W.I.P. Light Frigate (still without a name)

[Matteo1130]

UPDATE 19/10/10

hi all. because of the limited space on imageshack i've to remove all the old pics, and add new ones by every update...

these are my last progress, i'm very glad to share this project step by step and get all the tips you want to give!

N.B. at last it will be an heavy frigate, not a light one (but i don't know if it's possible to change the topic title!!)

for the name i would like to wait 'till hull was finished and i still don't know if this ship will rise a french flag or a bluecoat flag...

from the top... it's missing an arch 'cause the seller made a mismatch counting them... and there's the stove placed between the foremast

another quick shot...

gunport closed, tan gunline...

thanks for every comment or tip you want to make!

Edited October 19, 2010 by Matteo1130

[Admiral Croissant]

I think it gets too wide in the middle.

But the colourscheme is nice as is the curve in the hull.

It would be great to see more pictures soon

[Matteo1130]

I think it gets too wide in the middle.

But the colourscheme is nice as is the curve in the hull.

It would be great to see more pictures soon

i really like its "fat" design, i'll make some pics in the sunlight and you'll see that the effect is very different, so is the curvature of the gunline! this mesurements allows me to make a 6 bricks tall completely playable gundeck! the sides are mounted on hinges and they are actually capable to lay completely down to access the guns and the minifigs inside, using my custom guns there is a lot of space inside...i'm ready to cover all the deck with reddish brown tiles, just waiting the reddish brown arcs to rise the upper deck. the colour scheme will be different, in the gunline there are a 3 studs tall zone that will be covered by tiles, all you can see in this pic is its base; i have just to decide if white or tan... probably white 'cause they're cheaper ;)

all the finish will be in reddish brown and dark red with some thin yellow line!

[Nosaj]

i really like its "fat" design, i'll make some pics in the sunlight and you'll see that the effect is very different, so is the curvature of the gunline! this mesurements allows me to make a 6 bricks tall completely playable gundeck! the sides are mounted on hinges and they are actually capable to lay completely down to access the guns and the minifigs inside, using my custom guns there is a lot of space inside...i'm ready to cover all the deck with reddish brown tiles, just waiting the reddish brown arcs to rise the upper deck. the colour scheme will be different, in the gunline there are a 3 studs tall zone that will be covered by tiles, all you can see in this pic is its base; i have just to decide if white or tan... probably white 'cause they're cheaper ;)

all the finish will be in reddish brown and dark red with some thin yellow line!

Looking forward to seeing the fat design come into play and how well it works out... How many guns will it have? Looks like 18 broadsides, but I dont know if you plan on adding some to the top decks. 18 is good for broadsides though, the one I started(its building has been postponed) is only going to have 16 broadsides with posissibly up to 4 cannons on the top deck.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Nosaj

[Matteo1130]

it's 7 large mid sections long, it has 24 (maybe 26) guns on the main deck and i'm planning to add at least 8 guns on the upper deck, there's a lot of space.

[Tycho McKorley]

I think you've done a nice job at getting curved hulls. I look forward to more pictures so I can give more feedback. :-)

[Matteo1130]

ok the's some quick picture..

here you can see how the sides opens, there's space enough to place and move minifigs (even with a high hat)

side view, at the end the frigate will have 13 guns by side on the main gundeck, probably 8 or 10 minor guns by side in the upper deck (ok maybe at last it will be an heavy frigate)

birdseye view. looking by here the curvature is right, considering the leght.. and considering that the captain's cabin will start where this black plates ends, so the entire ship will be longer..

hope to get in a week the bricks i'm waiting so i can post some more pics.

[Admiral Croissant]

Hmm..I still think that the inverted slopes make it go to wide.

The birdseye view however, looks very good and the technique on the first picture (of these 3) looks clever.

It's always nice to see some new building techniques.

Keep it up

[Matteo1130]

probably you're right, looking better it seems a little wide if seen in front/rear prospective (even if i like it: it reminds me something sturdy )... hope to hide this someway by building stern and bow.

now i'm starting a new ship using small sections. which could be the best way to build a hull? number of mid-sections and studs enlargements (by side)? i really consider your tips, Vesta is great and reminds me of a very fast ship

[Admiral Croissant]

which could be the best way to build a hull? number of mid-sections and studs enlargements (by side)? i really consider your tips, Vesta is great and reminds me of a very fast ship

Thanks for the compliment I made the 'enlargements' with inverted slopes too, but just for making it 1 stud wider.

I think making it more than 2 or even more than 1 stud wider than the original hull doesn't look very good.

If you're going for 2 (or more)studs, I'd recommend Greenhair's technique, using jumper plates. (in case you don't know, it's somewhere on this page)

Hope that helps

[Matteo1130]

ok, some more bricks finally arrived (not all...uff)

waiting to post some new pics, maybe tomorrow, i'm planning the upper deck; now i've a 13 guns main deck just like this image

http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~vaucher/Genealogy/Documents/Asia/Ships/Frigate_FR.jpg

is the upper deck in thes kind of frigate completely discovered?

many thanks for any tip...

[Admiral Croissant]

is the upper deck in thes kind of frigate completely discovered?

many thanks for any tip...

Yes, it usually is, but some frigates had a small cabin in the back.

Mainly the case on big frigates, but not on the later ones (late 18th century if I'm right). I think your frigate wouldn't have one.

Nice site btw, many good ship images

Good luck.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Admiral Croissant

[Matteo1130]

some lot arrived..

here's some pics of the wip... i'm still waiting (in a week, uff..) the complete other side and most of the upper deck.. can't wait :)

[Admiral Croissant]

It looks great now

Usually most of the 'deck planks' (brown tiles) are put lenghtwise in the ship, but that's just a small detail.

The fact that you're using tiles is nice and all the brown arches look fine as well.

Since you're making the gundeck quite detailed, are you making it modular (that you can get acces to the gundeck)?.

[Matteo1130]

It looks great now

Usually most of the 'deck planks' (brown tiles) are put lenghtwise in the ship, but that's just a small detail.

The fact that you're using tiles is nice and all the brown arches look fine as well.

Since you're making the gundeck quite detailed, are you making it modular (that you can get acces to the gundeck)?.

i know it isn't a great detail the planks lenghtwise, but by this way i may use a lot less tiles...and longer tiles (1x6): the 1x2 reddish brown tiles are very expensive and hard to find in wide lots .

i'm not making it modular but all the sides of the ship can be fold down completely as in the picture in the previous post so i can access the gundeck in every point simply folding the walls. something like your Vesta, the main difference is that in this ship the walls may be folded downwards instead of upwards. as i said before i'm trying to use this model to make an RPG 3d wargame and i needed the walls to be opened to move minifig during gameplay. maybe i'll post some more pics this week end.. by now i'm building the roof/floor of the upper deck.

[Matteo1130]

i think i misunderstood... the CORRECT way to place the planks is lenghtwise? 'cause i would try to make a better way the upper deck (more visible).

meanwhile i can say the gunline will be in tan color, hope to get the bricks soon! i'm also trying to make a brickbuilt 24lbs gun for the main deck, hope to share it soon :)

[Admiral Croissant]

i think i misunderstood... the CORRECT way to place the planks is lenghtwise? 'cause i would try to make a better way the upper deck (more visible).

meanwhile i can say the gunline will be in tan color, hope to get the bricks soon! i'm also trying to make a brickbuilt 24lbs gun for the main deck, hope to share it soon :)

Yes, this is the correct way:

Good luck. I think a tan 'gunline' will look great. I believe I haven't seen it before but it seems very realistic.

[gotoAndLego]

Well that interior photo is unrealistic...not enough scurvy.

[Captain Blackmoor]

That picture is certainly realistic as we are talking about a frigate from like 1800

[Matteo1130]

Well that interior photo is unrealistic...not enough scurvy.

uhm...my english is very poor and i can't understand what's the "scurvy"...

anyway, there is some minor upgrade in my model: lanterns at the top of the arches and the stove (from my old post) next to the front mast in the main gunline. i know this isn't realistic as a minifig model could be but i'm making my best for a ship balanced between payability and realism...and i think the minifig illusion scale fits perfectly the idea .

now i have a question for you: i'm calculating an approssimative number of guns in the upper (completely discovered) deck; using minor "gauge" cannons, with the gun cutaway but without the gunport, i'm planning to leave a 3 studs wide space between them. by this way, leaving a nearly 20 studs free space (without guns, maybe with fences or something similar) in the middle part, the upper side will contain over 24 guns (probably 28 calculating 2 guns frontwards and 2 guns backwards). the question is: does the overall number of guns (over 50) make it a 4th grade ship of the line or due to the single gundeck covered it still remains an heavy frigate?

(i would know it just for gameplay statistics )

thanks for posting ;)

[Big Cam]

I actually really like the wider Hull, I think if proportioned correctly, it will just be a giant ship. I look forward to more progress pictures.

[Admiral Croissant]

the question is: does the overall number of guns (over 50) make it a 4th grade ship of the line or due to the single gundeck covered it still remains an heavy frigate?

It's still a heavy frigate. If it fought in the line of battle it would be a 4th rate indeed.

But usually, even large frigates didn't fight in the line of battle (even though some of them could win of a 4th ship of the line).

[mlucas86]

some lot arrived..

here's some pics of the wip... i'm still waiting (in a week, uff..) the complete other side and most of the upper deck.. can't wait :)

MATTEO GREAT WORK!!...di dove sei?

how do you pick the brick ? ...in italy there isnt lego pick a brick shop...

[gotoAndLego]

That picture is certainly realistic as we are talking about a frigate from like 1800

uhm...my english is very poor and i can't understand what's the "scurvy"...

It was a joke.

Scurvy was a medical condition, due to a lack of vitamin C, aboard boats when they were at sea longer than fruits and vegetables could be stored.

[Matteo1130]

MATTEO GREAT WORK!!...di dove sei?

how do you pick the brick ? ...in italy there isnt lego pick a brick shop...

Modena!! :)

i'm buying them by bricklink.com the problem is the shipping elapsing time, from england it would take about 2 weeks.. and in italy there are just a few good shops (shipping is very expensive as service... packages with the same weight is cheaper from out of italy... a real shame like other thing in our country). the best shops to get bricks are in trentino alto adige (two of them are unbeliavable good in service, brick cost and delivery speed), but there are some in Rome too so you can buy brick personally :)

It was a joke.

Scurvy was a medical condition, due to a lack of vitamin C, aboard boats when they were at sea longer than fruits and vegetables could be stored.

ooook.. the really SAD thing is: i'm studying medicine :DDD