[MOC] - HMS Supernaut (48) Heavy Frigate

[Supersick_]

Just launched for service on an especially black sabbath, the Frigate Supernaut... 

- Updated to a [MOC]

She's built with an extensively SNOT side/hull that allows me more control of plan view taper and more proper L/W ratio. The hull is 18 wide at the bow, 20 wide at the waist, 16 wide at the stern. She’s built at “theme scale” like my other ships.

I'd like to give a nod to @boeing_787_8_dreamliner ships that inspired these rigid axle shrouds and @Dread Pirate Wesley inspiration for the ship’s boats.

 

I started this hull design for L’Anubis and eventually got too busy with work to finish. However, I recently dusted off an old save file I found labeled “Fer Maiden Heavy.” Clearly a few months ago I had a late night of experimenting I’d pretty much forgotten about.

‘Nay, stubborn fool, the people do not want this from you.’

I couldn’t help it, I felt the draw of a fast frigate! I made an excuse that in my “story world” of these ships, it would make more sense to introduce HMS Supernaut before L’Anubis. This is a thinly veiled delusion, as I really wanted to create my homage to HMS Endymion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Endymion_(1797)?wprov=sfti1
 

I’ll save you too long a history lesson from me and let you hit the wiki if you want, but - I gotta say that the wiki page is missing a lot of great context and detail that you can find in books like ‘Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars.’ 

One of the coolest details missing from Wiki is that Pomone, the French ship she took her lines from, was not an officially commissioned MNF vessel. She was privately designed and built, and brought in front of MNF Admiralty to be evaluated (and subsequently put to service) as a Naval vessel. 
 

The Frigate Supernaut shares some of the special things about her lines - very straight and shallow in shear and a very long running stern taper at waterline. 

Supernaut is launched and given orders to sail for the new world, investigate the threat posed by the pirate frigate Fer Maiden and engage or capture as necessary.

Her hull form allows enough stores for year-long cruising but is fast enough to be a deadly hunter. Her length keeps her steady in seas and though she will heel under canvas, she is mild mannered in pitch and roll. Her upper works are devoid of superstructures as to not block wind and she’ll clock 14.5 knots. Her crew is not too cramped, her gun deck operates at peak efficiency. Her bulwarks and pretty flat quarterdeck provide ample space for her officers and weatherdeck gun crews in battle.

She’s large and strong enough to carry a heavy main battery, and ballasted to sit with slight forward rake - allowing her surprising agility in battle. This also increased her freeboard at the waist guns to her stern.

 

 

I’m rather happy with the recent evolution of her beakhead, and a typically menacing figurehead indicative of a Supersick_ built ship…

… and stern gallery  

 

I chose to paint her in black with ochre stripe but alternate liveries can include a classic Nelson Chequer with yellow stripe and more decorative upperworks.

 

 

Here’s a look at the bow section. I’m splitting the ship into bow/mid/stern sections to increase playability. This requires some sort of modular axle/gear-based capstan mechanism. I’m happy with my solution but I really need to build her first to make sure it works without issue.

 

Note: for the scale of Supernaut I felt a custom main anchor was needed, and am now using the molded ones as kedge anchors. It took a few iterations to get right - being a slightly odd size. Still not perfect, so I may be adjusting them a bit - at least I got the scale and position I wanted tho.

I suppressed some floor and structures to show the capstan mechanism. The barrel fwd of the stove helps hide the axle and technic plate necessary for this design. 

Compared to Fer Maiden below:

A nice shot carrying her boats at the waist.
 

 

I’ll end with a painting of her inspiration, Endymion, and Supernaut paying homage…

 

 

Updates, interior views, physical model, sails (and more ships!!!), soon. Thanks for stopping by. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Supersick_
Updates

[Mister Phes]

On 7/13/2022 at 6:25 PM, Supersick_ said:

Just launched for service on an especially black sabbath, the frigate Supernaut... 

You've made good progress!

But will you get it completed this weekend as planned?

[Dashiell brown]

Any updates on Anubis. Or this ship lately. Very cool ships. 

[Barbatos]

Very nice frigate!

[Supersick_]

I edited the first post with updated images and description of Supernaut - and hopefully did a good job explaining my homage to Endymion. 
 

I’m just about happy enough with the model to start the instructions. Id like to add some more interior details before showing that. As per usual, I’m making sure things work in the real world using available parts and colors (argh!). This just makes some things so tedious. Always compromising…..

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

This wonderful frigate is out of my constructive reach ... I envy you!

[Mister Phes]

19 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

I edited the first post with updated images and description of Supernaut - and hopefully did a good job explaining my homage to Endymion. 

Thank you for taking the time to update the first post!

But also, any time you have an update, feel free to create a new post in this topic.

As you're no doubt aware, new posts will bump the topic to the top of the forum index and that give your update a high chance of being seen.

Can't wait for the next update!

 

[Supersick_]

On 7/27/2022 at 8:35 AM, Dashiell brown said:

Any updates on Anubis. Or this ship lately. Very cool ships. 

Anubis is coming along. I will have updates in her thread soon! 
 

On 7/27/2022 at 2:41 PM, Barbatos said:

Very nice frigate!

Grazie mille!

 

11 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

This wonderful frigate is out of my constructive reach ... I envy you!

Cheers! I appreciate it.

 

1 hour ago, Mister Phes said:

Thank you for taking the time to update the first post!

But also, any time you have an update, feel free to create a new post in this topic.

As you're no doubt aware, new posts will bump the topic to the top of the forum index and that give your update a high chance of being seen.

Can't wait for the next update!

 

Aye, will do Captain! 

[Mister Phes]

19 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

Aye, will do Captain! 

Also, I found this rousing piece of artwork somewhere:

[RacingDuck82]

Hi Supersick_,

Before I ask my question, I want to say I love all your ship designs (Barracuda Brig, Fer Maiden, Supernaut and L'Anubis). I recently bought Barracuda Brig and FerMaiden from Rebrickable and I'm having a blast with it. I'm very much a big fan of the full hull designs. Keep up the good work!

I know you are very busy with the L'Anubis project but can you give an update on the HMS Supernaut? I would love to have a crack at it and build it in real life. There is something about a heavy frigate I cannot resist.

Thank you very much!

[Supersick_]

First, thanks so much for the compliments, and I'm glad you're having fun with the builds! I really appreciate the support. I was just going to update this thread, you have rather good timing! Aye, there's something about the long term cruising ability, firepower and speed of the large frigates that makes them super exciting.

 

Supernaut updates. I'm about to order my bricklink carts! (Mind the mess, there's still a few cheese wedge slopes missing I'm sure, and some wrong colors here and there)

I redid the hullside section, figured out a method to connect the shroud lines to the masts so that there's add'l stability, and indicated the chains anchoring the shrouds to the hull in a way I'm happy with. I also redid the width of the main gun deck 1 stud wider through most of it for proportional accuracy (jumper plate mania to get the odd-stud width to work with an even-stud technic gear-driven capstan system). I also added stern davits, and completely redid the bow, a new brodie-style stove, and new 18pdr cannon and carronades ( @TimoFunk inspiration on the long guns). 

Comparison with Fer Maiden (~2000 bricks).

Supernaut is over 5,300 bricks. 6,600+ with the lower hull.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Supersick_

[RacingDuck82]

Supersick_, thank you for the update on Supernaut!

Wow, seriously! This is some amazing stuff. I think I speak for most people when I say this is all truly impressive. Keep up the great work!

Good luck building this beauty!

Edited March 17, 2023 by RacingDuck82

[Supersick_]

Some final refinement:

- Beakhead proportions more accurate to Endymion (and less expensive)
- Adjusted angle of bowsprit to be more accurate to Endymion.
- Repositioned hawse holes, again for accuracy/necessitated by previous changes.
- New catheads with inside halves "split" at the bulwark so the foreword foc'sle deck can be removed easier.
- New boats! I completely redid the boats in a more supersick_ hull style and did what I could to maximize their stability/play.

 

 

 

[Supersick_]

Today I added a condenser to the Brodie stove for drinking water.

 

I also realized that if that's the point I'm at in refinement then I can order some material. It's upon this day that the Admiralty Board of Bricklink Orders officially commissioned the construction of the frigate Supernaut.

Next update will include a physical model!

[Mister Phes]

2 hours ago, Supersick_ said:

Today I added a condenser to the Brodie stove for drinking water. 

You're sparing no detail here!

So a real-life Brodie stove be this?

[Supersick_]

Aye, there are a few different sizes of them.

HMS Victory’s stove wouldn’t have been the same size as a frigate’s, for instance. 

[RacingDuck82]

Wonderful stuff!

Keep us updated on the progress of your build.

[cehnot]

Ship looking great. 

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Beautiful vessel and amazing detail for those cannons!

[Supersick_]

Cheers everyone!

Well, she's structurally sound in bricks, sections properly and is strong enough to play with while assembled. I refined a few changes from the CAD:
- Increased the aft sheer by 1 plate and raised the waist and quarterdecks to match.
- Redid some key slopes on the hull sides to smooth the shape at waterline and provide a finer stern taper.
- Reworked the rear davits.
- Raised the mast heights slightly.

Problems w/ shrouds, most of the used "good condition" rigid 3mm hose I got off Bricklink came mangled and bent from use. I spent a lot of time trying to re-straighten them using heat gun, etc... Ended up ordering a new roll of tubing I use so I can replace them with new straight tubes cut to length. Waiting for that to be delivered, but stoked nonetheless. 

 

Anyway, pics. Piece count is about 4,500 just Supernaut. ~4,700 with her 3 boats, ~5,700 with her boats and armament of long guns/carronades 

 

More soon.

[RacingDuck82]

Wow! It looks amazing in real life! Great stuff Supersick_!

Thanks for the pictures and build update!

[Crazy bricks]

That looks epic - the style is rather different from the typical pirate ship but in a good way!

[Powder Monkey]

Wow! You Sir are the Thomas Slade of Lego shipbuilding

[Supersick_]

The Supernaut - Heavy Frigate

 

Constructed outside the watchful eye of the Imperial admiralty, Supersick_'s Pirate Shipyard is proud to launch the frigate Supernaut - explorer of time and globe. She is punched for 48 guns: 24 long guns in her main battery and more iron up top - 2 cannon, 20 carronades across the foc'sle and quarter decks, and 2 long gun bow-chasers. Using creativity and advanced hull-shaping techniques, the Pirates have laid down a class of extremely fast large frigate secretly commissioned by the Red Coats but on offer to any fleet willing to pay the chests required.

 

Designed as an homage to the historical HMS Endymion (1797), she's a very large frigate at theme-scale: the pride of your Navy's long-range fleet. Capable of defending herself from almost anything she may encounter on the high seas, she's fast enough to run from Ships of the Line and indeed hunt and capture them if they stray from the Line, let alone the havoc that await Merchantmen without sufficient escort.

 

This model is meant as a "UCS-Style" build. It is completely brick-built with no prefab hulls, no prefab cannon, and no prefab shrouds. These more playful elements can be adapted (except not the hulls). Please be aware to edit the parts list yourself if you choose to build it like that.

 

Features: a working double-deck-capstan to weigh anchor, a brodie stove to feed her crew, a furnished cabin for her captain, brick built accurate cannon (18pdr long gun main battery), standing and running rigging with yards that rotate to accurately portray various sailing profiles, removable foc'sle and quarter decks to allow access to her gun deck and interior, and probably my favorite feature: it separates into 3 sections for more detailed play. 

 

Bow, Waist, and Stern sections are fully stand-alone and self-supporting. Please use caution when separating and reconnecting, and don't forget to undo the strings between masts!

 

Whether you choose to add this vessel to an Imperial navy or a Pirate clan, may you have calm seas and fair wind. Now, all hands beat to quarters and let fly the colors!
 

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-147318/supersick_/supernaut-heavy-frigate/

 

Here be a deal happening between a famous pirate and an undisclosed Imperial Officer. A ship changing hands and letters from Admiralty? There be strategic waters ahead...

[Supersick_]

Her gun deck is 74 studs long and 19 studs wide at the waist. The core of the model is even-width technic structures carrying the capstan axle mechanisms so the odd stud width is fun to achieve. This, oddly, makes some of Supernaut more challenging than L'Anubis will be (20 stud width, plus capstan in the foc'sle)

Thank you all for the encouragement, I really appreciate it. The challenges in this build are fun, but doing the instructions was hellish - and cost-reducing what I could to make it somewhat realistic to afford. It's cheaper to build than Stud.io would estimate but definitely not worth paying for Lego rigid hoses. Go MOC-er spool of 3mm Freelin Wade hose (or buy sections from resellers).

 

7 hours ago, Powder Monkey said:

Wow! You Sir are the Thomas Slade of Lego shipbuilding

Wow, what a compliment. Thank you very much, I am flattered. But I assure you, Sir Thomas Slade was much more punctual when delivering his designs, haha!