Mr Misty

Actually I was thinking about trying to use a set of decals from the 1/350 scale model that was sold a few years ago. I actually have that model sitting in my closet but I never built it because I was saving up to buy a pre wired electrical system from a Trek model site. I was also worried about where I would put it when it was finished which seems silly now that I have a slightly larger one made of Lego. I could get a set of the decals off Ebay for about $50 but for the time being I think she's gonna go letter less. Maybe someday in the future I'll get bored though. I didn't even realize I was using movie angles when I shot the photos. I just shot from where she looked best. Guess they did the same thing when they made the films Though I bet they had a lot more room to shoot in those Paramont sound stages, I was pretty much on top of her when I photographed her Someday I might tackle a Klingon Bird Of Prey. It's a favorite design of mine too, I loved how the wings folded up and down. I actually have the playmates toy sitting near my desk and with the addition of all these new shapes and colors by Lego over the past few years it might actually be a fun easy build plus it would be a lot smaller than a Constitution class unless I decide to go overboard like I did with this one.

Thanks for all your awesome comments everyone. It's such an honor to be frontpaged too. I'm truly bowled over by how much everyone likes the old girl. Though I seem to have started a small little war about which Enterprise is the best. Just for the record I love them all and I agree about the Next Gen Episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" where the C made her first and only appearance. She's a real beauty who never got enough love though the recent re-release of her model kit was quite welcome. I think I have every kit and figure of the C that was released. I actually began to formulate plans to build the other Enterprises when I was in the middle of constructing this one but the sheer size of the A would mean I would need to build them all out of scale. A scale version of the D for example would need to be bigger than my bed but if I ever have the space I'd love to tackle the rest of the fleet someday Plus the fact that I am now almost totally out of room in here. Between my collection of Legos and Anime and Sci-fi goods I'm lucky I can still move in my room. As for the ships weight, I'd have to say over 20 pounds. I actually built her in sections on the floor and then after final assembly I had to lift her up onto the table where I took the pictures, then from that table to the one where she lives now across from my Imperial Star Destroyer. She's actually easier to pick up than I had thought she would be. The nacelle pylons and connection from the Saucer to the "Neck" Made me very nervous about lifting her at all but I guess I built a stronger ship than I gave myself credit for. Just a small note her size makes the Star Destroyer look puny. Not that I was trying to make fun of Star Wars or the ISD she's still my favorite official set and I love Star Wars too. I've just always been a way bigger Trekkie.

Thanks. I'm very proud of it

Space the final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise Hi everyone. I've been into Star Trek since I was a kid. When I was around 8 I tried to build my favorite version of the Enterprise, the Refit Constitution Class that appeared in the original movies, there was just something about the design that caught me, she was so graceful and beautiful. The problem I had at that point was a lack of proper parts. 20 or so years later with Bricklink and a good dose of inspiration provided by the amazing USS Reliant posted a while ago by Myko I set off to finally build my Starship and here is the result. She measures in at just over 4 feet long and a little over 2 feet wide. I'm not sure how many bricks I used because I never count Sorry if the quality of my pictures isn't that great. My camera is old and I don't have a lot of room to shoot the pics in. One of the features that doesn't show well is the lights. In the Saucer section the windows along the edges, Red and Green Port and Starboard lights, Observation Lounge behind the Bridge as well as the Dome and Impulse Engines and lower dome on the underside of the saucer all light up and in the Secondary Hull the Main Deflector, Cargo Bays and Shuttlebay are lit as well as 2 accent lights that illuminate the nacelle pylons. The Saucer Section, measuring at just over 26 inches wide The Main Deflector Dish and Secondary Hull A slightly different angle A front shot Close up of the Nacelle Pylon. If you look closely you can see one of the accent lights The Photon Torpedo Launchers Under the Saucer again. The plastic tube isn't really needed for support but I wasn't taking any chances View from the stern. The Transparent red area lights up as well The Shuttlebay doors are removable and inside is a fully detailed bay with lights and 2 shuttlecraft Close up of one of the shuttles out of the bay, the white area on the forward piece is thin strips of white electrical tape From the tip of the Nacelle you can kinda see the light in the Observation Lounge window The side of the ship. Note how the plastic tube made a cool effect with the camera flash The ships "Neck" between the Saucer and secondary hull. A view of the side of the ship that shows off the nacelles and shuttlebay A Bow on shot of the ship, I had to use fishing line to keep the Nacelles where they need to be Hope you all like my creation as much as I do. Live Long and Prosper

I rebuilt the SES myself a while ago. I refer to it as "The Scratch Built Skulls Eye Schooner" rather than resurrecting but I only do so with the SES because it was the only one I rebuilt that I didn't have as a kid so I had to buy every piece. I got a SES Hull, Masts and lower sails on Ebay purely by chance while collecting parts for my Southern Cross and decided to restore her to her original glory. The cost was pretty up there since I bought original sails, Minifigs and the white panel with skull (I still cringe when thinking about how I paid $15 for it.) but it came out at a lower price than the ones I saw on Ebay and Bricklink. I wound up paying about $150, at the time the cheapest set was $160 on Bricklink and $175 on Ebay and the $150 included the shipping on the several parts orders from Bricklink so I guess I didn't do so bad. The ship is all original with the exception of the windows in the cabin, they were just open holes originally and were just screaming for a pair of those nice arched windows with lattice so I installed a pair in red and black to keep with the ship's color scheme. I also restored my old Armada Flagship, Crossbone Clipper and Redbeard Runner. Again I had to replace all the sails since I lost my originals long ago. That adds a lot to the cost depending on which sail you need, thankfully I had the hulls and most of the other pieces floating around and with the help of Bricklink for parts and Peeron for directions I rebuilt half of my fleet. I also bought a couple of "Distressed" Ships from Ebay, these were the 6271 Imperial Flagship from 1992 and Renegade Runner. I picked them up cheap due to the fact that they were missing parts or had the wrong pieces installed. I've noticed that when people shop on Ebay they want the set to be complete or it's not worth their time so they were easy to get. After replacing some parts adding a missing sail on the flagship and some string they look as good as new.

The sails on my Black Seas Barracuda are unwashed and original and I can't tell the difference between them and the ones I washed for my Red Beard Runner and Armada Flagship. The front triangular sail on my 6271 Imperial Flagship feels a little softer than the others but it doesn't show in the way it hangs, you have to touch it to notice.

While restoring my ships I purchased several dirty sails on bricklink due to the cheaper price with the hopes I could restore them to their former glory or at least close to it. I've had very good results using my washing machine. I started by hitting the sails on both sides with Spray & Wash or Shout if they're yellowed or had stains. Then they went into my front load washing machine, I washed them together as a set but with no other items such as towels or sheets in the machine. I set the machine to delicate/hand wash with low spin while using small amounts of Tide and Oxyclean, the sails came out wet but they dried when I hit them with the iron which I set to Cotton. I would go over them once or twice lightly, never letting the iron stop and sit in one spot unless there was a bad crease in which case I would flip the sail to the side it stuck out on and hit the crease with the corner of the iron while moving it back and forth over the offending spot quickly. Larger sails like the ones on the Skulls Eye Schooner are easier to iron than smaller sails like on the merchant ship from the Imperial Trading Post which I had to hold down on an exposed corner with my finger while ironing. Depending on the size of the sail they would either come out totally dry or slightly damp in the center which I allowed to air dry after hanging the sail back on the ship. I did have one or 2 sails that frayed but only 1 or 2 threads came loose, I trimmed them down with a pair of sharp scissors and they look like they just came out of the box. If your not comfortable using an iron I wouldn't recommend your first experience being lego sails. I have heard that pressing them between paper towels stuffed inside thick books such as dictionaries or encyclopedias for a few days works well.

I like it. Her side profile is nice and the round roof on the captain's cabin is very unique. The color scheme is classic, I love the yellow cannons and that swinging gate must make it easy to load and unload provisions and the crew, the Captain's cabin has a real classy feel to it with that dark red couch and gold candle holders. Also I like the gold at the stern, it would be a little plain if you changed it to black, plus it balances with the gold on the bow. As for the masts I think the problem may be that the 3rd mast is a little short, or it could be that the 1st mast is a little too tall. That's how it appears to me anyway. Great job. I can't wait to see your next ship, looks like she's going to be a real beast

I added a lighted brick to the cabin of my Imperial Flagship. I do kinda wonder what she would look like with a 2nd gun deck though. If you want to change her up you could make different colored sails. It wouldn't use up any bricks but you'd have to find a fabric you like and be handy with a pair of scissors.

I can see them all so I'm not really sure what the problem is. The brickshelf folders are public now Constitution http://upload.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=473830 Dreadnought http://upload.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=473829 Diablo http://upload.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=473833

I just resized the 5 that were too big. I hope I got the right 5.

Sorry I just resized and re uploaded them. Hope that's better.

Here's the story of the ships I had during my youth and the MOCs they eventually became. Keep in mind I made most of this stuff up when I was between 10 and 15 so some of their back stories may be a little childish but since I've kept them around and mostly unaltered for the better part of 15 years I wanted to share them. Once upon a time I created my own city which was actually it's own country for all my and my Sister's stuffed animals to live in. The Majority of them were Beanie Babies so I named it Beanston and since I love ships I made it an island nation in the Atlantic ocean around the area of the Bermuda Triangle. The island was settled using one wooden ship and was quickly built up (In my imagination anyway) into a thriving metropolis, the kind of fantasy city that I'm sure all little boys dream about at some time or another, with skyscrapers, blimps, planes, monorails, trains and of course ships. the majority of which were ocean liners but a few special wooden ships (My lego pirate fleet) made their way into the city's history. The ship that settled the island was the USS Constitution. Not the real one but an old wooden sailing ship that was raised and restored before being renamed Constitution by the city's first settlers. She was built on the platform of my first Lego Pirate theme ship, the Caribbean Clipper. I upped her mast count to 3 and used the sails off my Armada Flagship, the only sails I had at the time that fit her. A side shot of Constitution The ship from the bow The main deck. The Green cannon was the last cannon that was fired during the ships last engagement when she sunk the SS Empire The stern with her lifeboats and hanging lantern The stern again from above Another shot of the very cluttered main deck Another ship I had was the Redbeard Runner, she sailed as the SS Empire. Owned by the Garfield Empire (Yes that Garfield), the original residents of the island who were forced to relocate to an island constructed of large floating barges due to the noise caused by the city's construction and their inability to nap. She was lost during one of the many conflicts that happened in the mid-late 90's (Every time I got board there was a war in my living room between my stuffed Garfields and Beanie Babies) Since most of the Runner's parts were being used in other creations at the time the old SS Empire was only partly rebuilt, however halfway through the "restoration" the ship's bow and stern were used to create the Dreadnought. Dreadnought, my most unique ship The Dreadnought was named for the revolutionary British battleship of the early 20th century, upon her launch all other battleships were made obsolete and it was hoped the same would be true of the new Dreadnought. Her birth came about as result of a battle in the city's harbor in which the Constitution was attacked and heavily damaged by a modern warship of the Empire. After the Empire was defeated a clause was placed into the surrender treaty saying that no modern ship would engage in battle with any vintage warship. This came to be known as the Constitution Clause. Within a few months of the signing of the treaty it was heard that the Empire was secretly working on upgrading another vintage wooden ship that they had obtained to exploit a loophole in the clause that failed to mention the age of the ships's armament and propulsion system. The bow and stern salvaged from the rotted hull of the SS Empire were used with new wood to create a ship that could not only float on water but also drive onto shore and attack on land. (Ok she doesn't actually float but you get the idea) This was made possible by the use of the base of Radio Controlled Racer Set. Her armaments consisted of 3 original cannons mounted on swivel platforms and 1 top secret laser cannon that made her more than a match for even modern steel warships. Her first encounter with the Empire's new Diablo was very short. Bow shot of Dreadnought. Almost unrecognizable as the old Redbeard Runner From above, lots of futuristic looking top secret tech The helm is a classic wooden wheel fully enclosed in an armored wheelhouse The laser Cannon lifts and pivots as well as rotates giving the ship protection from all angles The stern deck The stern from a slightly better angle. (My favorite shot of the ship) The underside of the Dreadnought. She actually drives like a boat. Dreadnought with my recently restored Redbeard Runner Another shot of the original and the result of an overactive imagination Diablo was a small ship the same size as the Crossbone Clipper as her hull came from the Time Cruisers Flying Time Vessel and her upgrades had included a propeller and set of 5 inch guns from a WWII era destroyer, upon seeing Dreadnought her crew surrendered without a shot being fired and the ship was taken under tow to the harbor and after being stripped of her upgrades restored as the Diablo. Diablo, very small but quick. Her sail is heavy paper with custom colors thanks to a couple of sharpie markers From the side A bow on shot A close up of her horned figurehead The stern The other side with the anchor chain The other ships I had during my childhood were the Crossbone Clipper and the Armada Flagship, I named them the Roddrick and the Sun Chaser but they spent most of their time in pieces until recently when I restored them to their original glory with the help of Bricklink and Peeron. I couldn't bring myself to scrap the Dreadnought or Constitution so I restored my Redbeard Runner after buying a new bow and stern and I purchased a new Caribbean Clipper on Ebay. I still play with the Dreadnought mostly because she can drive I've even added a few new features over the years. Hope you enjoyed my ships and their stories.

I personally love buying sets with missing pieces off Ebay. It makes me feel good to restore an old set to it's original glory and add it to my collection. Shipwreck Island my not be pretty or sought after but if the condition of what was there was right, the starting price low enough and it could be restored without too much hassle and cost I'd bid on it.

Thanks for the compliments Admiral Croissant I'll take some more overall shots at some point when I feel like setting up that sheet again, I should take some pics of my other MOC ships too so I'll likely do that at the same time. I could add some lines between the masts. If I used the ropes with the 1x1 round plates on the end it would make it easy to open her up, that's the main reason I didn't put one going across the tops of all the masts in the first place. I forgot to take a shot of her with her stern cabin removed, I made it partly modular after getting the new Imperial Flagship which provided me with the inspiration. At some point I'll make some kind of room under there like a powder storage room or something. I'll still build her sister North Star some day but I just bought an UCS Imperial Star Destroyer (Imperials of a different kind ) so for now I'll just work on Southern Cross when I have the spare cash.

I did a little work to Southern Cross so I thought I'd post some new pics (Now that I figured out how to deeplink them) The Lifeboats now go up and down using strings and winches I raised up the sides of her hull to allow for better clearance on her gun deck and to bring the main deck up flush with the first aft deck Here's the gun deck looking aft with the main deck removed The gun deck again from above The removed main deck with the 3 central masts A close up of the area where the main deck meets the former 1st aft deck. I removed the railings and did away with the hatches over the stairs, I also moved the 2 cannons below deck and built 2 new ones to match the rest of the smaller deck guns.

The 2 sails with the cannon pattern seem fairly reasonably priced on Bricklink at $7 and $11 for the cheapest on the site. The triangle sail seems a bit much starting out at $17 though it's not as bad as what I paid for the sails for my Skull's Eye Schooner. I got my Imperial Flagship on Ebay a few months back for around $50 but it had 2 of the 3 sails ,the wrong compass and some other minor missing or wrong colored parts. I let it sit as it was for a long time before getting up the ambition (And the money) to add the 3rd sail and correct it's other little issues but I must say she is a very satisfying little ship. Sounds like you got a pretty good deal.

Wow. Now that I see that pic I remember seeing something about the Thomas W Lawson about 20 or so years ago. Maybe it left an impression on me that helped inspire this build. I'm going to attempt to make some changes to the Southern Cross by adding a few layers of bricks to her sides and bringing the main deck up to be flush with the 1st rear deck. It should be easy since the entire deck with the 3 main masts lifts up to access the cannons and hold below. Thanks for the compliment on the candleholders Aalak. The Ward room and Captains Quarters also each have a lighted brick in them that make it look like they're functional when I flip off the lights and press the buttons.

I like the way it looks too. I never intended it to have a base but since my room is in a basement I need to keep things off the floor incase of flooding. The wood is just the top of a small bench I had laying around. It's a pretty good match even if the ship is longer than the bench.

Yeah, she's really long, I needed the length for all those masts. (12 mid sections between the bow and stern ) I thought the Cabin was to tall too but it took a lot of work to get her to a place where I was happy with it and the interiors of the 2 rooms looked right. I still have some work to do on her since I'm missing most of the cannons that go in the lower deck. I'll add major improvements when I build her Sister ship North Star, she'll be much smaller and more modular.

Thanks a lot Perfectionist Sorry for the image quality, my camera is pretty old and I've noticed it takes photos better outside than in. I just added a bunch more pics I just took. Hopefully they're better quality. As for where I was heading... I'm not quite sure myself. I tend to over do it a little with my MOCs. I decided a long time ago to do 7 masts because I'd never seen a ship with 7 before. I guess there might be a reason for that. Hopefully the gallery is made public soon, I took a couple shots of her next to my Skull's Eye Schooner for size comparison.

111D Hi All I've been getting back into Lego Pirates for the past 6 months or so and after rebuilding my fleet of official lego sets I decided to finally build a large sailing ship of my own. I've been inspired by all the MOCs here so I thought I'd post my ship which I named Southern Cross. She has 7 masts and 48 guns. I couldn't figure out a way to reduce my image sizes to fit on the fourm so I uploaded some pics to Brickshelf http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=467218 I also uploaded the pics to my deviant art account where all the pics have little descriptions. http://mrmisty.deviantart.com/ I hope you all enjoy The Southern Cross.