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In this article you will find an in-depth review of steampunk airships. This means that we will address key questions such as what is a steampunk airship, where do they come from, and what is their place in the Steampunk Universe and the best known in the world.
They will be updated and improved periodically, please be indulgent on the little developed content that will be gradually increased.
Continue reading to learn more.
Airships in the Steampunk aesthetic are often referred to as "lighter-than-air" aircraft. Basically, they are the first creations of man in a race to dominate the air during the post-Victorian period.
Steampunk airships are often described as non-rigid, semi-rigid and rigid aircraft. But we will speak in other terms.
According to steampunk and aircraft experts, steampunk flying machines can be classified into three groups.
Steampunk hot-air balloons are the first attempts of people to travel through the air. Hot-air balloons were created by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. They realized that the difference in air temperatures could be used to lift a tiny basket.
Just after this invention, the discovery of certain gases such as methane, helium and hydrogen allowed the creation of balloons lighter than air balloons. As you may have guessed, this type of balloons has an additional problem: These gases are flammable.
Balloons have a particular problem concerning control. They are lifted into the air, but it is impossible to know where you are going to land. Once in the air, it depends exclusively on the direction of the wind.
This is one of the main reasons why hot-air balloons are not as popular as one might have imagined in steampunk culture.
Steampunk hot-air balloons can be found in Jules Verne's "Voyage Extraordinaire", published in 1863. It is also mentioned in HG Wells, "The Time Machine", as one of the inventions that could be used for time travel.
For this reason, we think that there are not as many steampunk hot-air balloons as we would like in steampunk literature.
But as far as airships are concerned, as we know, it is only in 1852 that a test project was created. Studied by a famous engineer in engine (steam of course) of the time, Henri Giffard conceived an airship of 44 meters which was propelled by a steam engine of 3 horses.
As surprising as it may seem, it was the first post-Victorian airplane project. And the fact is that this plane was not easily steerable in the sky. Again, some allies prevented this airship from becoming one of the major technologies of the nineteenth century.
Nevertheless, this airship was the trigger for the imagination of many authors. Now that they had seen it, it was another one that they used in many forms for their steampunk novels.
In addition, there was another attempt at an airship in 1863 created in New Jersey by Solomon Andrews. This man took the previous idea of the hot air balloons we were talking about and created a system to be able to direct them in the air.
What is interesting in this story is that this airship actually worked during its first flight. But for unknown reasons, it was dismantled after its first trip.
It was not until 1884 that the first reliable airship flew regularly in the sky. Charles Renaud and Arthur Krebs flew an electric plane of 2 tons and 50 meters long.
Other developments in France allowed Alberto Santos Dumont to make a cruise in the French sky with his plane #6. This time it was a one-ton, 33-meter long plane, a little more light than its ancestors.
Now, if we could put ourselves back in Paris in 1900, we would have a glimpse of what a true post-Victorian era would have been like. The steampunk roots are based on the descriptions of this period.
Unfortunately, the catastrophe that was the First World War put a stop to what could have been a true steampunk period in history.
The machines called Zeppelins are named after their creator, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a wealthy military officer retired from Bavaria.
Von Zeppelin was then considered a hero for a mission he had accomplished during the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. He retired as a lieutenant-general at the end of his career. For this reason he started to design his own airplane.
He realized that the technological developments concerning airplanes were focused on the construction of small airships. He realized that thanks to the law of square cubes, he could create a much larger airship that could fly efficiently in the sky.
This is the reason why he started to create his personal airship: The Zeppelin. His initial design, the LZ1, was 122 meters long and contained 400,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas in its main chamber.
This design was refined with the Zeppelins LZ2 and LZ3. The latter could hold more passengers inside.
The zeppelins were an exceptional development of the era. It was not until after the Second World War that the development of airplanes overtook the technology of zeppelins.
Steampunk airships and zeppelins can be found in various novels. Homunculus by Jaime Blaylock and Infernal Devices by KW Jeter include a steampunk airship in their plot. But the steampunk novel best known for its airships is Michael Moorcock's Oswald Bastable.
There are several games where you can find steampunk airships.
ICARUS ONLINE
One of the most famous is "Guns Of Icarus Online". In Guns of Icarus Online, you will sail through the sky with your steampunk team inside a steampunk airship.
This steampunk plane looks like a big sea ship built with wood, brass and iron. They are generally powered by steam technology with a standard engine room. It's a war game where you'll run into other teams in the sky. Try to destroy your enemies to keep it! Because if you don't, you'll go down with your team.
Not only is it a fun game, but it also requires a lot of interaction with the players in your team, an escape game and a group logic game. It is a game where coordination and individual skills determine who will be the winner.
STEAMPUNK MOD IN ARK
Yes, there is a steampunk mod in ARK where you will find steampunk airships. You will also find steampunk submarines. These upgrades allow for raids and crazy battles.
The steampunk mod for ARK is only available for PC players.
There are some users who have claimed that this steampunk mod can become slow and buggy. As far as we know, this could be due to individual servers rather than a global problem. It must be considered on a case by case basis. Many steampunk airships are waiting for you!
STEAMPUNK SKYSHIP AND AIRSHIP COMMANDER
There are some steampunk VR games with steampunk airships that are pretty cool. They are available on Oculus Rift and HTC vibe.
Steampunk Skyship, which is more a University of Texas project than a video game, where you are in a steampunk airship. You can explore it and move around with a keyboard.
Airship Commander is a steampunk airship combat simulator.
IGNOBLES DIRIGEABLES
Dastardly Dirigibles is a steampunk board game for 2-5 players that consists of building a steampunk airship and racing it to the end. It's a fun game to play with the whole family.
It's easy for young children to understand, but it has some strategy in its design. This means that you can become quite competitive with your friends if you want to.
ZEPHYR : A WIND OF CHANGE
Zephyr: Winds of Change is also a steampunk board game for 1 to 4 players in which you play the role of an airship captain.You will be able to upgrade your steampunk plane and hire crew members throughout the game.
Your main goal will be to complete the main mission which is chosen before you start the game based on your needs. Whoever gets there first wins the game. This game is still in kickstarter.
LEVIATHANS
Leviathans is also a steampunk board game that features airship battles. It is a 2+ board game recommended for players. The game contains 8 exquisite steampunk airship miniatures that have been crafted with precision.
Leviathans is a turn-based game that resembles the experience of the Battleships Galaxies board game in some ways. The game ends when one player eliminates the other.
Apart from that, the game is a complete immersive steampunk experience. It comes with two novels, posters, twelve recognition cards that tell the story of each airship and twelve dice.
This is also an interesting topic because what we found here is not common. There are two main films that are focused on or contain mainly steampunk airships in their plot.
The Adventures of the Steampunk Airship Kiljaik is an indie series that was released on December 18, 2018. The idea behind the plot is that of a steampunk city invaded by a diesel-punk civilization. We will have to wait a few months before we know the evolution of this society and its interaction with the steampunk airship Kiljaik.
Airlords of Airia is a short German steampunk science fiction film developed by Steam Fiction Film. It's a 13 minute crowdfunded film that tells the story of Airlord Karak, a war hero and admiral of the Airia fleet, who wants to take over the world with the power he gets from a discovery he makes.
It's very fun to watch. The atmosphere is appropriately designed and steampunk. The actors are German, so you will find that the translations are not as good as you would like.
There are some steampunk airships that can be visited in museums around the world.
STEAMPUNK IN HAMILTON GARDENS
Hamilton Gardens is a 54 acre area administered by the Hamilton City Council in New Zealand. It was designed as a public green space for the citizens. Over time, Hamilton Gardens has developed specific sub-sections that address particular issues.
In fact, there are 23 specific gardens that cover different topics. There is one specific garden called the "concept garden" that keeps this Steampunk airship for display.
The Huddleston airship is the most realistic piece of equipment to be found in the concept garden. The garden opened on February 1, 2018. People are invited to view this steampunk work of art throughout the year.
DIRIGEABLE AIRPUSHER STEAMPUNK
The steampunk Airpusher blimp was a zeppelin project that was funded by IndieGoGo in 2013. It was built by Edmundo Landgraf. The idea behind this project was to present steampunk and this zeppelin in the convention of the famous Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada.
The project was so successful that they created a campaign 2. 0 campaign in IndieGoGo for 2014.
STEAMPUNK LEADER AT STEAMPUNK HQ
If there's one place in the world that has to have a steampunk airship, it's Steampunk HQ. Our amazing steampunk museum enchants us with this wonderful steampunk airship sculpture that can be found outside the museum.
Covered in a gray tone, hanging from a few copper pillars, this shark-shaped steampunk zeppelin is a must-see if you are going to visit this steampunk museum in the near future.
Throughout this article, we have reviewed everything about steampunk airships and we are sure to come up with some new ideas, so don't hesitate to suggest some. If you think there is something we missed in this post, please feel free to comment on Facebook.
If you liked our article and you want to know more about steampunk, we recommend you to check out the site, you might have a lot of surprises and favorites.
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