greg3

Thanks for the comments Thanks for the tip.. I might try that idea out at some point. I'll probably continue with this hull for now and build an improved version later (I've found a website linked to the real boat's restoration where they've uncovered its original paint... seems it was originally green with a red interior... and then a dark tan sort of colour so i'll probably try to recreate that at some point!) I also think I might increase the height of the hull... to 3 studs at the bow and 4 further back to represent the extra planks added in around 1800 to make it more seaworthy. I know what you mean - it does seem small but assuming 1 stud = 1ft then it's pretty much spot on proportion wise. Comparing it to plans of the boat online the foremast probably needs to be half a stud further forward. The actual sail set up has only been guessed at based on the boat's surviving masts/spars... this is the model currently displayed at the museum... model by g.nat, on Flickr

The lockdown continues but the news crew are still out and about. Today they're interviewing Mr Curry the owner of the local dive shop about his recent donation of diving masks to be turned into breathing aids at the local hospital. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The news team then travel to the hospital itself to see the modified masks in action, helping to keep Covid patients alive. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr A doctor demonstrates how the masks work.. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The hospital might only be small but it's managed to double its bed capacity and thanks to the hard working medical staff, those Ballabreek citizens who do get ill and end up in hospital are receiving the best care possible! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr I based this update on a news story about how diving masks have been modified for use in hospitals here (and as Ballabreek has a dive shop and a hospital it seemed a good way to combine the two!!) Thanks for looking... keep safe!

Very nice!! The interiors are great (not such a fan of the modulars so it's nice to see a classic open backed design!) and I love the signage and street furniture!! Excellent stuff and good luck on Ideas!

Added an interior of sorts... seating and mast steps. Sails/rigging etc to come next!! (might be a while!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Reference pic of the real life "Peggy"... 4a4b23dc3ce6cddb9f03d242acc2cdc8--manx-isle-of-man by g.nat, on Flickr Thanks for looking!!

Wow!! Simply stunning!! I love all the details here and that rigging is a work of art!! (how long has it taken to build?) Beautiful stuff - thanks for sharing.

The recent Barracuda Bay set has rekindled my interest in pirates/ships and with plenty of spare "lockdown" time on my hands I thought I'd build something "nautical". Previously I've stuck to the prefabricated hull parts but for this time I'm going for a brick built hull inspired by techniques I've seen used by @Pdaitabird and @kurigan. The MOC will be based on a local historical vessel... the yacht Peggy. Built in 1789 for a prominent local businessman and politician, the real life boat is a 26 ft long schooner rigged yacht that was armed with 8 swivel guns. Incredibly, the Peggy still survives after being bricked up in its boathouse for over 100 years and is now part of the local Maritime Museum (although it's currently undergoing a major restoration and isn't on view). As for the MOC, I'm planning to recreate the Peggy (or something vaguely similar) as a waterline model and have spent the last few days trying to get a decent hull shape... here's the results so far!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Not 100% happy with the stern at the moment... I had a few other designs that looked better but weren't as sturdy (will probably replace the 2x3 tile with curved slopes as the transom on the original slopes outward) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Next step is to add the seating, masts and guns... haven't decided about sails yet (sails/no sails/fabric sails/brick built sails!!). Anyway, thanks for looking... comments always welcome!

This looks great!! I wish LEGO would give us some sort of Victorian Era Theme. I especially like the little harbour area. Looking forward to seeing how it develops. Nice work - thanks for sharing!!

Great looking layout so far!! I really like your use of different levels and water effects. Looking forward to seeing more!! Thanks for sharing!!

Nice little build - I like the classic open back style but I agree with others about using the full baseplate for the building to give you a bit more interior space. The "uniform shop" idea is a good way to use up spare minifig torsos and the use of the vehicle light bar for the security system is very clever!! (although all those security measures make me think your town must have a crime problem!!) Thanks for sharing.

This week is an Easter themed update but, as my minifigs are still in lockdown, it's going to be a bit different... Starting at the church we see the news crew covering the traditional Easter service but this year the priest is preaching to an empty building. However he is being live-streamed onto the internet for any interested citizens to watch. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The town's annual Children's Easter Egg Hunt has also gone online... photos of various locations around town have been uploaded and in each photo 5 easter eggs have been hidden for people to spot. Why not have a go yourself? Location #1 The Hiking Trail Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Location #2 The Mine Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Location #3 The Park Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Location #4 The Shopping Street Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Location #5 The Harbour Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Hope you found them all!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Happy Easter and thanks for looking!!

This update sees the news crew continuing to report on the ongoing lockdown. Traditionally this weekend before Easter would mark the start of the town's busy tourist season, but this year the usually bustling harbour area is deserted... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Despite the warm sunshine, the beach and open air pool are empty... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Even the "Duck Boats" usually so popular with both the locals and visitors remain tied up... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr But not far offshore, something is moving... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr ...an unmanned survey vessel (being controlled remotely from several hundred miles away... the ultimate in working from home!). It's been hired by a new deep sea exploration team to map the sea bed out in Ballabreek Bay. They're hoping that it might just help locate the long lost wreck of the Barracuda - an infamous 18th century sailing ship believed to have been heavily involved in piracy (and according to local stories, having gone down loaded with gold stolen from the town's mine!). Perhaps over the next few months we might learn a bit more about this interesting bit of maritime history!! The survey vessel is based on one I saw operating locally (I've given it its own topic here )... the "Barracuda" story is hopefully going to allow me to use the new Ideas pirate set and the upcoming Divers sub theme in future updates!! As always, thanks for looking...

Lovely little build... I especially like the interior. Great use of all those decorated tiles as LPs!! (I like the sign too!) Nice work... thanks for sharing.

I came across this strange armoured vehicle on the Tanks Encyclopedia website and thought "That'd make a cool little build!!". The original was designed by Joseph Francois Raymon Collomp of Marseilles in early 1940 and was intended to be a 1 man "tank" - although its main role was actually to clear/lay mines. According to Collomp's patent, it would have been powered by electric motors mounted in the rear and the driver would lie prone inside it with a machine gun in front of him. A front mounted roller was supposed to detonate mines and a hatch in the bottom allowed the operator to lay/diffuse mines. The whole thing was just over 2m long and only 50cm high!! (if anything my version is too tall!) Unsurprisingly, it never went into into production!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Side view (the tiled section represents the driver's hatch - one on either side) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Front view showing the mine roller (don't think I'd want to be inside if it set off a mine!) and machine gun Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The roller can be raised/lowered Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Rear view Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr He doesn't look keen does he? (luckily he can't actually fit in!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr I love learning about weird inventions like this... however impractical they'd be. Anyway, thanks for looking... comments are welcome!!

@gotoAndLego Thanks for the comment - hope things are going OK in your part of the world. I've not actually had much building time this week as I've been working in one of the few schools still open but now I'm starting 3 weeks off/working from home/being on standby to cover staff absences so I should get some serious building done!!! Anyway, for this update, the local news reporter takes us for a tour of Ballabreek under lockdown... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr First we pass the town's biggest employer... the mine. Currently shut down (fortunately the mine's owner Mr Wayne has promised to keep paying the miners until things get back to normal) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Opposite, the police and fire stations are still fully staffed and responding as normal (however the recycling area has been closed/removed to prevent people gathering) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The town's newest business, Treads Tuning Workshop is also still open but only dealing with urgent repair work for the vehicles of key workers. (no hot rods, rocket bikes or monster burger vans!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Public transport is still operating a limited service... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As are other key services such as refuse collection... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As we saw last week, most shops have been closed... the burger bar has remained open but now only operates a take away service... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Medical testing of the locals is continuing (fortunately, although the number of cases detected so far is rising, the majority have been mild) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr To keep it that way, all public spaces are now closed... including the park/children's playground. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr People are still allowed out for essential food shopping and exercise but the police are checking that these rules are being followed!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Most of the changes to life in Ballabreek have been based on what's happening where I live. Hopefully these changes won't have to last too long!! Thanks for looking... and stay healthy!!

What an awesome build!! The buildings and boats are all fantastic but it's the little details that I really love (especially the old advertising signs on the warehouse, the workman in the hole mending the pipe and the guy "polluting" the river!!) Excellent work - Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the comments.... here's a reference pic of the real life thing. Screenshot 2020-03-25 at 16.42.29 by g.nat, on Flickr As I mentioned in the first post, my version's not perfect but it's close enough I think for now.

This build represents a remotely operated surface vessel (USV) of the type operated by XOcean to conduct a range of monitoring/survey missions at sea. I was inspired to build it after spotting one of the vessels operating just off the coast where I live (at first I thought it was a whale ) The vessels can operate for 18 days at sea and are remotely controlled by a human operator via satellite. The can carry up to 100kg of sensors allowing them to: monitor the weather/ocean conditions, survey the seabed, monitor fish stocks and collect data from seabed sensors. The vessel is about the size of a car and can be transported by road and launched from a boat trailer. The hull itself would be covered in solar panels, which along with internal batteries and micro diesel generators, power the sensors and electric motors. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The top platform carries a GPS system, navigation lights and a weather station. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr At the rear is the main broadband satellite system antenna Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr My version is still a bit of a WIP as I'm still tweaking on the underside/hull design but I think it looks OK so far!! Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome.

Looking good so far... The larger pics show off so much more detail. (that TV crew look familiar!!) Looking forward to seeing what the "lost industry" might be!! Thanks for sharing.

That looks great!! Love all the clutter around the outside and the ramshackle appearance of the barn. Excellent work - thanks for sharing!

That is brilliant!! How long before someone makes off with it though? Nice work!

Unfortunately, the virus testing introduced last week has identified several infected minifigures. Luckily the cases so far are mild but the authorities are taking no chances and a number of restrictions have been introduced. The main one being that most shops and businesses have been ordered to shut, the exception being food stores. This resulted in panic buying and stockpiling earlier this week so the local police chief is making a press statement to reassure the public that there's plenty for all (and to remind the citizens that greed and selfish behaviour will not be tolerated!). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As you can see, things are now calm with the citizens forming an orderly queue with the appropriate "social distancing" and only being allowed in one at a time. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Woo-Hoo - toilet roll!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The new restrictions also mean the main shopping street is now almost deserted as people stay at home. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Real life has cut into my building time this weekend so this was a quickly thrown together update and not what I'd initially planned (But it has been inspired by recent local events - I've not seen a bag of pasta in my local supermarket for 2 weeks!! ) Here's hoping that life in Ballabreek (and the real world!) can get back to normal soon!! Thanks for looking... as always, comments are welcome.

This week our intrepid news crew has been finding out how Ballabreek is preparing for a Coronavirus outbreak. Fortunately there's been no cases in the area yet but it's probably only a matter of time, so what's being done? The reporter interviews the mayor and a leading doctor to find out. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr They explain that the initial plan will be to test as many minifigs as possible to not only contain the virus but to collect data that will help develop a cure. To protect medical staff and already ill patients, a temporary testing facility has been set up in the hospital grounds. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Today the system is being tried out for the first time beginning with off duty medical staff... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The staff operating the testing facility have full protective equipment and the open sided structure is designed to reduce the risk of transmission. Data is collected on each person before a mouth swab is taken for testing. If tests are positive the person is told to isolate themselves at home. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr A few more pics... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr If large numbers of patients were to become seriously ill then the testing area could be converted into a fully enclosed ward to increase bed space. (assuming I can find more orange bricks!! ) I'm guessing that the inspiration for this update is obvious... and I had a few separators lying around needed to be used!! Anyway thanks for looking - comments are always welcome.

Thanks for the comments... glad you're enjoying the updates!! Today is International Women's Day and the people of Ballabreek have chosen to mark the occasion by celebrating some of the influential women who have links to the town. To do this they have arranged a photo shoot in front of the "Ballabreek Bricks" sculpture (repainted in the colours of the Suffragette movement; green for hope, white for purity and purple for loyalty and dignity). Represented in the line up are women from the past, present and future. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr At the front, 3 actors represent figures from the town's history... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Centre: Emmeline Pankhurst. A key Suffragette leader, she often visited the local area as her mother had been born nearby before moving to the UK. Ballabreek was one of the first places to allow women (some of them anyway!) to vote in 1881. Right: Amy Johnson. Famous aviator. Visited Ballabreek in 1933 after landing her plane in a nearby farm after being blown off course. After being put up in the village overnight she continued her journey. Left: Wonder Woman (well her co-creator anyway!!) Elizabeth Holloway-Marsden who was born nearby in 1893 before moving to the USA. She went on to graduate in law and obtain a masters degree in psychology. Along with her husband she developed a lie detector based on blood pressure and created a female superhero comic book character (who could make people tell the truth) The other women are current residents of the town and examples of how gender shouldn't stop you doing that you want to do... From front to back; The mayor, a leading scientist, World Champion racing driver, chief engineer. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr From front to back; Serving soldier (wearing a WW2 uniform to highlight the local women who served during both World Wars), astronaut, business woman (currently CEO of a major global company), the town's fire chief. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Finally, we have 2 local girls chosen to represent the women of the future (and of course the local news reporter (herself an award winning journalist) who has taken the opportunity to interview them on their hopes and dreams for the future). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr This update was inspired by International Women's Day and the local history of the Isle of Man. All the historical stuff is true (In 1881, the Isle of Man became the first place to give (some) women the vote. Emmeline Pankhurst's mum (Sophia Goulden) was born here, as was Elizabeth Holloway, the co-creator of Wonder Woman. in 1933 Amy Johnson made a planned visit with her husband. Although her plane did end up landing in a farmer's field after missing the airport! During her visit she planted a tree which is still here. I have used a couple of custom figs; Amy Johnson is actually the Emilia Earhart minifig by Minifigures.com and the soldier is an ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) figure from United Bricks. Anyway, as always thanks for looking...

This week saw the good folks of Ballabreek resurrect an old sporting tradition... the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Race!! This once annual event hasn't been held for several years due to the original route around the park being blocked by redevelopment. Now a group of local minifigs have managed to get permission to run the race along the main residential street... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The course is a simple timed out and back run from the start line around the cone and back... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Despite its new location, the race still follows the centuries old rules... 1. Pancakes must be flipped at least 10 times during the run. 2. Dropped pancakes mean disqualification. 3. Fancy dress must be worn. 4. Judges (who this year are dressed as Chefs) decisions are final! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Near the start, contestants warm up and collect their regulation pan and pancake... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr And of course the "stars" of this years updates, the local news crew, are on hand to interview some of the "athletes"!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Close up of the start line arch - this inspired the whole update as I was trying out a technique to create freestanding arch for another project. Then on Tuesday (Pancake Day) a local news report about Pancake Races made me think it'd be nice to restore Ballabreek's traditional race (the original race featured in a topic several years ago) and give me a use for the prototype arch!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Anyway, as always thanks for looking...

Very nice!! The colour scheme of the ship is spot on with the brick built transition between the white and grey. Great use of printed/stickered parts too and the sliding platform might be a bit wacky but it looks really good. Excellent work - thanks for sharing!!