[WIP] Flying Dutchman

[GeoBrick]

I love that deck grating technique. I too use it whenever the opportunity arises. 

I question I had on the fore chaser guns: does the mechanisme allow for a staggered in-and-out sequence of both mounts when switching the barrels, or do they operate synchronized?

[Franco Clarke]

Progressing very well, with the partition, I'd probably go with whichever would have the bigger visual impact. I presume the cabin will be more easily accessible and visible, so option 2 would be the one to go for. 

[Jack Sassy]

23 hours ago, Sebeus I said:

At the moment I feel like abandoning option 1 as I can't confirm this layout in the movies anyway and it would have the disadvantages of both option 2 and 3. Option 2 seems very interesting since that would allow me to contain a broadside cannon in the captain's quarters, which can be seen in the movie (though in the movie they're probably meant to be cannons from the lower gun deck).

Perhaps ye may wish to consider taking some notes from option 2, in terms of maximising captain's quarters, as the room itself is a highlight in the whole vessel. However, it would be lovely to keep some idea of the original bulkhead. 

23 hours ago, Sebeus I said:

I do wonder, are ye going to cover the gaps in the deck that appear from hull offsets? If so, what method would ye use that'd interfere as little as possible with the tiles?

[Sebeus I]

On 5/3/2026 at 2:01 AM, GeoBrick said:

I love that deck grating technique. I too use it whenever the opportunity arises. 

I question I had on the fore chaser guns: does the mechanisme allow for a staggered in-and-out sequence of both mounts when switching the barrels, or do they operate synchronized?

They are synchronised albeit with an offset of about 1/4 of a sequence. The firing sequence is pretty much like it is in the movies. I did however not include the initial outrunning of the cannons (due to constraints with the visible parts of the forecastle). 

The sequence goes like this (rotating occurs in pause 1):

• Sequence: A - B - C - D
• Cannon 1: Extend - pause 1 - Recoil - pause 2
• Cannon 2: pause 2 - Extend - pause 1 - Recoil

That means that there is a short interval during phase D, where both cannons are retracted. I decided that was good enough to compensate for the lack of initiation mechanism.

I hope to share a video of the thing in work soon .

14 hours ago, Franco Clarke said:

Progressing very well, with the partition, I'd probably go with whichever would have the bigger visual impact. I presume the cabin will be more easily accessible and visible, so option 2 would be the one to go for. 

definitely!

13 hours ago, Jack Sassy said:

Perhaps ye may wish to consider taking some notes from option 2, in terms of maximising captain's quarters, as the room itself is a highlight in the whole vessel. However, it would be lovely to keep some idea of the original bulkhead. 

I do wonder, are ye going to cover the gaps in the deck that appear from hull offsets? If so, what method would ye use that'd interfere as little as possible with the tiles?

I might use some door rail plates, brackets and the like to fill those gaps. Since I plan to add a lot more barnacles and other sealife to this deck, I believe I'll have plenty of opportunities to find a solution. My old model actually had those gaps left open, it wasn't that noticable .

Edited May 4 by Sebeus I

[Jack Sassy]

1 hour ago, Sebeus I said:

I might use some door rail plates, brackets and the like to fill those gaps. Since I plan to add a lot more barnacles and other sealife to this deck, I believe I'll have plenty of opportunities to find a solution. My old model actually had those gaps left open, it wasn't that noticable .

Aye, those rail plates seem like a common solution indeed! Good work on her so far! 

[Sebeus I]

After many hours of designing, test-building, trouble shooting, optimizing, fine tuning, it is finally done.

The Triple Cannon feature is a fact .

 

It's not entirely working as intended.
The turning speed of the barrels is a little too high and is not in perfect sequence with the recoil loop. This on itself causes mechanical issues as the friction is rather high when rotating occurs during retracted state. The motor has difficulties handling the variable power curve, which gets very high when running out the starboard gun and very low when both are recoiling (I can smell the motor if I let it run for half a minute)...

This was a very ambitious endeavor to begin with. I must say, everything considered, it is quite a neat feature. I will probably leave it like this.
Frankly If I want to properly fix these issues, I'd have to start over, the whole thing needs to be redesigned. I want to get this ship finished by summer and there are still many other challenges in prospect.

 

Edited May 8 by Sebeus I

[Jack Sassy]

5 hours ago, Sebeus I said:

After many hours of designing, test-building, trouble shooting, optimizing, fine tuning, it is finally done.

Good to see the mechanism up and running! It may not be completely accurate and the motor might be hotter than a sugarcane boiler but ye have accomplished an impressive feature most would not even bother with. I think it works good as it is, as the feature is not what defines the model itself, rather a lovely addition to showcase.  

[Franco Clarke]

That is very impressive, not a simple motion to achieve, and at the right scale too. I like how it cycles between each side, rather than just firing in tandem. The motor does sound rather unhappy though.

[Sebeus I]

On 5/8/2026 at 6:45 PM, Jack Sassy said:

Good to see the mechanism up and running! It may not be completely accurate and the motor might be hotter than a sugarcane boiler but ye have accomplished an impressive feature most would not even bother with. I think it works good as it is, as the feature is not what defines the model itself, rather a lovely addition to showcase.  

Thanks, I hope it still works when the ship is complete .

On 5/10/2026 at 12:36 PM, Franco Clarke said:

That is very impressive, not a simple motion to achieve, and at the right scale too. I like how it cycles between each side, rather than just firing in tandem. The motor does sound rather unhappy though.

Thank you. The motor is very unhappy. Looking back, I might have done better using an XL motor or two. Though that would have brought other challenges for sure.

[Khorne]

The mechanism looks awesome! Very cool to see the cannons retracting and spinning. To add my 2 cents: I think the cannons might even look better if you replaced the 1x1 round bricks with Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L without Slot (Pin Joiner Round), so that the muzzle looks wider and more cannon-like.

It's very fun to read along with the build process and design choices.

 

[Sebeus I]

On 5/11/2026 at 7:44 PM, Khorne said:

The mechanism looks awesome! Very cool to see the cannons retracting and spinning. To add my 2 cents: I think the cannons might even look better if you replaced the 1x1 round bricks with Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L without Slot (Pin Joiner Round), so that the muzzle looks wider and more cannon-like.

It's very fun to read along with the build process and design choices.

 

Thank you. Actually I prefer the round bricks over pin connectors, they give that extra bit of texture. Though I do agree that the groove, where two round bricks connect, I could do without .

Continuing upwards, drafting the forecastle deck.

None of this is final, I just need to get my bearings. I'm going to lower this deck by two plates probably. Need to figure out a good way to attach my cannons to the deck and the staircases will need some modifications.

I've replaced the starry blue by coloured bricks in the stern window. It looks a bit too vibrant to my taste but perhaps that will improve once I add everything around the window.

The balconies are going to be a challenge, the whole stern for that matter, with the large angled stern window, I'm going to be in dire need of stable anchor points to attach everything to but little room to provide these. I have some ideas though.

I've been experimenting with new stern details. The highly decorated stern of the Flying Dutchman will be a highlight of my model.

This one is probably a little too big to fit but I'll see.

She's becoming an absolute unit!

Still much to do...

I did set a concrete deadline, the 4th of September.

[Mr. Townsend]

You’re making quick progress!   The new stern details are looking great so far. Setting a deadline is a good call. 

[Khorne]

6 hours ago, Sebeus I said:

Thank you. Actually I prefer the round bricks over pin connectors, they give that extra bit of texture. Though I do agree that the groove, where two round bricks connect, I could do without .

To each his own !

Is there a reason for the multi-colored rear window? Can't remember it from the movie. In my mind it was one color.

Looking like quite the behemoth already!

[Sebeus I]

15 hours ago, Khorne said:

To each his own !

Is there a reason for the multi-colored rear window? Can't remember it from the movie. In my mind it was one color.

Looking like quite the behemoth already!

Yes, in the interior scenes, when Davy Jones plays the organ, the window shows coloured panes. From the exterior however, the window appears plain. Since I intend to put lights in the captain's quarters, I figured tge coloured option may work better. I might still replace the pink panes with trans brown or black.

[GeoBrick]

23 hours ago, Sebeus I said:

Thank you. Actually I prefer the round bricks over pin connectors, they give that extra bit of texture. Though I do agree that the groove, where two round bricks connect, I could do without .

Still much to do...

I did set a concrete deadline, the 4th of September.

1L Pin connector, with the bottom of a 1x1 round brick attached, with the round brick bottom pointing outwards? You'd still have the texture (though a bit wider barrel) from the bottom of the round brick. And the total length should be roughly the same, and can be lenghtened by a 1x1 round plate on the other side of the pin connector if necessary.

 

Still much to do... Bredene? 

[Sebeus I]

22 hours ago, GeoBrick said:

1L Pin connector, with the bottom of a 1x1 round brick attached, with the round brick bottom pointing outwards? You'd still have the texture (though a bit wider barrel) from the bottom of the round brick. And the total length should be roughly the same, and can be lenghtened by a 1x1 round plate on the other side of the pin connector if necessary.

 

Still much to do... Bredene? 

But it's the top part of the round brick that I prefer. With a pin connector the thickness of the barrel seems off. That could be solved by putting in a 1/2 pin. However, neither pin nor connector exist in (old) dark grey.

Bredene, yes, the première of the Flying Dutchman, if I don't manage to do a photoshoot before that . And then it's as many events I can handle, hopefully Legoworld as well.

[GeoBrick]

3 minutes ago, Sebeus I said:

But it's the top part of the round brick that I prefer. With a pin connector the thickness of the barrel seems off. That could be solved by putting in a 1/2 pin. However, neither pin nor connector exist in (old) dark grey.

Bredene, yes, the première of the Flying Dutchman, if I don't manage to do a photoshoot before that . And then it's as many events I can handle, hopefully Legoworld as well.

All right, you bore the barrel. Its your guns after all. 🙂

I'm looking forward to seeing the ship then. 

[BrickPerfection]

Sebeus, I really admire your dedication to the Dutchman! How many years have you been working on Dutchman MOCs now? 

The latest version looks like it will be even more impressive thanks to new pieces that have become available. Will continue following this project! 

[Franco Clarke]

This just gets better and better, I like the dash of colour in the new stern gallery, and the way you've angled the railings. The dragon detail is intriguing, hopefully it finds a place in the finished model. 

[Sebeus I]

21 hours ago, BrickPerfection said:

Sebeus, I really admire your dedication to the Dutchman! How many years have you been working on Dutchman MOCs now? 

The latest version looks like it will be even more impressive thanks to new pieces that have become available. Will continue following this project! 

Well, my first one was in 2007 .

 

18 hours ago, Franco Clarke said:

This just gets better and better, I like the dash of colour in the new stern gallery, and the way you've angled the railings. The dragon detail is intriguing, hopefully it finds a place in the finished model. 

Thank you, it's going to be tight  for sure.

[Sebeus I]

I've been looking into the Flying Dutchmans' unique gallery turrets. My old model had large cone pieces to serve the purpose. Which I must be able to do better this time.

I tried a couple of things, didn't like most of them.

Eventually I settled for this one.

I'm struggling a bit with the colours though. I'm looking for some consistency and dark green is prooving to make things difficult. It doesn't blend in as well like gray, dark tan, sand green or olive green. If only those quarter dome pieces existed in old dark gray... Yet it does have more advantages in the front of available pieces

The rearward turrets have little doors to access the balcony. My previous model had these doors actually connected to the interior. However, since these passages are not shown im any of the interior movie scenes... And I could really use that particular area to place a supporting strut for the superstructure... I've decided to forego the passages alltogether. Instead I intend to put some coloured glass in the doors and have a light behind it. That should look pretty slick.

To conclude this update, I've a little something from the other end of the ship; the Grim Reaper's skull.

I anticipate redesigning the bowsprit to be another challenging undertaking.

 

[Bart]

it appears I've missed some updates! 
Congrats on getting the bow chaser guns working! Maybe not perfect, but a very impressive result regardless. I wouldn't even know where to start to whip up such an mechanism.
Loving all the details you're squeezing in her.

[Franco Clarke]

The shaping on the little side towers looks good, the gaps between the curves and slopes work well in this case to represent the weathered-tatty appearance of the ship.

[Khorne]

One of the (many) cool things about this MOC or topic, is to see how the ever-increasing range of parts and colors really helps refine aspects of the design. Comparing the current WIP design to the blocky 2007 version (which was already great back then) is kind of mind-boggling.

[Sebeus I]

Update time!

Designed new channels, the technic bushings I used on the old model seemed a bit small so I chose these wheels for the purpose. Interesting fact, they're cheaper when you buy them with the tire on it .

I've also made a rack for the belaying pins, under the mast. I've used HP wands for the purpose before, on the Spectre and back then I wasn't too fond of it really. But I must say, they suit the Dutchman perfectly.

I've made some progress on the forecastle.

A while ago I found some of these nice train signal masts (the 1x16 lattice plate), excellent part to provide support while still allowing some see-through.