IDW 0021: Luxury Dirigible [VOTING]

[Flip]

Topic: Luxury Dirigible

Background: Rejecting concerns that Germany would use helium for war zeppelins, the US sells helium to Germany allowing the LZ 129 Hindenburg to be filled with the inert gas, as designed, rather than highly flammable hydrogen. With no Hindenburg disaster, luxury dirigibles continue to be perceived as safe method of air travel and development continues on these luxury cruiser. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin continues to make the finest airships and is looking for a new design to show that they're still leaders in the manufacture of luxury dirigibles.


Brief:

1. Design a luxury dirigible.

2. It should be an exciting new design.

3. Setting is anytime Post-1937 (LZ 129 Hindenburg disaster).


-------------------

D-Holme
http://www.milecastle.com/IDW021-DHolme.jpg
NB: Thinking about the time after the Hindenberg the likelihood of any major airships construction was greatly effected by the onset of WWII. This design is set in an alternate history where the Third Reich was victorious, building an empire across Europe and into Asia. I hope that no-one is offended by the basis of this design.

The LZ135 Himmelburg
Built to celebrate the founding of the Greater Reich the LZ135 was ordered to serve as a luxury airship for tours of the Reich by Wehrmacht leadership and notables. It has been suggested the this vessel may also serve in a security role allowing important figures to visit states where insurgent activity make more conventional transport potentially hazardous.

LZ135 is essentially a redefinement of the military LZ133 & 134 Luft-Auge airships (although the new craft was some 30m longer). Indeed the new LZ135 matched its predecessors hull form very closely still incorporating the extended nose used for mounting the early warning radar systems in the Luft-Auge design.
These new airships differ greatly from pre-war Zeppelins in their structural arrangements. Rather than follow rigid construction through-out of the LZ127-131 airships these new designs had a strengthened supporting keel and an unsupported semi-rigid gas bag, this new approach produced a great saving in structural weight and allowed for a massively increased carrying load. This allowed the LZ133 & 134 to mount a great deal of electronic equipment where they served as airborne radar and command centres.

The LZ135 Himmelburg is a flying palace; incorporating a major state room, 20 lavish personal suites, 30 smaller guest cabins, a television/radio studio, broadcast systems and a specially designed aerial kitchen to provide full banqueting capabilities for those onboard. At the rear there is a hanger space for air-docking a specially modified Heinkel transport plane.

The LZ135 is powered by 10 engine nacelles each mounting 2 sets of 24 cylinder DB2000 engines – in reality two Daimler Benz DB1000 Inline Engines driving a single propeller shaft. The rear most nacelles only contain three engines instead using the remaining space to mount two alternators to provide electrical power for the extensive onboard electrical systems. Although the earlier overheating problems of the dual linked DB1000 engines have been mitigated these engines are still diesel driven to reduce the risk of fire. Many critics consider these engines still to be greatly overpowered but their use allows the LZ135 to reach an unprecedented top speed and altitude.


-------------------

Supialoctopod
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p218/supialoctopod/dirigiblefinal.jpg
A few years after Luftschiffbau Zeppelin's success with the Hindenburg, the company decided to build a new variety of dirigibles.
Personal Luxury Dirigibles were popular among the wealthy in the early 1940's. Extravagant parties with the most prominent people of the time would be held 2000 meters in the sky. The cost to own and maintain one of these babies was around $5,000 - $10,000 (remember, 1940's).


-------------------

arttorney
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m214/arttorney/arttorneyluxurydirigible001.jpg
The twin impeller drive provided a quiet ride and they loved the forward observation gallery, but what everybody always raved about was the glass enclosed tennis court topside. The ship's doctor was an expert at sports medicine so sprained ankles were no problem, at least not for him.


-------------------

DELTA-CHARLIE
http://www.davidcarles.com/illustrations/IDW21.jpg
Experience one of our most innovative airships.
It's carry fewer guests than vessels of comparable size for spacious comfort.
Your cruise will prove unforgettable with Zeppelin Cruise Tour as your host.


-------------------

ViDA
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n7/vivivi_01/Zepp.jpg
Stella
Conceptually elegant design with backup engines and classy sailing vessel body lines, Stella is truely a blast from the past.
While not being the biggest of its family, Stella is famous for luxury and comfort that surrounded few lucky passengers.


-------------------

Sogbad
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h155/sogbad/blimp.jpg


-------------------

smot
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c42/smot_1975/conceptArt/luxury_dirigible_small_FINAL.jpg

-------------------

Act.Appalled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/gearshiftx/act.jpg

-------------------

Legato
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/legato/IDotW/IDotW%20021%20-%20Final%20Reduced.jpg
I just thought it would be cool to have a room in a gondola suspended in the air. And at night, guests can retire to the upper quarters to star gaze...

[D-Holme]

General Thoughts...
Looking at the entries, I think that most (my own included) have missed the brief and haven't managed to produce a feeling of luxury that should have been a key factor of the design.

Two exceptions were the entries from DELTA-CHARLIE and ViDa who had both produced designs that convoyed a good sense of luxury. The fact that the brief included a real-world situation (specifically a post Hindenburg design) made me vote for DELTA-CHARLIE with very clean believable modern lines.

[dragon4lunch]

D-Holme your German made me smile. It should correctly say: Grossartiger Zeppelin des Gross-Deutschen Reichs

Zeppelin is male (don't ask me why) and thus you need to use an "r" instead of the "s" (s indicates it is sexless). Also, nouns are always capitalized in German. And man, am I glad Germany lost that war. Just imagine hideous ships like that flying around...

HAHAHA, just kidding. Thank God Germany lost the war though. I wish we could go back in time and undo Hitler and save 50 million lives.

[Dragonspit]

My vote went to D-Holme. I know the brief allowed anytime post 37, but I still think would have pulled for that era, so in my minds eye, D hit it. Luxury would be defined by the time. I also really liked the how you did the ad, old age version, put the lid on it.

supia- nice idea, just not as finished.

arttorney-I couldnt follow the back ground.

Delta-by far the coolest looking Zepplin I had ever seen. If they were still doing them, this would be what we would see flying around I have no doubt. My pick for D was only due to the era, which was more my misgiving than yours. super nice. Actually, I want a ride on that puppy.


vida-another super nice entry. bring the word "massive" to mind.

sogbad-I got confused if that was one ship or two, if one I am misunderstanding the perspective. cant put my finger on it.

smot-I like the design a lot. The overall finish is a little soft or blurry and could use some higlights or contrast.

Act.- I am not really following the design.

Legato- I really liked this to. Nice clean lines, plausible design. I would have liked to see the lighting envelope pushed some. Your selection of the ortho view thing gave it a nice finish, but not as dramatic. The design I never finished had an Atrium on top for large viewing. i thought the same thing. Luxury would include things most people would never do, just hangin out in a place over the top.


For a slim start, this turned out some nice entries.

[Legato]

Legato- I really liked this to. Nice clean lines, plausible design. I would have liked to see the lighting envelope pushed some. Your selection of the ortho view thing gave it a nice finish, but not as dramatic. The design I never finished had an Atrium on top for large viewing. i thought the same thing. Luxury would include things most people would never do, just hangin out in a place over the top.


For a slim start, this turned out some nice entries.

thanks for the write up. between not skinning it, or fleshing it out, i new i was submitting something unfinished. trial and error testing toon render settings ate up entire days, but oh well :P

i was also trying to get enough helium/hydrogen in there to make it look like it could actually fly... something not many others did it seems, but oh well :D

[DELTA-CHARLIE]

My vote went to Vida. I just hope you got more time to finish it, but the frame look terrific! Love the world feeling around too, good job

[Johnnyhorse]

My vote went to Sogbad since his seems to be one of the few that really fits the time-frame of the topic, plus it seems the most fleshed out and functional.

I really liked D-Holmes, but when I saw your WIP in the work-thread I thought that you were going to create the gas bags 'on top' of the entire structure, and not inside it--it seems a little uncertain. Nevertheless, it's greatly presented and wonderfully stylized. It was a tough choice between yours and Sogbad's
[EDIT: Crap, I didn't realize it's "multiple votes"]

[chaosrocks]

almost went for smot's cause its sparkely and has an expensive feel to it...But I was discouraged by the blurry ness of the render.

voted delta
its clean and sleak

chaos

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/chaosrocks/emperorsship.jpg
and old DSG...I kinda liked it.