Red-Coat Shipyard

[Bobkov]

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to introduce myself and properly with a little creation I've completed, as I feel I've been a lurker for too long.

I'm currently in the middle of putting together the first portion of an Imperial Frigate for the Red-Coat cause, and decided in a true meta-sense, that I needed somewhere for it to be built.. so here is the result!:

Red-Coat Admiral of the Fleet:

"As you can see gentlemen, not only have finances been secured, but construction is well under way. With our accelerated pace, we expect the first of this new line of Frigates to launched within a year's time."

Admiral of Blue-Coat:

"So we do see... And for what use do you expect to be using your.. Frigates"

Red-Coat First Sea-Lord:

"Primarilly my Frigates will be expected to once and for all bring control over the vagabonds that plague both our merchant fleets. They will give our great country definitive control over the seas, be it threatened by pirates or ANY other belligerent state."

Admiral of Blue-Coat:

"If I were not a sensible man, I would interpret that as a threat!"

Red-Coat First Sea-Lord:

"Good then that you are sensible. With such a large ship at our command, we have no need to threaten anyone of any color.. such as green OR blue."

Let me of course appologize for poor picture quality; I'm not much of a photographer, and any real set up would probably quickly be vetoed by my wife (Legos are a good compromise...)

Here's the rest of the set:

Red-Coat Shipyard

[Dukesc]

First of all, welcome to Eurobricks.

The picture quality is fine.

Now, with the hope of getting her underway in less than a year, you will need a much larger construction crew.

It's difficult to picture what it will look like, sine it's in it's infancy.

Are you going to use this technique for the entire ships?

How many studs in length and width will it be?

How many levels will it have.

How many cannon will it have?

Are you using any real or model ships as inspiration?

[Bobkov]

First of all, welcome to Eurobricks.

The picture quality is fine.

Now, with the hope of getting her underway in less than a year, you will need a much larger construction crew.

It's difficult to picture what it will look like, sine it's in it's infancy.

Are you going to use this technique for the entire ships?

How many studs in length and width will it be?

How many levels will it have.

How many cannon will it have?

Are you using any real or model ships as inspiration?

If you look at the three frame sections carefully, you'll find that each one is pretty different in construction than the last. The one closest to the camera was "least desirable", and the one furthest "most desirable". This was done mostly because I kept running out of pieces :(. However, to answer your first question, the frame portion furthest from the camera has some of the techniques that I will use for the ship.

In fact, I plan on building the ship in cross-section pieces that will be able to interlock together for the full ship. This will help with... budget constraints, and let me set up different scenes on each cross-section (much like you would find in the "Amazing Cross-sections" coffee table books). I actually have the outside frame of the first cross section, without any innards completed (but with its full paint scheme), and I'll try to post pictures soon. The primary goal of using this technique was to try and give the ship the best looking, and most accurate cross section possible while reducing jagged visual effects that can result from avoiding pre-casted hull pieces.

At this time, I don't know how long the ship will ultimately be, but this specific cross section is 12 studs long, and approximately as wide as the frame closest to the admirals in the picture. It will have 8 total cannons of two weights. Likely there will be 6 to 8 cross-sections of approximately the same size. As a "legofied" version of an early 18th century Frigate, I've opted to have the following decks: the hold, the gun deck, the upper deck, and a low forecastle.

That probably also answers the last question to an extent. I have no specific ship I'm modeling it after, instead I am loosely following early 18th century British Frigate designs of probably a fifth-rate classification for the time.

I'll definitely try and get a picture up for you soon, so you have a better idea of the ultimate size and shape of the ship, even if it is section by section!

[Horry]

That is going to be a very interesting MOC and I am looking forward to see more of it. I am especially interested in seeing on how you plan to make the sections and their connection-points stable. Making this was a major issue on my ship and it drove me crazy at times to decide between stability and accuracy.

[Captain Green Hair]

So that should impress us Bluecoats? You've got to be kidding me!

[Bobkov]

So that should impress us Bluecoats? You've got to be kidding me!

But just look how vigorously they work! Such enthusiasm! Perhaps you should just wait for your admiral's report...

That is going to be a very interesting MOC and I am looking forward to see more of it. I am especially interested in seeing on how you plan to make the sections and their connection-points stable. Making this was a major issue on my ship and it drove me crazy at times to decide between stability and accuracy.

I recall seeing your ship and noted that it seemed like it would be trouble in a design like this. I haven't actually focused on that part yet, just trying to get the shape correct, and gathering the pieces I'd need to do it. I did build a prototype slice that while still did not have connecting points, was structurally very sound once the decks were in. In fact, this version seems even more sturdier even *without* the decks.

I uploaded some images of the WIP. Basically just the shell. I'll only post a few so as not to bomb people.

Check out the rest of the set. Although the stability and shape are very pleasing, there are definitely some issues I'll have to resolve.

Frigate section 1: WIP

One I've detailed in the images is the problem with the color-scheme on the keel. At this point I've decided that it is as good as it will get.. The problem is that I'm tiling the bottom of the boat to emulate the white-stuff paint used to prevent worms, but I have no good way of extending it onto the keel. I could make the keel itself with white pieces, but that would end up making the cross-section look odd (the whole thickness of the keel would then be white). Since I want the cross-section to be able to stand on its own, that's not too appealing to me. If I leave it brown, then I have to put up with the brown gap between the tiling on the low-side shots. Mixing the two (brown on the ends, white in the middle) would probably look worse on the side shots.

I'm also not sure if I want to use the white cheese wedges to dither the curve of the hull. Originally I figured it would be a good idea, but it seems to make the shape *more* blocky to my eyes then less blocky. Opinions? If I take it out, on some spots the tan will show through.

[Skipper]

Three men have built that in a few hours ? They've probably been promised extra rations of rum

Anyways, this looks quite promising, and I love the colorscheme. As for the blockiness, I don't think it'll be a problem. Have you seen this moc? I think it's built with roughly the same techniques, and it looks quite beautiful IMO. One thing I might change though would be to offset/checker the gunports.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Skipper

[Bobkov]

Three men have built that in a few hours ? They've probably been promised extra rations of rum

Anyways, this looks quite promising, and I love the colorscheme. As for the blockiness, I don't think it'll be a problem. Have you seen this moc? I think it's built with roughly the same techniques, and it looks quite beautiful IMO. One thing I might change though would be to offset/checker the gunports.

Cheers

Thanks! I just checked your link out. I hadn't seen it before but it is quite a detailed design. Very similar to my approach but a heck of a lot more accurate! I'm sure I'll end up looking back at that for ideas if I get stuck anywhere.

[Big Cam]

I look forward to this being completed, it's got the size for sure. How long it is will be key.

Nice work so far.

[Horry]

That looks great! As it seems that you are going for technical accuracy (at least much more than most of us using the prefab-hull parts), I would like to suggest that you shift one of those two gun-decks gunport locations. on ships with multiple gun-decks it was common to place the gunports in a chequered fassion so that if the ship fired a broadside, the recoil could be absorbed by the planks AND the frames and not ONLY by the frames. While it would be, technically possible for a two-decker to withstand the recoil, the kinetic energy would cause micro-fractures all over the frames and weaken the caulking compounds.

[Captain Green Hair]

Looks like you're off to a pretty good start here, I really like the colours you are using!

I do think your walls should slope inwards a bit more, like in this picture:

[mobricki]

I like this ship a lot can't wait to see it finished. It does look a little too narrow though.

[cb4]

If I were you I wouldn't bother with the cheese slopes, but instead just make the curves more gradual by changing the level one plate at a time. For the keel you could consider laminating it, so that it has a layer of white tiles, a layer of white plates, and then brown or beige. I've found that you can make very gradual and convincing looking curves without using any slopes, which gives you a lot more flexibility and is a lot more economical, too!

This looks really cool and I'm eager to see more!

[Captain Blackmoor]

This looks really cool, nice choice of colours too!

I only would make the whole structure a bit wider. Now it is quite high and narrow.

Keep it up!