Foremast Jack

Eurobricks Citizen
  • Content Count

    283
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Foremast Jack

  1. Foremast Jack

    What % of your Lego Collection is Pirate?

    Unfortunately when I "got too old for LEGO" I got rid of my childhood collection. I can recall it quite vividly however, and I can say that somewhere around: 80-85% of my collection was Pirates. Any time I personally used my allowance or birthday/Christmas money to purchase LEGO, it was always pirates. Gifts I received in the form on LEGO sometimes were from another line. I recollect having received several City sets. But again I was always about Pirates. (I even put Skull's Eye Schooner and Imperial Trading Post on lay-away so I could get them. They costing too much to ever receive them as a gift.)
  2. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    What you say is quite true but I think the proportionate ratio is slightly different than what you may realize. Yes, a prow would most accurately be represented with a width of 2 studs. However, this ratio would necessitate that the width of the beam (that being width of the ship) to be larger than is available with the pre-fabricated hulls. Thus, I think it stands to reason that a single stud prow would "appear" to be most realistic. Ultimately though, seeing how attaching a single stud prow to the prefab hull cannot be done without looking worse than simply using a 2 wide, this may all be moot.
  3. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    A bit off topic for this thread I am sure, but I felt compelled to share this. So I was quite taken aback by my complete ignorance on this part of the ship. (I like to think, from time-to-time, that I know a fair bit.) I did some digging around to find the part's name. It was something of a prodigious bother to me. Thankfully, and laughably, I found it. They are called, quite affectionately I might add, the "Gun-port Wriggles." I can understand your pain completely. I have been designing a LEGO version of the HMS Interceptor for about 8 months now. I will not be calling her such since the ship used for the HMS Interceptor was a modern tall ship. Instead I have taken her and used the frame and everything about her that is historically accurate for the time period and added thereto to make her more accurate still. I think I'm about ready to start building her in real life. If I don't start I feel I will keep changing things about her in LDD. More to the point: I think you can rest assured here in disregarding the more historically accurate wriggles with the knowledge that the Flying Dutchman is something of a "submarine" apart from a sailing vessel. Seeing how she is perfectly at home below the waves as on top of them, it stands to reason that a little water running down into the port-holes isn't going to cause a great harm.
  4. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    Thanks for the link. Looking through the photos it seems Perfectionist decided to stick with a 2 wide prow in the end. This is much how my sentiments have been inclining lately.
  5. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    Hmmm, very interesting. Never realized that. Thanks for the new knowledge!
  6. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    Thanks for the suggestions, Bart. The one on the left is one of the ideas I stumbled upon myself. The issue I'm having with everything I find is the gaps left between the hull and the prow. But I'll keep playing around with it.
  7. Foremast Jack

    Frigate in progress

    Well hello and welcome. I'm sure we all look forward to what you have in store for us.
  8. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    Well for all those interested I found a way to center and mount a single stud wide prow to the pre-fab hulls. It's really nothing too elegant but works quite effectively. I'm just going to list the key pieces cause I think it's quite straight forward. + + And the inverted slopes run upwards from there. The only issue I having with it now is the back-fill. The notched areas in the hull itself are very blocky now, and I don't quite like it. So unless another idea presents itself, I think I'm going to stick with a two wide.
  9. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    Ah, yes. I remember now, at least I think I do. It has been some time since I've seen any of the films apart from the first. (I find the latter films to be far inferior due to their exclusions of naval terminology that was so prevalent in the first, but I digress...) Some reason I remember the gun-ports to have been great, gaping mouths through which the cannons protruded. Was this not the case? I wonder if not the vertical raising and lowering of the gun port covers could be achieved with the following pieces. and The joys of making them all fit together and look appealing I leave entirely to you. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Took a second look at the gun-ports. I guess I was focusing too much on the port through which the cannon passes and I missed the forest for the trees, as they say. I see the face and mouth now I was referring to previously. And I see why the revolvers are there now. Very nice work. I am still very interested to see if you come up with something for the raising and lowering of the hatch covers.
  10. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    Yes, obviously that doesn't work so well. I would like to point out though that realistically speaking there should be gratings covering those hatchways. So it would be navigable deck space, but I'm not trying to press the matter so much. I agree with everyone else here that design using the telescopes as capstan bars looks rather catching. The colour may be a bit abrasive, but I think the design is very effective. It strikes me as very LEGO. The seaweed around the gun-ports is superb! The revolvers I'm not as thrilled about. Looking at it I immediately thought that if you could work the raised eyebrow looking pieces above the gun-ports used to keep the ropes off the paint-work(the name has slipped my mind!) then it would be awesome! I don't know if you have plans to incorporate working ropes to raise the gun hatch covers but I think it would look quite nice regardless. A picture of the part I'm talking about:
  11. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    Hmmm. You may have something there. I'll have to play around with it. Thanks for the suggestion.
  12. Foremast Jack

    Single Stud Ship's Prow?

    I'm not sure I agree with you here. Yes, they had to withstand the waves, but they also had to slice through the water. Proportionally speaking, I'm inclined to believe that a single-studded prow would be more accurate. However, I do not have physical access to the ship I'm modeling after, so I can't go and measure it to find out for sure. Does anyone have comparative measurements for the width of the prow and the width at the beam for a fairly large ship from the time period? Yes, I remember these and other brickbuilt hulls, but I was looking for use on the the pre-fab's. I really don't think it can be done. The hulls themselves are so intrinsically designed for having a 2-stud wide piece that I can't see a way around it. There's no way to get a jumper or something else to off-set the alignment, so a single stud would be centered on the ship. That being said, I've seen a lot of other things I could have swore were equally impossible, so I'm hoping someone out there knows of a way.
  13. Foremast Jack

    [MOC] Preparation of Fish Soup

    I absolutely love this MOC! There's nothing better in my opinion than settings extolling mundane, every-day happenings.
  14. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    Yes, they are indeed unshipped and stored when not in immediate use. But I wouldn't expect you to use the design if it doesn't maintain functionality apart from appearance. If you can get it to work, excellent. Otherwise don't worry yourself with it.
  15. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    I thought about that. I know for certain that across the beam there's plenty of room to spare. Along the deck-line you may have me, but I think she'd serve. Coming out from the technic wheel those bars (with holder) are only 4 studs long. I can tell there'd be no problem with that forward hatch-way. The railing for the aft one could present a problem though. I can't really tell if pair of them are equidistant from the drumhead. It may not work. And now coming back from time to time to check this thread I glance over the original and it just seems right. Maybe "right" isn't the best term to use. I guess what it is, is that I'm growing accustomed to it. It seems like that's what supposed to be there, and anything else simply will not do. I still know in the logical part of my mind a change would be more functional, but it's beginning to feel wrong somehow. Thankfully, the choice is not mine. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I took another look at it, and I think you may be right after all Beckett. The capstan bars are simply too long for the allotted space. I was going to say that there is a shorter version of the "lightsaber bar" for use, but that would eliminate the ability for two mini-figs to work it. Thus, negating the point of this suggestion. So, basically ignore all my previous posts.
  16. Foremast Jack

    [MOC] Queen Annes Vengeance, 40 gun pirate frigate.

    A very nice ship indeed. I much prefer a historical look over that of the POTC one. Well done. I am, however, slightly concerned with your numbering of guns. Now I don't doubt that you're referring to her as a "40 gun frigate" because of the lore she's tied up with, but in point a fact a proper naval vessel of your description would only rate as a 36 gun fifth rate. (those guns used as chasers weren't included in the ship's gun count, on a vessel of this size) I'm not saying the title needs be changed, just wanted to make sure it is clear. Again, great ship! p.s. You may want to look to setting your brickshelf photos to "public" if you're going to link them for us to peruse.
  17. Foremast Jack

    [MOC] Rum Storage

    Hah! Barrels are even better! An idea to really make it a party; just need to insert a POTC figure:
  18. Foremast Jack

    My Grande Armèe

    I am wholeheartedly with Skipper here. I simply cannot wait for you to finish these! They are certain to be superb. Very inspiring work to say the least. I most definitely think I will soon be trying my hand at casting.
  19. Foremast Jack

    [MOC] Rum Storage

    I don't think I can. It's like you offer me a nice, big, tasty cake and as I take the first bite you punch me in the eye. You then ask me how it tastes, expecting me not to say something of the offense given. You know you're in the wrong posting such a large picture and yet you do it anyways. I could understand if you acted in ignorance, but knowing, still proceeding and then acting as though we are in the wrong for calling you out, you simply come off as a selfish and petulant child. I know I'm probably coming off a bit harsh, but from my experience lessons not learned in blood are soon forgot. So take this as you will. As for the MOC itself, it's nice. It could use MANY more rum bottles haphazardly strewn about the area.
  20. Foremast Jack

    Flying Dutchman WIP

    I don't won't you take this as anything other than a friendly suggestion, so please don't. But looking at the capstan I think it could be improved upon to give it a bit more functionality and playability. I'd like to offer my take on a possibility using many of the same parts you currently have. Here is the LXF if you want a better look at it. Again, I really don't think there's anything wrong with what you have but I have an image from the film in my mind where the crew is working the capstan. There are 2 men a bar and the boatswain hovering over them with the whip. We're you to reproduce the scene I think you'd be hard-pressed to squeeze two minifigs to a bar with the current rendering.
  21. Foremast Jack

    [MOC] Rum Storage

    I can appreciate larger photos for conveyance of clarity, but that is just a little too much. I should think an admin will castrate you for such a breach of propriety!
  22. Foremast Jack

    Imperial Flagship mod?

    Just wanted to point out that a sixth rate only had one gun deck. So, if you're looking to add another full length gun deck on top of what's there it wouldn't really be an accurate sixth rate. If you really want to make her historically accurate you might want to think about lengthening the ship to add more guns to the existing gun deck then add a weather deck on top of it. Typically a standard 6th rate would have between 10 and 12 guns a-side on a single deck. (you could add some "extra" long-guns as bow and stern chasers since most captains personally ordered such things)
  23. Foremast Jack

    Waterloo - La Haye Sainte (18th June 1815)

    The farmhouse was indeed garrisoned by the KGL. (They did receive a small reinforcement of Dutch troops though.) If I had to guess where your confusion about the British fighting in the farmhouse comes from I should think it's from the quite popular fictional series about the British soldier turned officer Richard Sharpe by Bernard Cornwell. One of the film adaptations "Sharpe's Waterloo" has the battle at La Haye Sainte. This scene has tons of redcoats and riflemen from the 95th holding the building against waves of French. Hope this helps clarify.
  24. Foremast Jack

    Concerning the Black Pearl's Unfortunate Rudder

    Wow! That's one sorry excuse for a rudder. Strikes me a pure laziness. As far as making something that looks better there's not much room to work with since you've only got a 2x2 space, but you could add something with a little more thickness to it, if that would suit you. Unfortunately I don't think there's much you can do working within the confines they provide (since most of the the rudder is supposed to be submerged). Unless you're looking to substantially change the stern, I think you're stuck.