-Class had been retired by the end of 1962.
The Inspiration for this kit came from reading through the pages of Larry Rodrigues's www.battleblimps.com and from the e-book that he provides as a free download in pdf file format from the site. Larry describes his experiences as an aviation electronics technician in the US Navy in the mid nineteen fifties and gives a brilliant insight into what serving aboard the Nan Ships (and K-Ships) was actually like. His straightforward accounts of the very special considerations needed in taking off, flying and landing an airship are a joy to read. Larry died in January 2017 and I am so glad that I had the chance to correspond with him .
Over 60 years since the Flight Of The Snowbird, March 4-15, 1957
On March 4 1957, ZPG-2N N°.561 nicknamed "Snowbird" after previous exploits during all-weather winter operations, set off on her world record making endurance flight. She flew across the Atlantic and down the coast of Africa and back to the US without touching down or refueling and was in the air for 264 hours and 14 minutes - that's just over 11 days!
SCALE and MATERIAL:
Please remember that you have the choice of scale and of material - please check your choices in the top right corner of this page.
ZPG-2 Length = 343 feet, or 104.55 meters
1/1250 scale model length = 83.6 mm
1/1200 scale model length = 87.1 mm
Please Note that when landed, the N-Class rested in a nose-down attitude on it's under carriage. Once moored at the mast the craft was usually in a horizontal position with the nose-wheel off the ground or even slightly retracted.
For the 1/700 and 1/600 scales versions of this model , please click HERE.
Photos and Film
The N-Class were operational during the Cold War era and relatively little photo and film material about them is available to the public . In fact a lot of information about them is still classified as secret and there are very few film clips in particular, to be able to share.
Details
What's in the box:
ZPG-2 1 1250 Assy Mod 1 WORKPAD nf
Dimensions:
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Rating:
Mature audiences only.
