You guys really raided my Brickshelf didn't ya! Well...again I humbly thank you all for your kind words and interest in my models.
Yes this is the sum total of three carribean clippers plus an extra mid-hull segment. I was going for the Black Seas Baracudda look and build type for it.
I also agree that the cannon placement is hardly realistic, yet it makes it slightly more formidible on this scale. The paradigm to which it was built is from my more youthful days when this ship would have actually "seen action" in mock wars with my Lego building buddies in grade and middle school. Therefore maximum firepower was paramount in the design and construction.
The colours come from the compromises me and my buddies made which is a bit...unorthodox...but each of us chose our own colour scheme based on what we like and which country we represented...
England's ship colours were blue and yellow, the blue soldiers flags represented England, red-coat soldiers were the marines for England. England was represented by my friend Robbie's fleet. Since this is ship is built to that standard, that is why this ship is the colours it is, and also why it carries the British naval flag.
France's ship colours were grey and black. My friend James represented this country although he preferred to be a French Privateer, so his ships carried pirate flags, although I made a French tri-colour for him to fly on his flagship during battle. He later started making Iron Clad ships that's what
this reflects, the blue soldiers flag on the ship in that link is not correct, it should have been a pirate flag. James tended to use any pirate minifig for soldiers and sailors, however french marines used one particular pirate torso, the blue one with a v-shape and brown strappings. These make an excellent soldier if you put tricorns on them and give them muskets.
America's ship colours were black and red, the red soldiers flags represented America since it resembled the stripes on the stars and stripes. I likened it to a naval version of the
Culpepper Flag used during the American Revolution. However American marines were blue-coat soldiers.
The last friend was Robbie's brother he represented the Confederacy and built very little but mostly used white and green on his ships. He made his own confederate flags for his ships and used random minifigs as soldiers.
Our wars were between America backed by England and the Confederacy backed by French privateers.
This ship has a sad note to it's construction. I built it shortly after my friend Robbie was killed in an automobile accident in high school. It's sort of my personal memorial. However it often goes to IndyLUG shows and is frequently featured on layouts.
Here it is fighting a Red Beard Runner (...and some sort of sea creature I think) in a recent IndyLUG layout.