Skulls Eye Schooner: Imperial Redcoat Mod

[SBCMayor]

A while ago I shared some simple modifications I made to my Skull's Eye Schooner. Later in that thread I mentioned I had a second copy of the set and was taking another crack at some modifications. Well, here they are! I've converted this one into an Imperial Guards ship. Now my Redcoats have a proper flagship that stylistically aligns with the other ships from the first and second waves. This was my biggest reason to taking this approach over trying to find a copy of the Imperial Flagship (10210). The fun of converting a pirate ship into an imperial ship was another big draw for me. I really enjoy these older sets because they lend themselves so well to being modified, customized, etc. As I've stated a few times, you aren't going to catch me doing any MOCs that get anyone's attention; this kind of thing here is the extend of my Lego creativity.

I'll share a few pics, hope you enjoy, and welcome your thoughts.

Overall view:

 

Even with the changes, a quick glance and any fan of vintage pirates recognizes 6286. Like my other copy, on this one I removed a lot of red and white along the side of the cabin to settle the appearance a little. I still have a little color swapping to do but I think you get the idea here. 

Bow and Figurehead:

A couple things might jump out at you here. First, the white parrot. It's a bit of a nod to the Carribean Clipper and I really like the way it looks. Secondly, I know I still need to clean or replace some of these white pieces. Lastly, if you look closely you'll see the original red-lined hull of the Skull's Eye Schooner has been swapped out in favor of the all brown hull piece found on the Carribean Clipper or Black Seas Barracuda. More on that in a moment. 

Stern Cabin and Broadside: 

Again, the cabin got the same treatment as my other copy of this set: Removed a lot of the red and white and replaced with black. Even without any further modifications to either copy, I consider this a must. The red and white really gave it too busy a look and the all black is stylistically similar to its counterparts. Also, again notice the hull swap and resulting color swaps. The red bow and stern pieces are gone, and the resulting red stripe on the middle hull pieces have been replaced with black. The grey elements have been replaced with white. This change really brings this modified version of the ship to appear more consistent with its smaller counterparts in the Imperial Guard fleet (6271).

Crew:

I actually really like the way Lego designed the crew of the Carribean Clipper so I've modified all my red coat sailors to match. It wouldn't make sense for sailors to walk around on a ship in shakos or carrying backpacks. Sailors generally look different from infantry soldiers, and I really like this small modification. 

Gun Deck: 

This one got the same basic modification as my other copy. I really tried to give the swivel cannons a try but they were just awful and I think this is exponentially better. The modification also allows for placement of some main deck space to pose members of the crew. 

The Stern: 

I still have a little color swapping to do back here, but I've removed a lot of red and replaced with white. I've also replaced the skull and cross bones panel and replaced with a window.

I actually really like the way the sterns look on both of these ships. With the right color swapping they look like they were designed to be in a fleet together. 

Main sails:

The actual mainsail itself is basically the same as what you'd find in 6271. For this mod I had to ask an Ebay seller to produce replacement sails for 6286 but in the color of 6271, specified that all remaining sails be left plain. I've noticed this seller now lists this as an option for others to buy so hopefully we see a few more of these conversions! The canvass color is a little lighter than the rest of my redcoat fleet, but I know I can live with that. 

Speaking of the rest of my fleet...

My Redcoats are still not quite as powerful as their Bluecoat rivals but with this addition to their fleet they are pretty close. The smaller ships are light and fast enough to pursue smaller pirate vessels into shallow water while the larger ship provides a deterrent to the Bluecoats when they start getting ideas about territorial expansion. 

And of course, who can forget this heavy weight bout: 

In my little corner of the Legoland Seas, the Redcoats and Bluecoats are rivals with each other and they are both rivals with the pirates. I primarily pit the Redcoats against the black striped sails, led by Captain Ironhook. I know the original Skull's Eye Schooner belonged to Redbeard, but putting all the black stripes under Ironhook makes for a natural extension to my childhood when the only two ships I had were the Imperial Flagship and the Renegade runner. (Well, my little brother had the Renegade Runner but I might have commandeered it.) This pairing of factions by color scheme makes a lot of sense to me and is a big part of why I like finding older sets and semi-restroing/modifying them. 

So let me know what you think of this mod! 

Edited 1 hour ago by SBCMayor