Foremast Jack

Eurobricks Citizen
  • Content Count

    283
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Foremast Jack


  1. Yes, I am with Kurigan and Sebeus here. While I think tan to be the most accurate they also tend to be the most expensive. The brown colours work quite well and can be got at with a trifle less time and money.

    At the same time I think it's important to plan the deck colour(s) so that things placed in, on and around it are offset so as to be easily visible in pictures. A ship I'm currently working on will have brown decking (although tan would be more accurate) because a lot of the "paint trim" on the ship is already tan.

    Moral of the story: If you want tan and can afford and find it (and it looks good/fits the build) then I think you should get it. :pir-classic:


  2. To clarify since this thread was pulled from another: The topic of using heated water (~160degrees Fahrenheit) to manipulate "soft and pliable LEGO pieces" (e.g. the whip) was being discussed. I was looking to get some input from anyone who might have some experience or thoughts in general as to whether this technique could be employed to effect on pieces that are distinctly harder:

    i.e. the top-hat piece 3878.gif?0

    The desired result having added a curvature to the peak/bill. Resembling the beaver hat. (see reference photo below)

    master-and-commaner-midshipmen2-640x250.jpg

    My greatest fear being that manipulation of the peak/bill will distort the brim. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


  3. I saw a lion along the lines of what you've got there awhile ago in a castle MOC. The one I'm referring to was laying flatter to the ground. Yours looks good, but so did this other one. I'll see if I can't find a picture.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Found it.

    l15.jpg

    It's a bit blurry, but still can be made out and replicated.


  4. Great little MOC. Although the commander on horseback wouldn't have carried a shield while mounted like that it still looks great.

    The Romans formed a phalanx as well right, the shield to shoulder defense?

    No, the phalanx was a "trademark" Greek formation. It requires a spear to form and the "spear" that the Romans used was called a Pilum. It was designed to be thrown before advancing to within melee range for butcher's work with the gladius. The pilum was also quite intriguing in that it had a very narrow, elongated tip made of soft iron with a bulky, heavy handled shaft so that when it stuck in an enemy or the ground the handle would weigh down the tip causing it to bend. With the bent end it couldn't be picked by the enemy and thrown back at the advancing Legionaries.


  5. Though about using some flex tubing, which is a pain to do in LDD...

    Understatement of the century here! Maybe try a longer "lightsaber blade." I little easier to work with until you decide if it's worth going through the trouble of getting the flex tubes to work.


  6. Like everyone else here, I like the stern. It's ornate and festive without being over-active.

    I wonder if something couldn't be done about the gaps on those side, bay windows though. With the inverted slopes causing them to protrude that gap is quite noticeable, to me at least. Don't get me wrong, I think they look great. You just maybe need to find a way to fill the space a little.

    As to the whipstaff... :pir-devil: Maybe I shouldn't have used "enclosed." I wasn't trying to convey a complete segregation from being "on deck." The bulkhead it was behind normally had an open space, like a window of sorts, connecting it to the deck, so the helmsman could see where he was steering the ship. :wink: There doesn't seem to be one on the Unicorn, at least that I can see. It could be between two of the ladder rungs, but it's hidden behind the gunwale. Doesn't much matter though I guess, since SuperSirLink is going to use a wheel.


  7. Just one thing.. and hope you take it as a constructive critic: I don't know if only I see it, but seems to me that the ship is kind of larger than the masts are higher..therefore, it loses a little proportion..

    I noticed this too, but I just took it as making the ship look more "LEGO."


  8. I'm not sure I quite agree with you here. I'm nearly certain that the ship represented there as "16th century" is a Galleon (which did most definitely use a whipstaff). The spot where the helmsman is standing, while under the stern-castle, is not enclosed, from what I understand. I really don't know much about ships from this time period, but I'm fairly sure that the Unicorn would not be included.

    All that being said, I am inclined to agree with you since there's obviously no steering mechanism on deck. So perhaps there is a whipstaff somewhere in there. It just doesn't seem right to me.