I had found this BAER-STRASBURGER Zeppelin pull toy, produced in the late 1920s, many years ago on an online auction. It was in fair condition and in need of repair with some minor rust, dents, paint loss, discoloration, and some rough play ware. Surprisingly, it still had the upper vertical fin and the lower vertical fin assembly with steel wheel. The gondola was also in good shape but was missing a wooden dowel and propeller that had to be handmade. So when the time came to bring the life back into them, I decided not to do a straight up restoration but rather a Restor-Version and create some custom decals for the BAER-STRASBURGER Zeppelin.
The Zeppelin was taken apart, parts sand blasted or wire brushed. The parts were then grey primer painted and then silver painted with some automotive grade silver lacquer paint. The clear coat paint was also lacquer as well. After the painting process, the custom decals were made using a couple graphics programs, a color laser printer and special decal paper.
This BAER-STRASBURGER Zeppelin would be represented as the US Navy - USS MACON. The USS MACON was built at the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation, Akron, Ohio, USA. It was commissioned on 06/25/1933 and was a very successful airship until it crashed in a storm on 02/04/1935. The airship was 785 feet (239 m) long and weighed 72 tons (65,317 kg). It had a range of 11,000 miles (17,700km), and could reach speeds of 87 mph (140km/h). This airship was built and operated by the US Navy for scouting and served as a “flying aircraft carrier,” designed to carry and support five single seat Curtis F9C Sparrowhawk biplanes.
Check out the photo set of this BAER-STRASBURGER Zeppelin to see the life brought back into this vintage toy.
