[MOC] "Fer Maiden" - 36 Gun Privateer Frigate

[Supersick_]

Special thanks to @cehnot for letting me (digitally) abuse such a beautiful ship. I was playing around with some gunfire techniques.  
 

"With the devil's vessel off our larboard quarter we readied our gundeck battery and braced for engagement... then with swift manoeuvre, the pirate frigate quickly yawed, beating towards windward, crossing our wake and violently raking our stern. Amongst the mayhem below deck, the crews had not yet run the stbd cannon out and thus we had no reasonable course but to strike our colors and accept our fate..."

The Capture of the Galleon Camilla by the Frigate Fer Maiden.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Supersick_

[cehnot]

I thought of designing a ship display stand, but I may want to create an ocean display with her cutting through the water instead. Not sure. Display stand I will still pursue, offer it with the set, but this makes me want to have some sort of modular wave display base built. 

 

[VaneStream]

Incredible ship! I especially love the version with the completed hull!

[Brickander Brickumnus]

23 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

Special thanks to @cehnot for letting me (digitally) abuse such a beautiful ship. I was playing around with some gunfire techniques.  
 

"With the devil's vessel off our larboard quarter we readied our gundeck battery and braced for engagement... then with swift manoeuvre, the pirate frigate quickly yawed, beating towards windward, crossing our wake and violently raking our stern. Amongst the mayhem below deck, the crews had not yet run the stbd cannon out and thus we had no reasonable course but to strike our colors and accept our fate..."

The Capture of the Galleon Camilla by the Frigate Fer Maiden.

With the bottom hull painted white, the ship looks much much better! 

[Supersick_]

On 3/28/2021 at 1:41 AM, VaneStream said:

Incredible ship! I especially love the version with the completed hull!

Cheers!

 

I have a few updates below:

First, a new lower hull with shallower draught. This change ended up being a little difficult but nothing a few late nights couldn't figure out. In the end I think this subtle difference works better proportionally as a full model.

 

 

Let's have a closer look at her (not yet completed) crew:

The Quarterdeck: the Captain on the helm - where he likes to be, the ship's cat, the Lieutenant/Carpenter/Naturalist (a pirate crew isn't as segregated as the stuffy Admiral's Navy after all), the Lady at Arms (a ruthless killer), and the Quartermaster/singer/newfangled Spanish "guitarra"/chordophone player.

 

The Waist and Foc'sle: here we have the Gunnery Sergeant/Cook disciplining one of his Waisters/Gunners for missing training. The Forecastle Men look on with amusement, as the Sergeant's wooden leg makes for an entertaining chase. They share memories of the battle in which he lost his leg aboard the Black Seas Barracuda as a part of Redbeard's crew.

And finally we have a shot of the Captain and his Lieutenant plotting their course in the great cabin. These are still just the sea trials, so where could they be headed?

 

 

Here she is in the water running on a broad reach. Note: the Top Men aloft, a tight-knit bunch of able seamen who pride themselves most on their efficiency in maneuvering - a bond they have forged with the Captain and misc. deck crews over previous erm... endeavors. 

 

Part of any high performance machine is maintenance and upkeep. Under sea trials it was found that a few pieces of her copper had come loose and really needed re-caulking. Due to other projects' keels already being laid at Barracuda Shipyard, they careened in a nearby shoal bay for repairs. Unfortunately she was already trimmed and laden with guns so the crew decided to take the full effort to unload and make camp for a few days. Here she is getting scrubbed and prepped for repair.

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking about how best to update Rebrickable with the lower hull. Do I add it to the main model as another update or just offer it as an independent (free) MOC? Your guys' feedback is appreciated as always. For what it's worth there are a few changes to smooth some stuff out at the bow but I'm missing those bricks and instead of waiting even longer for some Bricklinks to arrive I decided to use what I had on-hand.

[Mister Phes]

3 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

I have a few updates below:

This is all looking fantastic!

We're looking for a ship to feature on the Classic Pirates Instagram on the weekend - will the Fer Maiden be ready to set sail by then?

[VaneStream]

Wow, those new pictures with the crew are wonderful. Especially the one where they are making her ready for prepares, it's really sucking me into that world. The pictures you are shooting are great! What are you using as a white backdrop? I'm imagining it has to be quite large for such a large ship to fit nicely in front of it!

[Sebeus I]

She sits low in the water, I like it. The curved stern windows are very catching, smooth. not too fond of the ladders for rigging, especially since she already has custom sails, might as well go all the way. Although I do admit that custom rigging is really a hassle and consumes way too much time  . I'm digging that hull extension to make it a full hull.

[Supersick_]

6 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

This is all looking fantastic!

We're looking for a ship to feature on the Classic Pirates Instagram on the weekend - will the Fer Maiden be ready to set sail by then?

Indeed, she will be ready. Thank you! 
 

5 hours ago, VaneStream said:

Wow, those new pictures with the crew are wonderful. Especially the one where they are making her ready for prepares, it's really sucking me into that world. The pictures you are shooting are great! What are you using as a white backdrop? I'm imagining it has to be quite large for such a large ship to fit nicely in front of it!

Thank you so much, I feel least confident in my story/characters so I appreciate this, I will keep on going!

 My “seamless” at the moment is 2 pieces of white foam core on my table up against a white wall, 2 lamps plus ceiling lighting and a professional designer’s worth of photoshop to remove the seams and blemishes. A bit arduous, but it works. I wish I had the space to dedicate for a little corner of the studio but Covid has condensed both mine and my gf’s (also a designer) work in the home studio and I can’t find the space for a permanent setup.

The trick is to use one lamp as primary light source the second lamp as a fill against the wall (I have one with exposed soft white bulbs) so you don’t have a dark shadow between base and wall opposite your primary light. 
 

1 hour ago, Sebeus I said:

She sits low in the water, I like it. The curved stern windows are very catching, smooth. not too fond of the ladders for rigging, especially since she already has custom sails, might as well go all the way. Although I do admit that custom rigging is really a hassle and consumes way too much time  . I'm digging that hull extension to make it a full hull.

Thank youuuuu. I agree but wanted her to feel like a kit in-theme so I’m stuck living with these molded ladder shrouds. I think what I’ll ultimately do (or never be happy) is a “UCS” version of Fer Maiden that’s a slightly larger scale with a bit more detail and some custom rigging and accurate mast stepping, etc. 

edit: ah thanks re: stern. I love the British frigate standard of arched outboard stern windows. Especially on a French hull design (a la  Endymion, nee Pomone). 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Supersick_

[VaneStream]

 

On 3/30/2021 at 1:48 PM, Supersick_ said:

 My “seamless” at the moment is 2 pieces of white foam core on my table up against a white wall, 2 lamps plus ceiling lighting and a professional designer’s worth of photoshop to remove the seams and blemishes. A bit arduous, but it works. I wish I had the space to dedicate for a little corner of the studio but Covid has condensed both mine and my gf’s (also a designer) work in the home studio and I can’t find the space for a permanent setup.

The trick is to use one lamp as primary light source the second lamp as a fill against the wall (I have one with exposed soft white bulbs) so you don’t have a dark shadow between base and wall opposite your primary light. 

Thanks for the info about your setup for pictures. It sure sounds like alot of work, but it definately seems to be worth it, the end result is perfect! I really appreciate that the background is completely white.

[Brickander Brickumnus]

On 3/30/2021 at 4:10 AM, Supersick_ said:

Part of any high performance machine is maintenance and upkeep. Under sea trials it was found that a few pieces of her copper had come loose and really needed re-caulking. Due to other projects' keels already being laid at Barracuda Shipyard, they careened in a nearby shoal bay for repairs. Unfortunately she was already trimmed and laden with guns so the crew decided to take the full effort to unload and make camp for a few days. Here she is getting scrubbed and prepped for repair.

This picture is great! 

With a proper background (photoshopped or with real bricks) it will be absolutely gorgeous!

[Supersick_]

I've wanted to do these for a while and I finally made the time. Had to finish this week for @Mister Phes or he would ban me. 

 

 

[Mister Phes]

54 minutes ago, Supersick_ said:

I've wanted to do these for a while and I finally made the time. Had to finish this week for @Mister Phes or he would ban me. 

You sir, are a master!  I bow to thee... and then raise thy glass....

 

[Pdaitabird]

That looks great with the custom backgrounds! The last one is my favorite.

[waviation9]

On 3/22/2021 at 3:17 PM, cehnot said:

I love it

awesome set!

[Scoar Sonander]

Hi! How did you model the structural innards? Technic beams, or just simple bricks? 

[BlackGloveBricks]

You almost had me! 

[Supersick_]

I would never be so cruel on my own! @Mister Phes put me up to it  

 

4 hours ago, Scoar Sonander said:

Hi! How did you model the structural innards? Technic beams, or just simple bricks? 

For the lower hull? A "backbone" of sorts with modified bricks to mount the hull sides which are built SNOT, then brackets in that construction to allow the 2 sides to get tied together via 2x8 plates up top in the recesses of the prefab hull pieces.

 

[natesroom]

so not a real lego release pirate ship...i was kind of confused. It looks great and polished which is why i was confused.

Edited April 2, 2021 by natesroom

[dr_spock]

Poisson d'Avril?

[Mister Phes]

39 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

Poisson d'Avril?

Correct.

17 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

I would never be so cruel on my own! @Mister Phes put me up to it  

Yes, it was I who hatched this devious ploy!

But thank you for going along with it, our Facebook post has reached 26K+ people.

 

And for anyone who wants to build this...

BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS

 

[JopieK]

Really nice ship. @Supersick_. Would have been great as a real set indeed, especially as it could be either a pirate or a 'confederate' ship (maybe it used to be a soldiers ship but taken over by the pirates?).

[Supersick_]

2 hours ago, JopieK said:

Really nice ship. @Supersick_. Would have been great as a real set indeed, especially as it could be either a pirate or a 'confederate' ship (maybe it used to be a soldiers ship but taken over by the pirates?).

Cheers! I see 2 plausible scenarios to explain her being in Pirate hands:

1. An imperial post ship/brig was attacked by the pirates and in the captain's chest was a set of blueprints from the admiralty detailing a new type of frigate design. They used the plans, adding their own improvements by way of a local defected naval architect (now the ship's carpenter/naturalist/lieutenant). They constructed her themselves at the Barracuda Bay dockyard, her materials purchased via Redbeard's expansive treasure stores from 30+ years of raiding.

2. She was an imperial ship that was hunting the pirates. They lured it into shallow waters unknown to the foreign captain and crew. She either beached or otherwise became a victim of tide and wind and was stuck overnight. Faced with a decision to be stuck indefinitely or seek reinforcements, they set a long boat out to the nearest outpost. Meanwhile the pirates returned to her under cover of darkness with as many men as would fit in their ships and took their prize off the skeleton crew, cutting her out before the empire returned. 
 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Supersick_

[ctx1769]

i.m looking at getting the pirates of barracuda bay and the creator pirate 3 in 1 set. Rebrickable tells me i have 90% of the parts before i get those sets.

.

[JintaiZ]

Check it out!