Wellesley

@The Neighborhood Merchant That is a truly wonderful start. The colour scheme will be no problem as we are in a fantasy universe and every owner can paint its ship like he wants. The train gates were one of the first details I spotted and I like them. The beakhead could be just a little bit thinner in my opinion. Also I wouldn't stretch the gap between the gunports because of the ladder. You would have to be very sure about it, if wanting to change it though, because you would have to shorten the entire hull for two studs or lenghten it for four and adding another gunport. I don't know about the internal structure but that could mean some time-consuming work. The mast placements seem a bit odd to me. But I think placing the main mast just one or two studs more towards the bow would do the trick. Would like to have some comparable pictures of that. You also could change the angle of the bowsprit, lowering it. But overall, a very solid frigate, Glad, you're joining the Redcoats:) @LM71Blackbird Also a very neat "frigate" (a few guns more and we could call her that in real life, but I think we can keep the term for the BoBs). I'm a bit confused about the first gunports. Could we have some pictures from the front? Maybe setting back all gunports by two studs could work. Thus the last one would also be closer to the cabin. The mast positions look fine but for the fore- and mainmast some extra height wouldn't hurt. @Roadmonkeytj is right, the black panther as a figurehead can work, but not this way. Unfortunately I can't give you a good idea how to integrate it more right now. @The Neighborhood Merchant and @LM71Blackbird For both of you I just followed my guts and I tried to give advice that is more or less easily integrable, while not destroying your own building style. Oh yes, I have seen some. I would never had expected it to work, especially with two decks, but some managed to pull it off.

Thanks! Forgot to give credit to bricktothepast.com for the goats. But I gladly take the compliment on the sock and the windows:)

Hey, I've taken some photos of this fortification for the "Redcoats Rule!" task. It is supposed to be more like a camp or base than an armed fort. Sitting deep in the jungle, it serves as a safe resting place for troops and a supply station. My question is where to best put it? I need a (preferably rather uncharted) region with a lot of tropical jungle. I included a Myzec scout, but that doesn't mean it have to be on Cascadia. Also I would like to know, if it will be accepted before making its own entry.

While actually it is another ship, they are quite the same. They are probably based on the same instruction files. It really is a beauty. To build a first rate ship is one of the dreams I have. But I will probably have to let another decade pass before even planning to do so. What I always wanted to do (also changing it on other models:P) is using different gunports for the first guns of the second battery. Like seen here. Small black shutters and yellow holders work perfectly, already tried.

Now I stumbled across this on e-bay: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=duplo mast#T=A Since Duplo is semi-compatible I thought I post it. Maybe someone can benefit from the mast pieces for a bigger vessel.

And already another one:) Great Gunboat, I like that the bow works that well with the rectangular angle. Also a nice flag (at least in the digital version:D) Though you actually wouldn't need a rudder with a rowing crew, I would recommend you a side-ruder(?) like this: Nice hats, they look as if the are from some grandma-figure?:D Good use, sailors often had a stripe with their ship's name written on tied around their hat. I'm just not sure, how common that practice was and when it really started.

@The Neighborhood Merchant 6 mid hulls are perfectly fine. Don't think, I would go with more. I wanted to use 7 on my frigate, but it became too long and narrow. I had to brick-build some broader sections. I would appreciate, if you'd send me some photos and thanks for the kind words.

That's a neat little anchor. I like it. I'm glad the GoC-challenge bears fruits. Time that Our Navy gets hegemony over the sea.

Here is a little preview of the upcoming Gunboat for the Oaken Shield task: I will add a spanker and maybe a gaff topsail. The gun is a prototype, I will try to build a turnable sledge.

Oh yes, didn't see that. Looks great.

Great build! Good to know our rum supply is backed. Don't have to worry then, if posting new ships.

Thanks @all, I will consider it (leaving it as it is). So far my self-criticism worked out in my favour. Otherwise I wouldn't have had such development. Still I sometimes look at the frigate from the side and wonder, if the foremast is placed a bit too much astern, the beakhead maybe extends about one stud or so too much, making the headrails a bit pointy and so on. On the other hand there are certain design flaws or changes I don't mind at all. Yes sure, that works as well. The good thing is, that you are not limited with the height. I tried to use some for the Ymir but encountered another problem. I usually build my tops with the studs pointing towards the bow. Thus I need the cross-shape of the axle to hold their orientation. If you build them out of plates, connected directly to the studs of the mast, it won't be a problem. Are there any pictures so we can get some idea about the scale? I would use (one of) the 1x1 solution(s). To be honest, I'm also a big fan of the old LEGO mast pieces. Maybe I will use them on a smaller ship once, will have to see, what I still got, gifted most of the prefab ship elements to a nephew. On my old frigate I had a solution to use two of the middle parts above one another: Don't know, if you can see it, but I made the tops bigger and the second middle part is simply held by the shrouds. @topic A while ago I built this little felucca: I wanted to wait with posting it as long as I only had one dark grey ladder. But I can't find another one, maybe it is the only one I got. So here you go. I had a lot of different ideas and tries with the Fabuland Rowboat and so far this is the best I could come up with.

The closer I get to the end, the more I am concerned about the mast colouring. Right now I don't have black round 2x2 bricks, that is why the masts are held completely in yellow. Should I buy some black bricks to change it more towards this?: Here you have a full view for better impression. I should start using crosstrees on the topmasts for the next projects.

This is looking great! The colours, the shape, the railing... and not to forget the nostalgia aspect of it. Only concern I have is the one that usually pops up, when someone is using a prefab bow. It is just too thick and destroys the continuity of the white curvature. Though this dark brown one already is the new version, right? Isn't the bottom part flat? Maybe there is a more elegant solution. And what I just have spotted, you stretched the gap between the gun ports where the ladder is. I personally wouldn't do that. Overall, really beautiful, hope to see more of it soon!

Don't confuse yourself with your wallet:P I'm in the same boat though.

For the Ymir I used axles of up to 32 studs length, which I just discovered. This way the masts didn't break even without rigging. For taller ships, when I have to use several axles (on my SoTL actually because I didn't know such long axles exist) I often glue the segments where the axles meet. You made some great progress on your ships! That should work. I have bad experience with only using rigging. Because of their angle the rig always have some tension towards the side, breaking the mast really fast. The flex tube would permit that and once you have a more complete rig, with ropes to several points, the mast should be held in place. If you use flex tube on 1x1 masts, you also can add some curvature.

A belated welcome @DonRamon1981!

Finally I took some time to write my introduction, it felt to be long overdue. ---------- Hvalfanghimr - A home to many Corries On the northern coast of the mainland, the glorious Empire of Corrington, there lies a city called Hvalfanghimr. It is the birthplace of some outstanding personalities and a key point for connection between the north and the south. Historically the people here, as in the entire north, were not that concerned about politics and the outside world. They cared more about harvesting what the land let grow, catching enough fish and whales during the three more pleasant seasons to endure the following unforgiving winters. Though that has changed, once the more traditional people of the north saw the benefits in scientific advancements, experimental research and new building techniques. Maybe some unsorted eccentric inventors never would have achieved to introduce those new ways, which could have seemed daunting, but the orderly, purpose driven manner of most people in Corrington acted as a gateway, aside of course similar languages and the common enmity towards the Kingdom of Blight, the Empire of Oleon. From this time on the way for the Corrington we now know was paved. Today we have communication and exchange at a rate, the northern forefathers could not have thought of. Slowly thatch and timberwork are replaced by tiled roofs and stone walls. Bigger ships with more complex rigs sail unto the horizon and the smoke above the cities does not solely stem from heating the quarters, but from tall brick chimneys of factories and on the market places you now can find goods and consumables from all over the known world. Hvalfanghimr of course underwent this drastical change as well. Some generations ago you would have found cottages, loosely placed along the shore, which back then was an actual beach. Miles of white and tan sand, only interrupted by cliffs. There was no need for a harbour, the small vessels were just dragged upon the sand. Bigger ports and docks were a rarity in the north. The mountain range made an exchange of goods via land a slow business. As the trade rapidly increased a need for another solution was obvious. In the far east of the country the distance between both shores is relatively short. Here one the roads was reconstructed into one main trading route, extending the network which already wrapped all the southern cities. This trading route leads to the Krossbølge-Bay, easy to identify on the map for its prominent hook in the north-east. Hvalfanghimr became the biggest transfer site for the north. The sandy beaches did not longer fit the needs of business cultivating men, so in a big undertaking massive loads of stone from the quarries were brought to the bay. Piers, moles, basin, cranes, light houses, shipyards and all kind of different infrastructures were raised in just a man's lifetime. The delivered stones from the mountain range quarries were of very dark colour, often pitch black, shaping the new look of Krossbølge-Bay, hence called Black-Pier-Bay by the locals. The northeners often tend to meticulously follow their principles and ideas. Some would call them stubborn. So the subject of their obstinacy may change over time, you can rely on it to still be a characteristic. Were they once willingly neglecting politics and events outside their little world, you can now bet on them to be utterly convinced followers of Queen Annetta. Outsiders were a little bit amused about such enthusiastic frowardness and the northeners even earned an idiom depicting this trait. "Going north with something" For example no matter how foolish an idea may be, if you are absolutely confident and set everything in motion to fulfill your plan, one might say that you "went north with it". Hvalfanghimr with its typical black pier: ---------- One of the families from Hvalfanghimr is the line of the Farrensmans. Naturally as far back into ancestry as the Farrensmans can remember, they were a family of whalers. Not really surprising, as the vast majority of men in the north fed on whaling. Jorin Farrensman however grew up in a time with a much broader spectrum of careers. Whaling no longer was a common matter of whole villages, but became a fulltime job for a few men on great tall ships, which could be at sea for several month. So Jorin enlisted in the naval forces, leaving behind his fiancé Luise Keapman. He proved himself clever and worthy in many skirmishes, thus earning the rank of a boatswain's mate, serving aboard the HMS Bulwark, a 74 gun ship of the line. During a great naval battle within the Fourty-Nine Years War he lost his right leg and was given shore leave for a while. This incident saved his life though, as the HMS Bulwark was sunken on her next voyage. He married Luise and established a boat building business. Over the years he became quite successful and the little business was turned into a big shipyard. They both are also very proud of their daughter, Annetta Farrensman, who studied botany in Belson. She then joined the pilgrims on their way into the colonies. The last letter from Arlinsport, where she worked in an inn, contained her plan to go further east, boarding a ship with destination Spudkirk. Jorin Farrensman boarding the HMS Bulwark with the grim and determinate look of a young, unexperienced soldier. Duty on board. The great battle at sea, in which a splinter took his right leg. Jorin and Luise Farrensman, years later. Jorin Farrensman is one of my first three minifigs, he will be responsible for most of the ships I post. Another family from the city of Hvalfanghimr is the line of the Stienhouwers. First being involved in whaling, an ancestor of Anselm Stienhouwer betrayed the sea for stonemasonry, a profession that should flourish just a few generations later as the country underwent the great adaption of the north. Anselm always was kind of a solitary person. No wonder he would once choose to become the lighthouse keeper of Hvalfanghimr. His nickname totally replaced his actual name and some of the youger generation only know him by the name of "Fjoertoer" Stienhouwer. Together with his wife Elisabeth Stienhouwer, born as Elisabeth Yarntale, he lives near the lighthouse in a small timberwork house. They have a son, Nathaniel Stienhouwer, who recently decided to enlist in the marine, having young dreams of adventure and luxurious life in the colonies. Maybe the monotonous work in one the storehouses helped as well with the decision. Anselm Stienhouwer loves to watch the stars taking over from the sun. The little timberhouse and its residents, the Stienhouwer family, from left to right: Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Anselm. Nathaniel proudly showing his friends his enlistment papers. After travelling to Belson he books a passage on board the HMS Lipizzana, which, after sailing through the Merlonic Sea for a few month, is now heading east. Nathaniel Stienhouwer will be my main minifig for storytelling in the new world, next to Annetta Farrensman, as soon as she reappears. ---------- The names are a mix of Frisian, Danish and Proto-Norse influence. Hvalfanghimr - whalerhome, Hvalfanger is whaler in Danish, himr is a Proto-Norse root of home Krossbølge - bølge is Danish for wave, k/cross is a prefix, describing the moody nature of the northern sea Keapman - merchant in Frisian Farrensman - seafarer/mariner in Frisian Yarntale - works perfectly in English Stienhouwer - stonemason in Frisian Fjoertoer - lighthouse in Frisian, fire tower would be the literal translation Influence from other builds: The home of the Stienhouwers is copied from @AxelE55's Redcoat caribbean port/town. The goat and the Capercaillie, the black bird next to the pumpkin plant, I first have seen at Brick to the Past. Sorry for the bad lighting at some pictures, if I'm able to get better pictures, I will switch them. Also I have discovered on the photos that a red tile on the hull of the Orion (she and the green fishing boat are just stage props and don't represent the other factions) is missing:) Greetings, Wellesley!

This is my first entry for the Oaken Shield task "Sloops for the Royal Navy" of the GoC-challenge. The Ymir is the first warship leaving the Farrensman Shipyard. His long time experience and success with ship designs in general lately brought him the attention of the admiralty, which is always looking for ways to strengthen their fleet. For Jorin Farrensman thus the opportunity was created to gain insight in a slightly new field of work. To Rear-Admiral Fletcher Commander of the Royal Terra Novan Fleet with much pride I hereby report, that yesterday, on the 17th of July 619, the first ship ordered by the admiralty launched at the Farrensman shipyard. The 14 gun Brig HMS Ymir is completely armed and equipped, ready to take on voyage as soon as demanded. Your humble servant, Jorin Farrensman Shipwright of Hvalfanghimr A huge crowd of spectators gathers along the black pier of Hvalfanghimr. Many citizen don't want to let the chance pass to watch the moment she sets her sails for the very first time. Among them are a lot of children, holding little wooden ship toys and tin soldiers. "Daddy, look at that huge boat!", you can here a voice shouting. "That is not a boat my son, it is a ship! A Brigantine." answers a highly civilised banker from the rich part of the town. An old seablooded sailor witnesses the little chat and can't hold on to himself and turns to the father: "Listen fella, how dare you teach our precious young fake news!" He points towards the ship. "Do you see that square sail aloft the main mast over the gaff? Square sails on both ship make her a brig. She has a slightly modified rig with only two spars and less square sails on the main mast, making the gaff-sail bigger, yet she still is a brig." She was built to protect trading convoys, her sleek lines provide great manoeuvrability and mobility to reach any point of the convoy rapidly. Her specialised targets are corsairs. Next to escort duty, she surely could go on the hunt for smugglers. Though her armament of seven carronades each broadside plus two more astern were not meant for greater naval battles or situations, in which two ships fire at each other from a certain distance to damage rig and hull. But as a vessel, that comes in for the rescue, any Corrish or Altonian ship will be relieved to know of her support. From a short range her carronades will send their most devastating rain of iron chalazions and decimate the opponent crews. I built her as a Class IV ship. My stats suggestion: R M G C $ H 4 6 3 3 0 2 Some of her crew: I actually wanted to edit some of the pictures, but couldn't get decent background lighting for the greenscreen today.

@Roadmonkeytj I have no answer to that, other than it might be more clear, when having a set routine. I myself use other rules. I always belay the inner ropes first, and the outer ones according to their placement, so I never unnecessarily have rope getting in the way. If I rig starboard or portside first, depends on the position of the yards I intend, starting with the side, where there will be the tension. In this case I first belayed the pins next to the mainmast on starboard, because here are the braces that pull the yards of the foremast back. On the other hand I belayed the pins next to the foremast first on portside, because here the braces would pull the yards of the mainmast forward.

@TomSkippy Well first, I like her very much as she is right now. Though I have some points, I would have done different. The most minor changes would be the height of the companionway and the shape of the deck. It gets a plate higher at the sides, while usually it would curve the opposite way. I don't know, if you are able to swap the hinges from white to black and drop them by a few plates and put the tiles underneath the middle part of the deck. If not, that wouldn't be a big displeasure, once looking at the finished result. The base of the companionway could be lowered one plate I think. Besides the door and the roof, I would try out all in tan. I would have done another step of diminution towards the stern. Probably right before the last gunport. The stern would then have either three studs between the astern gunports or five with only the one stud of the bulwark besides them. In comparison my brig is two studs wider at the widest part and their lenghts are nearly the same. Unfortunately the black bow part is three studs wide and abruptly ends the fine line of the bulwark. Maybe you could try to cover it with adding such a foredeck as well as little opened poopdeck: I was never a fan of those, but it could be a fitting solution for your ship. Your white stripe keeps it thickness astern, while getting narrower towards the bow. Though for the USS Niagara it seems to be the case, I would diminute it like on my brig. This shot looks great! Don't care so much about the waterline. Most of my ships show plenty of the hull beneath, yet never the full. For a diorama with water you could easily place them on different levels of heigth, so they would fit to each other. And the water covers the rest. I find it quite helpful to start a bit lower. Makes it easier to have a stabile base you can put all the above-water-stuff on.

Thanky you very much for that compliment, Bregir! Though I would not (yet) put my work above the rigging of the Revenge. Good thing overall, that this isn't a competition and everyone who puts effort in it, does a great job. I try to beat myself though:D Thank you @TomSkippy and @Professor Thaum! When rigging my frigate, I will take more pictures of the process and create a little turorial about it, if there is something new, that isn't already covered by one of the existing tutorials. For now I leave you with this guide. And thank you @Ayrlego for the approval!

@kurigan Once again thanks for the free informations. Changed the title and added a little story. Hope, I didn't accidentally added more stumbling blocks:P Yes, all rigging I included is functional in theory. But after belaying I used fabric glue and cut the lines. Even though they seem to hold quite well on their own, I was afraid they would loosen after time and I don't want to belay them again and again. If I find some time, I will maybe add some cioled up rope just to give a better impression. Like seen here: The Lipizzana and the Lydia are the only vessels so far with fully functional rigging as I have better access to the belaying pins and cleats and the amount of rope is manageable. Uh yeah, I use it as a mix of ergotherapy and meditation:D Think it is close meshed cotton, maybe with a small portion of synthetics. It once was a tablecloth. New pictures could take some more time than I thought, will not promise any date.

@kurigan Thank you! Thought, that one square sail (or more as long as they are above the gaff sail) on the main mast would classify her as a Brigantine and none would make her a Hermaphrodite Brig? At least according to how I came to understand the usage of the terminology back then. Or weren't you talking about the square sail? Would be nice, if you could share your insights on that. Would change it then. The name, not the rigging:D

Thank you @Roadmonkeytj and @Legonaut! I would most appreciate both the front page post and the Classic Pirates mention. I should be able to get some better pictures until sunday.