¹⁄700

DAS BLATT wendett sich!

DAS BLATT wendett sich!…

The Germans may not have had the New York missile but they were considering aircraft carriers, and HP Models’s 700 scale resin fluegzeugtragge, ELBE based on the MS Potsdam hull is the starting point for this exercise of science fiction.

My last project in this genre was the “roten pfiele”, a fly past of German Me 262 “red arrows” featuring the Combrig 700 scale resin grille “Aviso” which Hitler would have used to sail up the Thames in his victory celebration had he won the war with Great Britain.

The prequel to this therefore was another chance to stretch belief and conjure a war winning scenario based on German projects at the time which perhaps may have become reality.

Following my interest in fluegelrad, the German flying disc both as fighter, and large transport together with the aircraft launched V1 style atom bomb, I had the idea of bringing all the “wunderwaffen” together in one outrageous assault on the allies. This is meant as an historical “what if” scenario and a closer look at the weapons the Germans could have aimed at us. Bring the clock forward in time and consider the myriad of jet aircraft special projects as the ultimate futuristic delivery systems and you wonder what have happened but fortunately was just an idea.

This thought paves the way for an imaginative flight of fancy, and by the way, that’s all it is, a creative project on my behalf.

So, the aircraft carrier ELBE is delivered into service as well as the other fluezeugtragger projects as an emergency effort to stop the tide of war engulfing Germany in inevitable defeat. With all the latest technology, at least in terms of drawing board ideas and feasibilities, we have a storyline which Hollywood would be proud of.

A quick paint scheme is employed with not quite enough time to finish, and the same with the aircraft, straight out of the factory which are painted on the way to the target. The atmosphere aboard the ship is balanced between certainty and suicidal desperation. Everyone is committed, eager, and willing to defend the fatherland which may mean the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you to Rob Kernaghan for the original idea arrived at through our regular discussions, and brainstorming. Our first thought was to have another double diorama, this time featuring two German aircraft carriers set to assault the United States. This was meant as a dual build but my commitments meant that I spent much more time, about four years, to conclude my side of the deal, messing around too long I guess with the flying saucer preoccupation.

Thank you to Guido Hopp for coming up with ideas for the camouflage scheme, and translating my theme into recognizable German.

The use of German devices is by no means a provocation but simply underlines an idea from history at a certain point in time that thankfully never took place.

The fluegelrad is the 72nd scale Planet Models resin kit with some photo etch parts which I bought at Telford.

The large fluegelrad on the model is a round metal top off a deconstructed olive oil decanting device. The smaller discs are silver coloured hole punch reinforcerment with a blob of pva which dries clear to form the canopy. The ”normal” aircraft are available from Skywave 700 scale Luftwaffe sets.

And so, next up is the “Battle of the Atlantic” rewritten………………

Peter Fulgoney Lancing, UK. December 2011.