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SkaForHire

[COR - FB 1] The HMS Bull Shark

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With New Terra growing every day, it has become evident to Her Majesty’s government that proper precautions must be made in the far seas. With a rapidly growing port in the Sea of Storms, Corrington is poised to move quickly into New Terra and across the Terraversa Sea. But, beyond the line there is only danger. Corrington’s ships sailed proudly and without fault during the last month, but Poseidon’s blessing may not be so kind in months to come. For this reason, the Naval Board has repositioned some of its warships away from the Northern Home Fleet and to the waters of New Terra to escort its many traders.

Two new ships have just arrived at Arlinsport, the HMS Mars and the HMS Bull Shark. Both are modified Brigs, and pack a walloping punch. Below the Bull Shark is pictured.

25214046332_779b38027d_c.jpgHMS Bull Shark by skaforhire, on Flickr

Painted here in the midst of a training exercise off the coast of Tiberia, her sails are down being mended on shore, while her crew gets some needed firing practice. Today they are using live rounds for the first time since crossing the Terraversa Sea. Her smaller cannons have not been brought back up on deck, as they were packed for ballast during the rough journey to New Terra.

25036689830_685caeefb2_c.jpgDSC_2789 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Her captain, Edmund Freise, is a renown geographer, who was responsible for charting many of the northern reaches of the continent. This is his first venture into the New World, and he is excited to grow his legacy. Besides his talent in cartography, he is an avid disciplinarian. Here he is personally drilling his crew, rather than letting his lieutenant do so. Only thirteen more men are before him on the naval rolls before he can be considered for Commodore duty.

24701701984_5a22bf92c9_c.jpgDSC_2779 by skaforhire, on Flickr

The HMS Bull Shark is a Class 5 Heavy Armed vessel, and will be jumping on escort duty right away.

25306103856_5b77ea6cd1_c.jpgDSC_2773 by skaforhire, on Flickr

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This actually is a ship that I started to build over 15 years ago! I was unpacking some older Lego and found half a hull and decided to finish her, before tearing her down to start a new. This was obviously started when I didn't care too much about presentation, as I used colored plates on the bottom. However, with some PS they disappear nicely for at least one picture! It was fun "finishing her," instead of ripping her apart like I have done with a handful of other ships I have found. I did not cut sails for her, because I am taking her a part soon -- so it didn't make sense to cut custom sails.

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Nice substitute for the missing hull pieces! I also like to see how this converted from LDD to real bricks!

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Fifteen years?! Wow! And here I thought the year+ My Fair Ladee sat in her incomplete form was a long time...

The high stern doesn't suit my taste but you could explain that one by her age easily enough. I like that colorscheme and she's packing a tremendous punch with all those big guns. The grey hulls only came as 12-wide "narrow", right? Good job explaining the lack of sails in the story - I can't blame you for not completing them when you're planning to tear her down right away. Overall she's a basic design but looks pretty good, especially for something that's older than EB! Keep it up. :classic:

Edited by Captain Dee

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"Damn it all, That's far too many of cannons to be trifling with. Come about sharply now!" /eeep

Nice ship build Ska. Glad you finally got to finish up a decade and a half old project.

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A mighty broadside if i might say so!! Also lack of prefab middle hull passes unnoticed as reverse slopes greatly enhance her looks!

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Thank you everyone!

Fifteen years?! Wow! And here I thought the year+ My Fair Ladee sat in her incomplete form was a long time...

The high stern doesn't suit my taste but you could explain that one by her age easily enough. I like that colorscheme and she's packing a tremendous punch with all those big guns. The grey hulls only came as 12-wide "narrow", right? Good job explaining the lack of sails in the story - I can't blame you for not completing them when you're planning to tear her down right away. Overall she's a basic design but looks pretty good, especially for something that's older than EB! Keep it up. :classic:

I was thinking about this, an early 18th century ship would probably still have a pretty high sterncastle, but probably not on a brig this small. The funny thing is, when I found this hull, I thought it was my attempt at the US Brig Niagara, but it couldn't be, because of that stern. So somewhere, there is another black and tan and grey ship laying around buried in my collection.

A mighty broadside if i might say so!! Also lack of prefab middle hull passes unnoticed as reverse slopes greatly enhances her looks!

I was obsessed with extending smaller ships years and years ago, so I bought a lot of slopes for this purpose.

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Here I felt bad for having one of my builds sit in a box for 2+ years without working on her.

Not sure what parts are new and what is from 15 years ago, so I'll just offer some general feedback. I feel that her cannons should be spaced out a bit more, preferably with 4 studs between the guns. Additionally, the stern could be a little more ornate, and the quarterdeck and great cabin could be lower. I know the high quarterdeck tends to be a problem when using prefab hulls.

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Nice ship Ska, those cannons look like they could pack quite a punch! pirate_satisfied.gif Very nice edit in the first pic as well, getting rid of those colored bricks at the bottom does help a lot! pir_laugh2.gifpirate_laugh2.gif

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That is a nice looking vessel, Ska, and definitely one with a bite to match its bark!

I am sure she is what would have been termed a gun-brig. Are those long guns or carronades? For long guns, a brig would probably carry 8 or 12 pounders, while it could be 18 pounders for carronades.

I like the two-part bowsprit, and the placement of the masts look pretty much spot on. (The mizzen could possibly be placed a little further forward.)

I wonder a bit at her rigging. You state yourself that she is a brig, but she seems to carry a lateen yard over the spanker sail on the mizzen. I have never seen this configuration before, but it might simply be a squaresail-yard that hasn't been squared and braced properly? :pir-wink:

For your next vessels, I would suggest doing away with the cabin, at least as long as they are not shiprigged. Most smaller vessels were flush-decked. (Exceptions are the early types: Caravels, cogs, carracks)

Flush-decked vessels would of course still have a cabin, but it would be below deck.

Overall very nice recovery from your childhood(?) - and as always, nice to see an addition to the Royal Navy of Corrington! :pir-blush:

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Oh, it definitely should have been a square -- but I didn't have the parts handy, so some how its a lateen jammed in there. It would technically be a snow, I believe, if that square would have been square.

Yes, I would say I started it when I was 18 or so, so end of childhood. I never had a dark age. Just dark periods.

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Good job for a basically 15 year old vessel pirate_oh.gif

At that age I wouldn't have figured out where to place the hull on a ship.

I think, however, by today's standards she could use a bit more refinement.

Plus, one volley and she'll roll over. Better space out the guns more next time, a 4 studs spacing for minifig scale ships has been a standard on ye olde pirate forum. And the 'box' is something making her look more like a lego ship than a true ship.

Not that this is bad per se, and I don't want to sound harsh, but since this is also a place to improve ones building skills, better try integrating the cabin into the hull a bit more. Though I think if you had the proper time, you would definitely do better pirate_wink.gif So sorry for keeping you busy with questions pirate_blush.gif

And for all: The Ship Index can always offer some inspiration on what can be done.

Good job, nonetheless pirate_satisfied.gif

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Oh, it definitely should have been a square -- but I didn't have the parts handy, so some how its a lateen jammed in there. It would technically be a snow, I believe, if that square would have been square.

*snip*

She would have been a brig if the square had been a square - a snow is technically a three masted vessel, as it carries a small trysail mast just abaft the main-mast, on which its spanker sail is carried.

Without the trysail mast, it is brig rigged. pirate_blush.gif

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She would have been a brig if the square had been a square - a snow is technically a three masted vessel, as it carries a small trysail mast just abaft the main-mast, on which its spanker sail is carried.

Without the trysail mast, it is brig rigged. pirate_blush.gif

Perhaps this was different in Europe, but American Snows were brigs with a spanker on the main mast. However, I suppose by the time Americans were building ships, the mizzen may have moved into the main. However, without a square on the main (even though it is too small for me to feel good about calling it the main mast) she is pretty much a hermaphrodite brig gone wrong!

Good job for a basically 15 year old vessel pirate_oh.gif

At that age I wouldn't have figured out where to place the hull on a ship.

I think, however, by today's standards she could use a bit more refinement.

Plus, one volley and she'll roll over. Better space out the guns more next time, a 4 studs spacing for minifig scale ships has been a standard on ye olde pirate forum. And the 'box' is something making her look more like a lego ship than a true ship.

Not that this is bad per se, and I don't want to sound harsh, but since this is also a place to improve ones building skills, better try integrating the cabin into the hull a bit more. Though I think if you had the proper time, you would definitely do better pirate_wink.gif So sorry for keeping you busy with questions pirate_blush.gif

And for all: The Ship Index can always offer some inspiration on what can be done.

Good job, nonetheless pirate_satisfied.gif

So this is something that keeps coming up, and I agree with the criticism here, but sterncastles were generally high for most of the age of sail on warships. In the model, I don't think it flows well, but I think it is the right height for a war ship of this size.

But anyway, you are right, the ship would have to have a very deep draft in order to fire a broadside! And resetting those cannons afterwards would be too time consuming. She is not wide enough. The guns should be of a smaller variety.

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I don't think she can be a snow, without the "third mast", but there are some confusion about the way you damned colonists have misused a number of terms... pirate_tong.gif

You raise an interesting point with the foremost mast being the mainmast, though - I had overlooked that. I should say that actually makes her ketch-rigged, putting an end to the discussion! pirate_laugh2.gif

And I am going to ask for some pictures or links or something on the sterncastle discussion. I can't find anything under frigatesize with anything approaching a sterncastle, except for carracks, cogs or caravels. pirate_blush.gif

Edited by Bregir

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I am talking about galleons and large carracks, Henry VIII's navy versus the Navy of Nelson, the sterncastles were much higher. The problem I am having is finding good links about sterncastles, as it seems to be a unpopular topic in today's internet world. I may have to go to the bookshelf -- to be continued!

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Ah, I follow. Something like this?

Certainly, I take most of my reference at a later period. However, I do find that most of the vessel here look more like those from the later ages, probably due to their more less curvy hulls and straighter lines. But of course, this is lego afterall! pirate_wink.gif

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