Col. Whipstick

Just came across a couple more websites for AOE 3 and found some truly stunning still shots from the game that our members will appreciate so decided to revive this little thread. The websites with the screenshots are: My Webpage and My Webpage

I'm assuming I want to make French troops so my boys have something to shoot at? No doubt that is the real evil scheme behind the mind of our Happsberg compatriot. X-D Unfortunately outside of Bonaparte's army I don't think there are many French left, they all got killed off by the paintings of Tiny Pies. At any rate it's nice to see some Austrian troops, I'd like to see some specialised Austrian MOC's because too many don't realise that the Happsbergs were the real masters of Europe prior to Napolean and the gradual rise of the British, who in any event are more interested in ruling the waves than Europe. People today look too much at the last century and the strength and dominance of Germany and tend to look at Austria only by it's association to Germany rather than appreciating that for many centuries in Europe it was the dominant kingdom of Germanic culture and the next best thing was Prussia. Okay, I've gone off topic for this forum... Sorry folks, but thought it worth throwing in my soap box moment for the day. Woody, perhaps you could give us an idea of a distinctive Austrian sub-theme, what would be the name of their capital fort? The names of their commanders? Obviously they aren't much of an influence in the Caribbean but it's still pertinant to the era.

I think Mexico City and Venice could give you a run for your money in that department. :-P

Now you're just being mean! X-D I still need to keep diplomatic relations strong incase we need allies against Bonaparte and looking at the size of his lego grand armee - we do!

As usual with this place... you ask a question - you will get an answer, maybe not the one you were looking for but you'll get one! :-P

Well yeah X-D though I try not to say to say that too openly around the Dutch members. Of the big 5 they were the smallest, ultimately owing to the continual loss of what they had and little expansion.

Keep up the good work my man... red blood gushing out of blue uniforms! *sweet*

I'm sure you're right, in the end of the day the East India Company is a private venture with shareholders and investers and whilst it may have had government contracts and thus the support of the military it wasn't in itself a government inituitive, or was it? I tend to find a lot of settlements and colonies and trading, particularly regarding Britain was mostly private initutives at first and the government only got involved with supporting some of these settlements when the taxman saw there was money to be made... |-/

Maybe the painter should have left it to some dumb BBC journalist to be there, the the pictures and get shot X-D Perhaps the cossack is just lonely and wants a vodka drinking buddy... At any rate I doubt this is the last we've seen of the painter.

Yeah, now I know why I can never buy any imperials on ebay for less than a couple million...

Thank you... alas, if I spent half as much on a decent camera as I did paint and had more time to work on the shots they'd look a whole hell of a lot better. Took all those photos on brickshelf in one afternoon, rushed! Anyway, we're never happy with these things no matter how much time and effort we put into them...

It's interesting you should make mention of New Amsterdam (New York). I've only just recently been discussing with another member in another thread how much of the early British Empire is territorially concessions from the Anglo-Dutch wars and in many respects one could say that it is based on the Dutch trade routes and outposts. It seems the only real Dutch colony to survive in Dutch hands until inevitable independence was Dutch Guyana in South America and Batavia and other smaller territory in South East Asia which was still in Dutch hands until the invasions by Japan in the second world war. In North America and Africa the Dutch element has been largely blanketed. It's also interesting that Australia was named New Holland given that the famous Dutch explorer - Abel Tasman discovered and mapped much of Australasia and Tasmania is named after him. Despite these efforts however the Dutch failed to establish any settlements on the great Terra Australis.

Good show Imperial Scouts! I must admit I'm surprised to see the Imperial Flagship (The Sea Lion) taking the lead in the poll. I would have thought most fans of the Clipper. I own both these ships and enjoy putting them on either side of the BSB just to make sure none of the human vermin survive! I have taken some photos of mine in action against pirates on brickshelf. Here's the link... http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=280551 Both are beautiful ships but The Sea Lion is somehow neater, designed better. The Clipper is always missing two cannons and atleast another crewman for me.

Looks pretty cool, do we have a link to the original set?

There's a problem with this poll. Voting between two pirate ships? This is like choosing between two devils... I say let's vote between the Clipper and the Imperial Flagship, atleast those are crewed by civilized men and not some poxy, scurvy ridden, smelly scum! :-P

During the last few accidental history lessons I've given in this forum I thought it might be interesting to start a thread to discuss and highlight all the different European nations/empires involved in colonization of the New World, Africa and the Pacific realm. Obviously what I always reffer to as the big 5 need no introduction - England (later Great Britain), France, Spain, Portugal and Holland. But what about the efforts of other colonial outfits and companies from other European states? Perhaps it would be nice to see a Russian outpost MOC set in Alaska that is fighting Spain for control of the Pacific Northwest. Maybe in the history of the legoverse Scotland's Darien colony in Panama succeeded and Great Britain never became because Scotland was wealthy enough not to have to entered into union with England? And what about the Danish colonies of Iceland and Greenland and to a lesser extent the relation to 'Vinland', the fabled Viking discovery of Canada. So come on guys, let's hear about the colonies we never really look at or hear or think about... Perhaps some of those European Napoleanic torso designs could have a home in the colonies after all? So, if anyone has ideas for a New Stockholm or New Vienna, let's hear about it. Here's a useful link on the subject... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colo...of_the_Americas

One of the problems with the lego minifigs as they stand for me is how civilian figures and pirate figures can be too similar in appearance given the simple lack of a uniform to define them as imperials. Blacksmiths as you said can be regarded as a specialist and with a good design they could be destinguished as colonists and not pirates. Personally I've tried advocating missionaries in a type of Jesuit or Dominican designed clothing. Farmers couldn't be too hard to depict with the use of agricultural implements too. Don't stress about the Welsh crack, I have to make refference of Wales and Scotland to try convince most members of this forum that English and British are not sinonymous and it takes some bloody work to do!

Well in many ways The British Empire collided and overpowered the Dutch colonies and trade routes given the stiff competition amoungst the western europeans and it's largely on the Dutch concessions from the Anglo-Dutch wars that Britain's wealth was based much as you have suggested. For example - the Cape Colony. I tend to see Holland much on the same wavelength as Portugal - very prominent at the time of the 'Golden Age' but notably weakened by the mid 1700's, whereupon the resources and manpower of Spain, France and Great Britain begin to outweigh Holland and Portugal. In many ways this highlights historical emphasis on the 'two British empires' given when it was simply England it's power and influence was limited largely to the 13 colonies and some presence in the Carribean and it's not until the formation of Great Britain that the proper 'British Empire' kicks off. I think another reason for the considerable success of Britain to have become the largest and wealthiest of all the empires lies in it's diplomatic relationship with Portugal and Holland. England or Great Britain and Spain form a triangular power struggle and England was able to maintain an alliance that goes back to 1373 with Portugal which is now recorded as the world's longest standing alliance in history. Added to this when England wasn't at war with Holland it was allied owing to the Elizabethan support for the Protestant Dutch Republic and it's continual struggles with Happsberg Catholic Europe, not to mention Louis XIV of France (The Sun King). Here's a link you might find useful... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Dutch_Wars

Bonaparte should be more concerned with his own cook than all the forces of the British Empire, anyone else know about how he was deliberately lead poisoned by his staff in the pay of the French Bourbons? Anyway, he's only scary if he can learn to swim across the Channel and he couldn't back then so I doubt he could now.

I couldn't bring myself to choose one option over the other. Why can't I have them all? :-P

Makes sense to me...

We have a directory for this sort of thing somewhere don't we? Pirate/Colonial/Napoleanic orientated websites, films, games etc? Atleast I thought we did around here somewhere or is that plate in my head acting up again... *wacko*

Notice how TinyPies's painting MOC's always seem to feature Frenchmen getting bashed about... Not that I'm complaining X-D

Hmm, on this website? http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com This is near bloody impossible to find. Interesting commentary about Napolean, seem to recall something like that happened to William of Orange prior to the Battle of the Boyn, the Catholic Alliance fired a shell that hit him but didn't kill him. If only the Dutch had had him around at the time of Napolean.

The Dutch the best known of the East India Companies? Well if you're Dutch I suppose X-D That was my argument. Personally I learnt about the Dutch one first but I'd imagine the British East India Company was larger in the long run. Even Sweden had an East India Company, don't remember seeing a New Stockholm anywhere in the colonies. :-P