-Advice- What is a good project to use to "break" into Pirate

[Demetreous]

So, I am just in awe when I see some of the MOCs on this forum... I'd really like to get into building some awesome ships, lighthouses, and ports eventually... But I'm not quite there yet...

So, what do you think a good "entry-level" MOC to make for this forum would be? I'm thinking about something that is just on the border of "advanced," yet not too complex.

~Deme

[Grimmbeard]

Well, what do you have? If you have hull pieces and other ship-type parts, I'd suggest starting with a smallish ship. If you have a lot of plant, tan, and brown pieces, I'd suggest starting with an Islander/pirate hideout island. If you have a lot of grey/white pieces, I'd suggest starting with a soldier fort.

It all depends on what you have and what you feel comfortable with. I wouldn't suggest ordering a lot of parts for a first MOC, unless you know what you want to do.

[Demetreous]

Hmm... Well, the only ship pieces I really possess are these two small grey boat pieces from an old Knights' Kingdom set.

I also have a relatively old rectangular base plate from that Spongebob set. Perhaps I will attempt to make a small diorama of a shipwreck...

Thanks Grimmbeard,

~Deme

[LiamM32]

I have never posted on the pirates forum, and I have not made many MOC's, but I have a suggestion from the first MOC that I posted. My suggestion is to make a MOC based on a different persons Lego model design, but make significant modifications to it to repurpose the model (on the border between a MOC and a mod). My MOC was a rail car designed to be added to the Emerald Night train set. Instead of a passenger car, I changed it into a kitchen car; http://www.eurobrick...topic=71044&hl= http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/326733

I took the passenger car (far right) design from the set, and made a matching kitchen car (close left) version of it to go alongside it. This was easy enough for my first MOC because I didn't have to go through all the difficulty of building it from scratch. But it still has enough of my own ideas in it; I changed the window design because a kitchen doesn't need as much as a passenger car. I added more air filters to the roof to let the smoke out from the stove. There's a little thing at the bottom of both cars barely visible in this photo, but I improved the design of that little section to make it symetrical. The interior is entirely my own design.

You could do the same thing with an existing design of a Lego ship if you have not yet gotten into MOC building. For example; You could make a medieval military "mothership" based on the little boat in that 8821 set. You could figure out how to upscale the hull, add a tiny cabin, create a design for larger and more sails in a similar style (the same way I modified the windows of my rail car), and add your own custom weapons and other small features to the ship.

[Sebeus I]

Using an excisting design as a start could work, it worked for me, my first moc ship was a heavely modified Skull's Eye Schooner

(Sorry about the photo quality, it seems that improved along with my mocs).

Ofcourse you need some sort of design to start from in the first place.

About those castle-hulls you have; recently there was a moc posted here using similar elements, perhaps it could inspire you.

HMS Dark Tan Beauty

Either way, good luck.

[Demetreous]

Thanks to the both of you!

~Deme

[nolanmoon]

the interior is entirely my own design.thank you

Edited July 12, 2013 by nolanmoon