[ENTRY] Skulls Eye Schooner remake (6286)

[Quotenotto]

This is my final update, the ship is complete and ready to set sailt.

There are some minor corrections I am going to make to the build further down the line, but those shouldn't be noticable.

This is going to be my entry for the contest, a remake of the classic Skulls Eye Schooner. Sporting 4 cannons, three masts and striped black sails, the Skulls Eye Schooner outgunned and outclassed the Black Seas Barracuda. The dashing colorscheme strikes fear into the hearts of merchants and soldiers alike!

A remake of this beloved classic seems almoust sacrilegious, though I never owened it myself and don't want to start a collection of vintage sets. Therefore, a remake has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. The name of the ship is rather inacurate, not beeing a schooner at all. Nevertheless, I decided to keep its original sailplan with its square-rigged fore- and mainmast and a lateen sail at the mizzen. The original set is typically stylized, with its high fore- and aftercastel and a low waist. I interpreted my version as an early 18th century corvette type vessel (e.g. https://www.modelships.de/L_Anemone/L_Anemone_photos.htm ) with an open gundeck like the original. I used a slightly updated version of the hull construction I developed for my bluecoat sloop and elongated it a bit. I changed the original colorscheme to some degrees, i replaced the brown hull with dark tan (out of necessity, due to the parts not beeing available in reddish brown) and the red accents with dark red. The green gunports were a bit to much for my taste, so I changed them to black (also because the only set to ever feature the green flag pieces was the original and because I don't own it and don't want to pay the prices for those pieces). The build has 1800 - 1900 parts, wich doesn't seem to much out of proportion for a Lego-Set (Considering that the original Eldorado Fortress had <500 parts and the remake has >2500). I don't have the energy left to edit some kind of box art, but I have made some sails (still wip, I'm gonna digitalize them to correct the designs, but the dimensions are fitting).

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Here are some details of the set: A hidden treasure on the island

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The open gundeck, the cannons can be run out or pulled back to close the gunports

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Storage compartments

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The captains cabin

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And finally some hidden gold onboard

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Thank you all for your suggestions and may the tides be with ye.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Quotenotto

[Elephant Knight]

A wonderful ship! I was hoping to see someone do the Skulls Eye for this contest.

One thing that I would do is give it the green cannon flaps back. I understand your reasoning, but the ship is rather dull. Maybe perhaps give it the regular red instead of dark red? It's a wonderful ship, but it's just a bit drab and colourless compared to the original, though I will admit the colour scheme of it is a tad messy.

EKnight

[Rogue Redcoat]

I mostly agree with @Elephant Knight on this one the colors do look a little drab, although 9 times out of 10 I would go with a darker color for a MOC, I think since it is a remake it could use a little more color. The only other thing I would add is a row boat on the back of the ship (like the original), other than this I would love to see more photos of your ship with minifigures and sails. Anyway, Happy building :)

[TheCosmicTravelers]

I love the design but I am not a fan of having the upper hull predominately light grey.  This color (though accurate to the original set's color scheme (the original had much less grey which was broken up by the green cannon covers)) makes the ship's images look black and white with some dark red colored in afterwards.  Replacing the grey with white (and changing some of the white flourishes to some other color (gold?)) would look a lot better.

[Pirate_King_1982]

I agree with others, the ship would looke better with green cannon flaps and better still if you changed out the dark red for red.

[Horation]

A good ship-but a little boring for a set

Theme

This is a remake of an existing set, so it should have play features ; other than the cannons, I see none. There has to be an interior, some storage space, a few imperials to fight, and a shark to kill the unlucky prisoners! Almost all of these points are true for MOCs, too. So the lack of any of these is disappointing, especially for such a large and original vessel, one which has space aplenty compared to most similar entries, just add some action to break the monotony (and figures) once the entry is physically built.

Build

The hull is the best in the contest, as are the sides of the ship. Now the lack of colour is easily fixed ; replace some of the black with dark red and add a bright colour (red, blue, green, yellow, etc...) to the boat's scheme to make it pop, and don't forget that a detailed, colourful interior will make this less noticeable (as would a small soldiers boat accompanying the design, like @Eggyslav's harbour sentry remake), the detailing is superb, and the boat isn't unbelievably large (actually quite fitting for an Icons or Ideas set). Good luck and have fun with these minor modifications; it'll show if you put some heart into it (as you clearly have on the ship's details)!

[Eggyslav]

Since @Horation summoned me from the Davy Jones' Locker, I might say some things about your tribute to SES. I actually like the subdued colour scheme. It makes the ship look time worn and ghost-like, especially white decorations look like sun bleached bone. very intimidating indeed. I especially love your work on the stern. My only gripe is the lack of minifigures.

[Quotenotto]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I created some renders with some of te suggested colours.
As a remake of a classic lego set, those colours reclaim the cartoony vibe the ship originally had (unfortunately, those colors would be impossible, because some pieces do not exist in red). I get why this might be prefered, but I did not create this set just for the contest, but for my collection as well and for that, I prefere the muted and rugged look of my colourscheme. Like https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/profile/24236-eggyslav/ pointed out, my intention was, as with some other projects of mine, to take an exisiting set and ground it in realism. This ship is supposed to be a pirate ship as it might have been towards the end of the golden age of piracy (~1700-1720). It would have been a merchant or military vessel, that pirates captured and customised (like removing decks to lose weight and gain speed). Therefore, the muted colours add to the aged look of this vessel.

As for play-features, i added quite a bit: The cannos are on wheels and can be run out or stored with closed gunports, there are two small compartment hatches for some cargo and a hidden compartment for tresure under some floorboards, the poop deck can be lifted up and reveals a furnished captains cabin and on the foremast is a capstan to hoist the anker (the ankercable in the physical model is giong to be a normal string and not a piece with studs and will come out of the white, unused barhingeplate on the stem for accuracy). With this version, I already added the rowboat at the stern, I am also going to add a crane to the backside of the foremast and a removable plank for unfortunate soldiers to walk.

This is not the final model, wich hopefully will be physical before the contest ends. I am going to put together a fitting crew and some opponents (maby with an extra rowboat) and create a final presentation.

Here are the colour variations:

Skulls Eye Schooner Remake 17 (different colours)

Skulls Eye Schooner Remake 18 (different colours)

Edited July 31, 2023 by Quotenotto
wrong picture linked

[iragm]

If I might make a suggestion:  drop the Skull's Eye Schooner remake name, and simply share this as its own thing.  The original is iconic because its colors were flamboyant (despite being largely a black-and-white ship) the fore and aft-castles were high, and the skull and skiff on the back.  Your first design shares none of these things (all deliberate design decisions on your part), and to be honest, I liked your corvette for what it is.  You don't need the red and green details, and if you add them, someone will complain that you don't have blue lanterns and/or a brick-built skull on the stern over the windows.

Skull's Eye is such a perfect design, even 30+ years later, that any attempt to modernize it is going to attract a lot of criticism.  I would take your design in its own direction -- because it's honestly awesome just as it is.  The hull shaping is great, the tumblehome is unique but looks great (I wish the ladder followed its rounded shape though), and I prefer the white decorations over the gold ones in your redesign.  The stern in your original is also better than the one holding the boat.

I might pick a slightly darker color for the bottom of the hull, and see how dark red flags look as cannon covers.  But apart from that I wouldn't change anything about your original design.

Regardless, it's quite clear that you're an excellent designer.  I can't wait to see this brick built, with sails and with the flags facing the right direction, regardless of the colors you ultimately go with!

[Rogue Redcoat]

It looks great now with some brighter colors, my only other suggestions are to add a bit more brown to complement the rowboat (if you stick with that color) and the steering wheel. Also for the figurehead add a skeleton head back (where did it go!), anyway, happy building :)   

[TheCosmicTravelers]

I love that you have the stern cabin at the same level as the gun deck (instead of just plopping an unaerodynamic box on top of the stern that one sees too often in both official ships and MOCS). 

I understand that you are wanting a more muted color scheme but would light gray really be a “realistic” color for a period-appropriate sailing ship? Light grey does not appear to be common paint color during the period; perhaps you are intending a weathered, exposed wood look (in which case your ship will not last long without repairs)? From my understanding, ship wood was usually lacquered, tarred, or painted (common primary colors were yellow, ochre (tan?), white, and black) for durability.

[Quotenotto]

5 hours ago, iragm said:

If I might make a suggestion:  drop the Skull's Eye Schooner remake name, and simply share this as its own thing.  The original is iconic because its colors were flamboyant (despite being largely a black-and-white ship) the fore and aft-castles were high, and the skull and skiff on the back.  Your first design shares none of these things (all deliberate design decisions on your part), and to be honest, I liked your corvette for what it is.  You don't need the red and green details, and if you add them, someone will complain that you don't have blue lanterns and/or a brick-built skull on the stern over the windows.

Skull's Eye is such a perfect design, even 30+ years later, that any attempt to modernize it is going to attract a lot of criticism.  I would take your design in its own direction -- because it's honestly awesome just as it is.  The hull shaping is great, the tumblehome is unique but looks great (I wish the ladder followed its rounded shape though), and I prefer the white decorations over the gold ones in your redesign.  The stern in your original is also better than the one holding the boat.

I might pick a slightly darker color for the bottom of the hull, and see how dark red flags look as cannon covers.  But apart from that I wouldn't change anything about your original design.

Regardless, it's quite clear that you're an excellent designer.  I can't wait to see this brick built, with sails and with the flags facing the right direction, regardless of the colors you ultimately go with!

Thank you for your opinion on the matter. You are right, it is less of a "remake" and more of a "reinterpretation", my goal was to put this ship in the context of my growing collection, focussing on ships of the mentioned time period. The claim that the original model is perfect is as debatable as wether a reinterpration pays hommage to the original or drags its good name through the dirt. I am quite aware of my controversial choices and I am willing to discuss this topic further. Your stern problem with the rowboat is easily adressed, as this can be customised with only removing the supports and reapplying the flower pieces.
A darker hull colour is unfortunately not possible, due to a lot of those parts not beeing availible in the required colours, only black might be possible (before u used those colours, I checked if dark red might have been an opion).

3 hours ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

It looks great now with some brighter colors, my only other suggestions are to add a bit more brown to complement the rowboat (if you stick with that color) and the steering wheel. Also for the figurehead add a skeleton head back (where did it go!), anyway, happy building :)   

Going back to the original, i realised that it didn't have a skull aswell, just a plain black head, i preferred white in its place. And a pirate ship shouldn't be identifiable as such, only in the opportune moment it reveals its true nature with its flag.

2 hours ago, TheCosmicTravelers said:

I love that you have the stern cabin at the same level as the gun deck (instead of just plopping an unaerodynamic box on top of the stern that one sees too often in both official ships and MOCS). 

I understand that you are wanting a more muted color scheme but would light gray really be a “realistic” color for a period-appropriate sailing ship? Light grey does not appear to be common paint color during the period; perhaps you are intending a weathered, exposed wood look (in which case your ship will not last long without repairs)? From my understanding, ship wood was usually lacquered, tarred, or painted (common primary colors were yellow, ochre (tan?), white, and black) for durability.

Well, there are a lot of 16th and 17th century examples with such a high aftercastle and they are quite a sight to behold (e.g. Francis Drakes "Golden Hinde", a pirate ship of quite some historical significance: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hinde), but I am also a fan of later period ships with a sleeker hull structure.
Yellow, occre, white and black where classical british navy colours, but other colours like red weren't uncommon. Pirates would have had to use whatever they could get there hands on, with docks and shipyards rarely beeing an option for repairs. Grey could be some thinned down white paint, meant to cover parts that were originally black. Or it could be an aged white part, that wasn't touched up yet (some lead-based common white pigments darken with age). But the main reason was to keep some resemblence to the original.

[Elephant Knight]

The updates to the colours are a big improvement! The addition of the rowboat on the stern does harken to the source material well, but it sadly obscures some of the nice detailing you made. still, I think you should keep it.

EKnight

[MstrOfPppts]

This is a very nice ship. A bit too much on a MOC side but maybe just passable as what a set would look like if LEGO decided to make a big ship with brick built hull. I do prefer the updated color scheme especially if considering it as a remake. Although there was nothing wrong wit the original color scheme which made the ship look more Pirate like. As for a remake I too see too much artists freedom as it makes the ship look a completely different class - I'm no expert on the ships and I know that LEGO originals are simplified versions of the real thing, but the very low quarter deck is the main reason for me that the ship looks completely different from the original.

[Quotenotto]

This is going to be my presentation setup for the finalized set design. The bickbuild sails are just for the rendered version (althoug they are technically possible, they would probably bend the masts with their weight), a first batch of parts has arrived, but I'm still waiting for a second order containig some structurally importent parts. I'm gonna try to create the sails and building instructions in the meantime.

Skulls Eye Schooner Remake presentation render

Instead of some soldiers as antagonists, I opted for just Pirates, as the original contained just 9 pirates aswell. Therefore, there are 9 minifigures in total, physically i am going to use some different ones, because I don't have all of those torsos. For some added drama, the pirates are currently marooning one of their own on a tiny, deserted island, who knows what he might have done to upset the rest of the crew? Hopefully, he can reach this little piece of land, before the shark catches up to him! The former inhabitant left a bottle of rum for him, hidden under the rock.
As for more added play-features, the plank is on a hinge and can be used to fling people overboard. The crane is movalble and can also function as a rope to swing onto other ships.

[Rogue Redcoat]

I looks great so far, I can't wait for the final updates :)

[Horation]

The sails are a great addition to the ship and will make it menacing (a lot like the black pearl, which most seem to really enjoy around here). Your explanation for the crew is acceptable so good job!

[iragm]

This is looking great and I like the color scheme of the current 'final' render -- can't wait to see it with proper sails!

[CDKiii]

I really love the ship, and especially its hull.

Will you offer or sell instructions after the the contest?

[Quotenotto]

16 hours ago, CDKiii said:

I really love the ship, and especially its hull.

Will you offer or sell instructions after the the contest?

I have finished an instruction file that I might sell. But first, i want to create custom sails and create some image files for them aswell, so that I can attach those to the instructions. And I am not quite sure yet, how I might want to sell those instructions, I have to look further into the possibilitys.

[iragm]

22 hours ago, Quotenotto said:

I have finished an instruction file that I might sell. But first, i want to create custom sails and create some image files for them aswell, so that I can attach those to the instructions. And I am not quite sure yet, how I might want to sell those instructions, I have to look further into the possibilitys. 

Rebrickable is your best bet.

[NOD]

I like that a lot better than your Imperial Corvette. Sails and minifigures can be seen here.

[Mazin]

Truly remarkable craftmanship mein herr. Estethically this might be the best ship in Lego pirate theme ever. I like it's shape, both color versions, and sails, even tho they are not made out of a real material ( not yet at least ), and that additional little island is a nice bonus. Then again, maybe it's a presentation, maybe it's this gothic feeling, this overhelming darkness that it doesn't look like a legit classic Lego set. I know that Lego went a bit away from the first wave colorful vessels and islands into territories of different tones, but this one carries this a bit depresive autumn vibe, instead of fun, that i'm looking for in Lego ;) I know that these colors rule because this is a remake that's supposed to use original colors, but there something darkmarish about it ;) And then again, original Baracuda had a lot more soul and charm the the original Schooner :)

Anyway, i'd realy like to see some closeup of it's interiors if possible. You've mentioned that the stern is openable and that there are secret compartments, it would be cool to have them photographed/visible on renders as well. Same goes for the gunk deck, so far i've been able to see that there 4 gunport and a huge space behind them for the artilerrymen. I believe that there's a staircase just by it and probably some door to captain's cabin, so it would nice for reviewers to see it, as all those elements would probably let You score some additional points, since You seem verys skilled at brick building :) 

And, when i went to Your gallery on flickr i saw that You've made an another version of Your corvette, in Imperial colors, so i wonder it it could be possible to merge those two versions, like, since pirates used to attak under false flag tactics, maybe they could also sail with exchangable boards on the hull? So that Your ship could be used as both a legit pirate ship and a pirate ship disguised as an Imperial vessel, and then it could be used as an imperial craft if prefered. Two-three toys in one :) But it's just an suggestion that popped up in my mind upon seeing that Your corvette/schooner is sort of a chameleon, cause obviously i have no idea if such proposal could be doable ;)  

[TheCosmicTravelers]

I think the problem with so much grey (the original set did not have this color extending as far into the stern and sterncastle along the sides and rear of the hull) is that it makes the ship look rather drearily monochromatic. When I first saw the earlier renders, I initially thought I was looking at a grayscale image with dark red and tan colors added for highlighting! The green canon covers and golden scroll work in your color variant version definitely helped to dispel this impression.

[_R_R_]

I love how imposing the she looks but must agree with everyone else, having the bright red and green would make her pop more and perhaps a bit more white along the edges. I feel like TLG would use regular hull pieces instead of going for the brickbuilt route but I understand this is your design and you probably can't change it now anyway but perhaps changing the color from sand to brown will make it more vibrant? The little island is a nice addition and is a foreboding foreshadowing of what will happen to the poor sod walking the plank!