{"product_id":"amt-892-12-u-s-s-akron-u-s-s-macon-u-s-navy-airship-1-520-scale-plastic-ki","title":"AMT 892\/12 U.S.S. Akron \/ U.S.S. Macon U.S. Navy Airship — 1\/520 Scale plastic kit round 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: AMT \/ Round2 Models\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit number: 892\/12\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: USS Akron or USS Macon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScale: 1\/520\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFinished length: approximately 457–460 mm (18 in)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMoulding: grey plastic\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSkill level: 2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOptions: build either Akron or Macon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDecals: markings for both airships\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDisplay stand\/cradle: included\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eType: Static plastic model\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal kit: AMT, 1976\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eModern reissue: Round2\/AMT\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCurrent status: Discontinued at a number of retailers, although remaining\/secondary stock exists.\n\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer — AMT\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAMT, originally Aluminum Model Toys, is one of America's historic plastic model manufacturers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe company began in the 1940s and became particularly famous for its automotive kits. AMT was instrumental in establishing the American plastic model industry, especially through its extensive range of automotive promotional models.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the decades AMT's catalogue expanded into:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aircraft;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    spacecraft;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    military subjects;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    science-fiction subjects;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    ships;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    unusual vehicles;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    and historically interesting subjects such as large airships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAMT's aircraft range has always contained some unusual subjects that were not necessarily covered by the major aircraft-model manufacturers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron\/Macon is an excellent example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRather than producing another conventional fighter or bomber, AMT chose one of the most unusual American aircraft of the inter-war period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 892 tooling subsequently disappeared from production for many years before being revived by Round2 Models. The 2016 reissue is specifically documented as a re-release of the original 1976 AMT 1\/520 kit.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is relatively straightforward for its physical size.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe main components reproduce the enormous rigid-airship envelope and its external structures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe documented features include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron\/Macon is an excellent example.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is relatively straightforward for its physical size.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    large airship envelope;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    lower gondola;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    four tail surfaces;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    eight propellers;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    associated engine\/propulsion structures;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    display cradle;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    decals for either Akron or Macon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is moulded in grey plastic and requires normal modelling supplies including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    plastic cement;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    paint;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    modelling knife;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    sprue cutters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not a complicated multi-hundred-part aircraft kit. Its size comes primarily from the enormous dimensions of the airship envelope.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne particularly useful feature is the ability to choose between the two sister ships without having to purchase two separate kits.\n\u003cbr\u003eScale and finished size\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 1\/520, the real Akron\/Macon's enormous dimensions are reduced to a manageable display model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e457 mm \/ 18 inches long.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Japanese catalogue gives approximately 45 cm finished length and a kit\/package weight of approximately 414 g.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe scale is particularly appropriate because it is also used by AMT for its Hindenburg kit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes it possible to build a small collection of the great rigid airships in matching scale.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real USS Akron\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe USS Akron (ZRS-4) was one of the largest rigid airships ever constructed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in Akron, Ohio, under the American Navy's rigid-airship programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron entered service in 1931.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts purpose was substantially different from the earlier wartime German Zeppelins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe US Navy regarded large rigid airships as long-range reconnaissance platforms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir extraordinary endurance and ability to remain airborne for long periods offered potential advantages for maritime reconnaissance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut the Akron was more than simply a reconnaissance aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was designed as a genuine flying aircraft carrier.\n\u003cbr\u003eAkron as an aircraft carrier\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most fascinating aspects of the Akron\/Macon design was its internal aircraft-handling system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe airship carried small aircraft internally.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA special trapeze mechanism allowed aircraft to be launched and recovered from beneath the airship while it was airborne.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft were known as F9C Sparrowhawks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis transformed the rigid airship into a type of airborne mothership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe idea was to extend the reconnaissance range of the airship by sending the small fighters\/scouts ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter completing their mission, the Sparrowhawks could return to the airship and engage the trapeze mechanism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe concept was technically remarkable, although operationally complicated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis feature also explains why later modellers have produced aftermarket aircraft sets specifically intended to accompany the AMT kit. A model-industry report from 2016 records a Shapeways 11-aircraft HTA unit intended for the AMT 1\/520 Akron\/Macon.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe USS Macon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe USS Macon (ZRS-5) was the sister ship of Akron.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe entered service in 1933, shortly after the Akron disaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough externally very similar, the Macon incorporated improvements based upon experience with the Akron.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe two ships therefore make an interesting pair for historical comparison.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Macon continued operating with the US Navy's Pacific Fleet and performed reconnaissance and fleet exercises.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLike Akron, she operated F9C Sparrowhawk aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eDimensions of the real airships\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron and Macon were enormous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ships were approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    785 feet \/ 239 m long\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    approximately 132 feet \/ 40 m maximum diameter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    approximately 6.5 million cubic feet \/ 184,000 m³ gas volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat means the real aircraft was longer than two modern football pitches placed end-to-end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 1\/520 scale, the 239 m length becomes approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e460 mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ewhich corresponds remarkably closely to the AMT model's approximately 45–46 cm finished length.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one reason the stated scale can be independently checked from the real aircraft dimensions.\n\u003cbr\u003ePropulsion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron and Macon were powered by multiple Maybach engines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe propulsion system used engines installed in external engine cars around the airship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach engine drove a propeller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe arrangement provided the thrust required to manoeuvre the huge airship despite its enormous mass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe eight-propeller arrangement is faithfully represented by the AMT kit.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe airship carrier system\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft-carrier capability is arguably the most unusual aspect of the entire Akron\/Macon story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe airship could carry several Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese small biplanes were deliberately designed around the requirement to operate from the airship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe pilot would approach the airship from below and attach the aircraft to a trapeze suspended beneath the hull.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOnce attached, the aircraft could be drawn into the airship's internal hangar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe process required considerable skill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt effectively made the Akron and Macon enormous airborne hangars.\n\u003cbr\u003eUSS Akron disaster\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron's operational career ended in tragedy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the night of 4 April 1933, the airship encountered severe weather off the coast of New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ship was lost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe accident killed the majority of those aboard and became one of the worst disasters in the history of rigid airships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe loss also exposed the vulnerability of enormous rigid airships to severe weather.\n\u003cbr\u003eUSS Macon disaster\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Macon survived longer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn 12 February 1935, while operating off the California coast, the Macon encountered severe weather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ship suffered a structural failure and went down in the Pacific Ocean.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike the Akron disaster, improved procedures and the use of life-saving equipment allowed many of the crew to survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, the loss of the Macon effectively ended the US Navy's large rigid-airship programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Navy subsequently abandoned its plans for further aircraft-carrier airships.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy the Akron and Macon matter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe two ships represent one of the most ambitious experiments in naval aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe concept combined:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eairship + long-range reconnaissance + airborne aircraft carrier\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ein one machine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe idea was technologically extraordinary but arrived during a period when conventional fixed-wing aircraft and aircraft carriers were developing rapidly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe flexibility, speed and practicality of conventional aircraft ultimately made the enormous rigid airship increasingly difficult to justify.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Hindenburg comparison\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron and Macon are sometimes overshadowed by the LZ 129 Hindenburg, but the American ships were comparable in overall physical scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAMT deliberately produced its Akron\/Macon and Hindenburg models in 1\/520 scale, allowing collectors to compare the three famous airships directly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron and Macon were military machines rather than passenger airliners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir purpose was:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    fleet reconnaissance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    scouting;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    communications;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aircraft deployment;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    long-duration operations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Hindenburg, by contrast, was principally a commercial passenger airship.\n\u003cbr\u003eOriginal full-size aircraft selling price\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Akron and Macon were government-owned military aircraft, not commercially marketed aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir construction was undertaken for the US Navy, so there is no normal historical retail \"selling price\" comparable with a civilian aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eConstruction costs are reported in historical sources, but because the programme included development, infrastructure and related equipment, it is important not to mistake the total programme expenditure for the selling price of one airship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor your catalogue I would therefore record:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal full-size selling price: Not commercially sold — US Navy government construction programme.\n\u003cbr\u003eCurrent full-size value\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNeither the Akron nor Macon survives as a complete aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCurrent full-size market value: N\/A — no surviving complete airship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are surviving artefacts and wreckage, particularly from the Macon, but these obviously do not represent a complete aircraft that could be purchased.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Macon's wreck site was rediscovered in the Pacific and has significant archaeological and historical importance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AMT","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512972321148,"sku":"AMT892\/12","price":54.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/D48F7CA7-AFEB-4DE1-8965-F37B2BFD6995.jpg?v=1790662717","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/amt-892-12-u-s-s-akron-u-s-s-macon-u-s-navy-airship-1-520-scale-plastic-ki","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}