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Unbelievable. You tinker out stuff I dream of being able to achieve.

Of course the big guns on the back, because she will leave everyone in her wake.......

And I agree wit more guns.

I love the wood decking, but it needs to be polished oak, with some guys playing shuffle board on one side.


I have seen many works on Dakka Dakka, that have inspired me and many that are too good for words. But this is legendary.

Everytime I look at this I'm always taken back by the sheer amount of work you've done, It's Amazing, and I look forward to seeing more.
Also I loved the photoshop pictures, Their both great but I think my favorites the space one, It really looks like it belongs .

Hi all you patient followers and readers,
thanks for your feedback!

I think today is one of the last build posts for the ATHENA!
I'm sure that she's now 95% complete and all that is left are some gaps and then millions of rivets

But I still owe you some work in progress updates.
Last I asked what some of you would think if I added wooden planks to the rear deck, and if the carved plastic card I had made was good enough for this purpose.
Well, the response was in unison in favour of the idea
So I cut some .7mm wide PC strips as framework on the deck - it also serves to keep the bridge section in position (remember it is removable)
Some gap filling with green putty, and then I started with the wood PC.
I can tell you, carving the wood pattern is kind of meditation
I did it while watching the Formula One race in Hungary.


The wood sections on deck and also for the actual landing platform/elevator piece.
With the deck sections it looks just great


As Eyescream on WIP suggested I definitely need some railings to keep my drunken sailors on board
This build was a bit fiddly, as I couldn't glue it in place (it has to be removable for painting), but once the top railing was glued onto the wooden posts it got very sturdy.
The upper railing with the corner was a challenge - I cursed a LOT


But now that it's complete I am absolutely proud of it!


As said, the sections are removable


Then I had to add "a few" rivets


Top view


Side shot


The next to last item on the to-do-list was this access ramp on the underside of the body


And the final item was the support frame for the lower gondola


It now keeps everything aligned and in position.
Well, that's it!
Oh, I have a "little" video of her again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbA4l7-HQ8U&feature=youtu.be

And now its
RIVETS, RIVETS, RIVETS
and a bit of gap filling and
RIVETS, RIVETS, RIVETS
and then some
RIVETS

I hope you like it.

I'm all with Atreides that its a funny moment, realizing that this project is coming to an end.
Its with one crying eye that I look at her.
But hey, I'll have plenty of hours painting her ahead of me
Cheers
Klaus

Love it, love the video, my jaw is on the floor. I really want to take on a project of this scale now, so much detail to get lost in!

Force Majeure...how does anyone top this?

I am in love with that ship! it's not right if i want to marry her is it? I promise i'll treat her good!! .......unless she wants me to treat her bad?! ;-)

whoa... a bit creepy to see her stripped apart... it felt a bit like a sacrilege...

the way you steampunked the detaillevel is very cool...

and the wooden decking... yes!!!!!!

if i had to add something it woulld concern the lower sections of the prow... i think some more posh details would be nice...

other than that... you shocking well know we love that big femme fatal!!!

Wow! Haven't been on Dakka for a while & just popped in to your awesome blog and just wow! Amazing work! I can't imagine the amount of time this must have taken! Can't wait to see it finished.

Cool, cool, cool blah blah blah, (insert any form of sincerest flattery and admiration of choice). No, really, we should start inventing new words to express the ever growing awesomeness of this project

I've not checked back with this PLog for a while but wow - looking very nice

Thank you guys!

With the build and masking complete, I moved all the pieces into the garden for priming and initial painting. The first can of black got me through the gondola and bridge, as well as half the body
After the initial black priming I added streaks and dots of light grey to create a kind of cloud pattern.


Some blue, a bit of white, and some more black completed the basic camo pattern. Then all the small pieces and items received a black base coat. Some of the turrets, the rotors and radar bridge also got the camo pattern.


After 3 hours with spray cans in the garden she was ready to go back onto my desk. First I added burn marks on the damaged sections.
Then base colored the port holes. With the airbrush I added shadows and basic light areas to the port holes. And then I painted the brass-colored rims of the port holes.


The armor patches were painted with Astonomican Grey. And I started to paint the steampunk ornaments with Tinny Tin (from Vallejo).


And then disaster struck!!!
I took a short break, setting the ATHENA to the side and leaving my little man-cave.

About an hour later I came back, and when returning to my desk I knocked the ATHENA over and she fell off my desk to the ground!
I was so shocked I didn't even take pictures, but believe me, it wasn't a sight I'd ever want to see again.
Broken pieces on the floor and the ATHENA on her side...

After some initial cleanup and first repairs I remembered to take photos.
Here the rear section.
As you can see the body was cracked open, some of the plastic card ripped - I already glued some armor patches onto the major damage. The rear balcony broke off the support, but was generally undamaged.


The very tip of the nose chipped and some of the glue lines broke open.
The right forward wing broke completely off (actually it broke out of the body, leaving a huge hole). I glued everything back in position.


Some of the supports for the railing broke off (really minor damage)
And in the bridge section several items rattled around. With the windows masked I couldn't see what exactly was broken.
So I decided to cut her open and see to it.


In the end one of the ceiling lights and the admiral broke loose.
This was an easy fix, and I decided to take the entire top section back off. This will now give me the opportunity to get at the windows in case the masking didn't work out properly.
With the initial shock overcome, I continued with painting the ornaments.

First details for the bridge section.


And the radar bridge.
With the slogan "Semper Paratus, Semper Vigilans" - Always ready, always watchful"


The lower section of the bridge completed
Well, of course without any real details and without any weathering yet.


The next section I will paint is the forward section with the KERES launcher.
Gee! I forgot how many details I added here - and they are sooo hard to get to....

As usual you can see all the details (30 images) in my blog:
http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.de/2013/08/athena-steampunk-airship-100.html

Well, I hope you like this update.
Cheers
Klaus

WOW.......some colour at last! Klaus, being able to see the Athena near to complete, it's a wonderfull dream|!

Extreme way of adding battle damage!!! No way would I have the guts to do that......

Looks awesome with colour.

I would have cried! Amazing that you pulled it together, repaired the damage and kept going!

While the page was loading the red letters "and then disaster struck" flashed passed my screen, and I think my heart stopped for yours for a minute as I quickly read through skipping the pictures. That's a first because I'm so visually oriented that always look at pics first then usually just skim through posts if its blogs I don't frequent. I think the not designed "Battle damage" will only make this grand lady of the fleet even better makes it look like she's being rushed back out to the front lines of battle after getting the critical repairs fixed because she is urgently needed for the cause.

WOOW!!!! incredible work! i am struggling to even imagine the time that has gone into this wonderous lady!

The mix of Air Ship / Battle Cruiser is amazing. Really fite the whole 40k "it shouldnt work, but it DOES!" kind of idea! Love it!

Really going to be keeping a keen eye on this beaut as she progresses to full battle readines!

damn....(i spoke a more ruder word in RL when reading this...)
man... i have every respect for you... you didn´t kneel on the floor all weeping like a six year old girl...(believe me... i would have done so!!!)

at first, when looking at the primed and started painting work on the athena i thought...:an era has ended... a new world has begun...

and then you knocked it off... oh my!.... but you have pluckered up courage enough to mend... the ship and probably all our hearts as well!!!...

by the way... painting work looks very promising!...

no get some insurance for that beast!

Horrific! I dropped my gargantuan squiggoth a few months back and haven't been able to face going break to it. Your work is as inspiring as ever!

I've been following ("haphazardly lurking" would be closer to the truth) the construction of the Athena for quite a long time, and am so sad about that disaster... Hopefully she'll get better soon

Thats always the last thing you want to happen when working on a long term project,
but you seem to have it well under control, plus the painting looks great, looking forward to seeing this one finished .

Glad you are persevering Klaus and didn't just put the broken hulk on a shelf to slowy die... She deserves the restoration to bring her back to her former glory

Mate, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger! You're a manly-man now! a real manotaur!



I bow to your resolve and self control!

LONG LIVE THE ATHENA!

But I would really look for some way to reinforce her...

Thanks guys!
Thank you for your well wishes

@storag - I'm proud to be a real Minotaur! Thanks mate

Well, I continued painting the ATHENA, and since she now has some real damage, I decided to see how I can paint her to incorporate the real and "fake" damage together.

As stated in the last post, I worked on the forward section.
The deeper damages are hand painted, while the minor damage is done with a sponge.


I also painted and remounted the wooden chests. I think they fit nicely


The actual detailing and damage is complete for this section, but in the end everything will get another coat of dirt (usually a wash of Devlan Mud and some Badab Black) and then lots of stains and grime.


The forward banner received its slogan:
"Sans Preur, Invictus Maneo" - "Without Fear, I remain unconquered"


I was asked how I draw the deeper damage (since I don't use the "Salt technique").
So I start off with the damage in a dark grey-brown.


Then I paint the shadows of the damage in Terracotta (simulating the rust resilient paint) and the highlights with Shadow Grey
Some of the really deep grooves also receive a bit of Boltgun Metal and to even things out, I add some minor damage with a sponge (using the first dark brown-grey again)


Its a bit more work than using the salt, but I feel more comfortable this way


It also works for bigger damage, like this patched up blast damage.


Well, it's been a long and hard campaign, and the Orks on Dencara 5 proved to be a worthy enemy. There was hardly any time for maintenance or cleanup.
Now that "Operation Redeemer", the battle campaign against the Orks on the southern hemisphere, is over and the ATHENA on its way back north, to Xanthium, there is time.
And with free time comes boredom - to keep up discipline the first work details are assigned by the officers. Some of the not-so-fortunate (or not-so-brave) sailors are grabbing their paint buckets and paint rollers and start their dreaded imposition...



That's as far as I got over the last two days.
I hope you like today's little update.
Cheers
Klaus

Wonderful stuff!

The athena sees paint - its the end of an era. And the beginning of a better, full colour era! Do be careful not to bump into it again. I love your work.

Fantastic work Klaus. Congratulations on finishing such an epic build and not going lala when it fell off the table. Really nice painting (as always), good battle damage and I really like your painted banners.

Its a little bit extreme when you try to replicate battle damage.... by causing actual damage!!! haha!

Phenomenal work!

Love the guys painting will you have someone in a sling over the side of the ship scrapping off rust/pounding out dents?

 Theophony wrote:
Love the guys painting will you have someone in a sling over the side of the ship scrapping off rust/pounding out dents?

Absolutely!

Amazing Klaus! I agree, the salt technique never looks as good as hand-painted and highlighted chipping.