icm Posted September 4, 2018 I couldn't afford 10210 in 2010 and I certainly can't afford it now! But maybe with a bit of Bricklink luck and a bit of time at a sewing machine I can afford something similar. I downloaded TheCardinal's Stud.io file for 10210 and made the following changes: Hull colors inspired by USS Constitution and French ships of the line ca. 1800 Mast and spar colors inspired by HMS Victory and British ships of the line ca. 1800 Added platforms ("tops") to masts Deleted stern gallery Added framework to hold ship's boat with sail aft of the mainmast Added equipment to suspend ship's boat without sail behind stern Added ladders for belowdecks access Added four cannon Added extra stores Added boarding netting on top of the bulwarks Added fittings for twelve hammocks belowdecks Will use home-made fabric sails instead of sails from 10210 Will use a less expensive crew than 10210 Regrettably, the change to a black hull and the addition of extra cannon, boats, and hammocks probably outweighs any savings from the changed mast colors and the omission of the sails and crew from 10210, so this probably isn't any more affordable than 10210 itself. What do you think? What are best practices for building affordable sailing ships? (This is my first Pirates MOC as an adult.) Thanks for all questions, comments, advice, and critiques. Overview - bow Quote Overview - stern (before removal of stern gallery) Quote Stern detail (after removal of stern gallery) Quote Boat framework detail Quote Hammock detail (not all parts attached in Studio; the antennas should fit underneath the parts at the end of the top hammock) Quote Ship's boat detail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fraunces Posted October 4, 2018 Very nice ship, playable as well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProvenceTristram Posted October 5, 2018 (edited) I like it, but I would make every effort to lower the stern castle. But that's just me. If you ditch the rear black stern section, you should be able to drop it down (with some modifications). You could then spread the masts out a bit more. Edited October 5, 2018 by ProvenceTristram Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
icm Posted October 5, 2018 Thanks for your replies. The main idea with this build was to see if a more affordable, better-equipped Imperial Flagship could be Bricklinked for less than the average price of an Imperial Flagship on eBay. That didn't work out, so I didn't end up getting the parts for this. I also think the stern castle is too high. For an official set like the Imperial Flagship it's fine, but once you're already in the price range for a good MOC you may as well build a good MOC, right? So that's on the to-do list for later, after I get an excess of X-wings out of the way. When I get around to it, I'll probably end up using a lot of your ships for inspiration! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProvenceTristram Posted October 5, 2018 3 hours ago, icm said: Thanks for your replies. The main idea with this build was to see if a more affordable, better-equipped Imperial Flagship could be Bricklinked for less than the average price of an Imperial Flagship on eBay. That didn't work out, so I didn't end up getting the parts for this. I also think the stern castle is too high. For an official set like the Imperial Flagship it's fine, but once you're already in the price range for a good MOC you may as well build a good MOC, right? So that's on the to-do list for later, after I get an excess of X-wings out of the way. When I get around to it, I'll probably end up using a lot of your ships for inspiration! Yeah, I see that it's the "Imperial Flagship but not." My advice would be to sit down and steal some design techniques from a few people on this board and see if you can hash out something a lot more realistic at a lower price point. The thing about the Flagship is, for all its grandeur, it is neither particularly realistic, nor very well gunned for its size - in fact, it's kind of laughable on both fronts. You could probably part out a small brig that was close to being actual minifig scale, had a lower part count, and would beat the Flagship in a real-world battle. Not to dump on what you did here, of course. I'm just saying - if you're going to go all-in on a big buy, it might as well be 100% your own boat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iammac Posted October 21, 2018 On 10/5/2018 at 2:16 AM, ProvenceTristram said: Yeah, I see that it's the "Imperial Flagship but not." My advice would be to sit down and steal some design techniques from a few people on this board and see if you can hash out something a lot more realistic at a lower price point. The thing about the Flagship is, for all its grandeur, it is neither particularly realistic, nor very well gunned for its size - in fact, it's kind of laughable on both fronts. You could probably part out a small brig that was close to being actual minifig scale, had a lower part count, and would beat the Flagship in a real-world battle. Not to dump on what you did here, of course. I'm just saying - if you're going to go all-in on a big buy, it might as well be 100% your own boat. Tough bit to swallow, but that's where I've washed up. I put playability high on the list of priorities, so I have been here too. I actually did the whole, "Bricklink an Imperial Flagship," and it costed me radically less than an official one. My efforts to lower the stern resulted in four custom ships and counting. I just need to order some parts to resolve color conflicts, and when it's done, I might go out on a yard and post my first MOC here. MAC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
