COBI Aircraft Carrier Graf Zeppelin

Four German aircraft carriers were planned for the Kriegsmarine in the 1930s by Admiral Raeder. They were dogged from the start by lack of experience on the part of german naval architects and of a clear vision of mission objectives. Infighting between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe, bickering in the ranks of the Kriegsmarine itself and Hitlers growing lack of interest tended to slow construction and by 1939 the number of ships was reduced from four to two. The beginning of World War II meant priorities shifted to U-boat construction and one carrier, Flugzeugträger B, was broken up on the slipway while work on the other, Flugzeugträger A, now named Graf Zeppelin, was continued piecemeal but suspended in 1940.

As the war progressed the vital role of aircraft carriers (for example Pearl Harbour, the Battle of Midway, the pursuit and sinking of the Bismarck) became clear and though Hitler authorised work on Graf Zeppelin to resume production never really took off because there was a need for specialised carrier planes that the Reich did not have and other updates were needed. At the end of the war she was captured by the Soviet Union and sunk for target practice in 1947.

• 3120 blocks
• Bodywork with pad printing
• Easy-to-follow instruction manual
• Stand with name of ship
• Compatible with LEGO and other leading brands of construction blocks