Tag Archives: aeronef

Today we’re launching a pair of new British Aeronef dirigibles. The first, and smaller vessel, is the LRS class (Long Range Scout) which, as the name suggests, is a patrol vessel with minimal armament but capable of long duration missions to scout out enemy fleets.

The large, twin-envelope craft is the Mantis class Dig Bomber. These vessels carry significant loads of gravity bombs for dropping on ground targets or, if the bomb-aimer is very good (or very lucky) even on enemy vessels below.

Both craft have non-rigid main envelopes using the distinctive tri-lobe design employed by British WW1 airships, with multiple independent ballonets inside each lobe to provide some measure of redundancy and damage-proofing.

Both craft can operate with the Ark Royal class Dig Tender. A group typically consisting of an Ark Royal, several conventional escort vessels and 6-8 digs would be deployed as an independent long scout unit. The digs would be sent off on patrol missions of several weeks’ duration, returning to the tender for refueling, rearmament and replenishment of their gasbags. The tender can handle either two LRS class or one Mantis class on deck, with room in the large hangar for two LRS.

VANFP-107 – British Patrol Fleet – £22.00
VAN-126 – LRS-class Patrol Dig – £1.00
VAN-127 – Mantis Dig Bomber – £2.00

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We seem to be on a roll with our Aeronef updates as we gradually redesign the range. In between the major fleets, we’ve also found time to update some of the other fleets, and this week the Italians get an upgrade with new versions of their two battleships. The Re d’Italia and Guilo Cesare are smaller vessels, not up to the size of some of huge battlewagons of the major powers, but perfectly adequate to face off against the Austro-Hungarians in their seemingly permanent squabble over the Adriatic Sea.

As with all of our updates, the models now get separate turrets of a new design, which are also available as accessory packs. The hulls are resin, with metal funnels, tails, turrets and masts.

I wanted to do something different with the Italian colour scheme, so I took a cue from my friend Silvio, who owns the largest Italian Aeronef fleet in existence. I went for conventional black hulls, but painted the superstructures and turrets in Azzurri blue (the paint I used is Citadel Caledor Sky). They were painted in my usual base/wash/highlight style and finished with tail markings from Dom’s Decals.

The Italian fleet pack has also been updated, and now contains a Re d’Italia, two Cesares and escorts

VANFP-1801 – Italian Fleet Pack – £22.00
VAN-1801 – Giulo Cesare class Light Battleship – £6.00
VAN-1802 – Re d’Italia class Battleship – £7.00
VAN-7181 – Italian Twin Turrets (x10) – £1.50
VAN-7182 – Italian Triple Turrets (x10) – £1.50

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The German Aeronef Fleet is the latest one to be updated, with the existing battleship and battlecruiser models replaced with new designs. In addition, there are two new models, the Derfflinger class Battlecruiser and Weser class Carrier.

All of the new models are digital sculpts featuring resin hulls with metal fittings. Turrets are now separate parts along with metal tails, masts and other parts.

The existing fleet packs have been updated with the new models (VANFP-301, 302 and 304, which now contains one Moltke and one Derfflinger) as has the Grand Fleet Pack, and there’s a new carrier pack.

VAN-301 – Blücher class Battleship – £8.00
VAN-307 – Markgraf class Battleship – £8.00
VAN-312 – Moltke class Battlecruiser – £7.00
VAN-323 – Derfflinger class Battlecruiser – £7.00
VAN-324 – Weser class Carrier – £9.00

VANFP-023 – German Grand Fleet Pack – £48.00
VANFP-301 – German Fleet Pack #1 – £22.00
VANFP-302 – German Fleet Pack #2 – £22.00
VANFP-304 – German Fleet Pack #3 – £22.00
VANFP-306 – German Carrier Pack – £22.00

This now just leaves us the two Pacific powers, USA and Japan, to be updated, which will be completed by the end of the year.

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Having replaced all of the British Aeronef capital ships earlier this year, it’s now time for the carrier aviation side of the fleet to get a makeover. Joining the fleet today is the Furious class aircraft carrier, a long, slender vessel with a full length flight deck. The ends of the hangar deck are open so aircraft can also be flown off the short lower flight deck forward. The Furious is armed with a battery of six anti-aircraft turrets to ward off attackers.

The Furious carries eighteen fighters of new design. The usual mix is twelve single-seat scout fighters, and six larger two-seater fighter-bombers. The latest aircraft to enter service, both specifically designed for the Furious, are the Fitton Scout and the Thornton 2-seater.

A rather more unusual vessel is the Ark Royal class airship tender. This has a huge hangar amidships with space for two fully inflated dirigibles, or as many as six gondolas can be carried with their gasbags deflated – the ship also carries enough liquified helium to inflate them. Converted from merchant vessels, they’re heavily armed with two cruiser turrets for’d and anti-aircraft turrets on top of the hangar.

VAN-122 – SE-32 Fitton Scout (x6) – £1.25
VAN-123 – Thornton TA-7 2-seat Fighter (x6) – £1.50
VAN-124 – Furious Class Fighter Carrier – £8.50
VAN-125 – Ark Royal class Airship Tender – £8.00
VANFP-105 – British Carrier Pack – £22.00

The Furious replaces the older Albion carrier model which is being withdrawn and will also be replaced by a new model later in the year. We’ve updated the contents of the British Carrier Pack with the Furious and new fighters as well.

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And you thought we’d finished the Salute releases … actually so did we. I shall be brief here, as I still have a thousand and one jobs to do and writing long blog posts isn’t one of them ! Painting display models is, but I suspect that these will have to remain in their undercoat for Saturday.

The next Aeronef fleet to benefit from an upgrade is the German Luftschiffeflotte. We’ve replaced the three German capital ships (the Blucher and Markgraf battleships and the Moltke battlecruiser) and added a new model, the Derfflinger class battlecruiser for good measure.

And that’s not all – the Germans now have something to fly their Dreidecker fighters from with the arrival of the Weser class carrier.

VAN-301 – Blücher class Battleship – £8.00
VAN-307 – Markgraf class Battleship – £8.00
VAN-312 – Moltke class Battlecruiser – £7.00
VAN-323 – Derfflinger class Battlecruiser – £7.00
VAN-324 – Weser class Carrier – £9.00

VANFP-306 – German Carrier Pack – £22.00

The models in the existing fleet packs will be replaced by new ones (VANFP-301, 302 and 304, which will now contain one Moltke and one Derfflinger) and there’s a new carrier pack. Stocks of these, especially the Weser, will be limited to just a handful – I only started production this week – so you’ll need to be early.

That really is pretty much it for Salute, barring any more last-minute additions (which could still happen, you never know…). The Salute 2018 page has a list of all of our new releases (or will do when I add the last bits and pieces to it).

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