Franco Clarke

Fantastic wooden fortress, the best I think I've seen. I especially like the sand fill to the wooden walls, it makes it look far more robust and strong.

Great work, a truly beautiful composition, for me the highlight is the wooden floor!

A nice, suitably rustic looking warehouse, I like the use of the mini figure bases as the roof!

What a massive and beautiful ship! The colour scheme is different from the usually white/black or yellow/black, but it works really well and makes the ship distinctive!

A lovely pair of little ships, making great use of those accursed blue/white armada flagship hulls!

Wow, a stunning ship both inside and out, and on such an impressive scale too! And this was your first ship? I cannot wait to see what else you will be able to craft!

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=125200&hl= Key and Castle Tavern, Medium Artisan http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=124860&hl=My House, small resisdence

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=124860&hl=/Franco Clarke/Oleon http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=125200&hl=/Franco Clarke/Oleon http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=123285&hl=/Franco Clarke/Oleon

The sympathetic replies are much appreciated! Thank you, but I cannot claim responsibility for the 'sky' it was just a sheet hung over a box, which has come out really well now you mention it! Thanks for the advice on photography, I will try to use the zoom, although there is a small chip in the lens which becomes very apparent when you use the zoom! Also here is the window piece https://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=30077&idColor=1#T=C&C=1

Thank you for all your most kind comments and replies, I'm glad the rather basic style didn't put people off. I understand the issue with the plain appearance of the docks, and I kinda wish I could do something about it. The main problem is there is so much of it to cover up! I'm trying to pack the buildings more closely on my second square, which should help. Thank you, I really like those old windows, shame they didn't come in more colours! Thank you, That's my aim with a lot of my builds, a classic feel, it's a good excuse for using boring brick on brick techniques Thanks, I almost spent as long getting the figures right as the building itself . Also I will try and number builds, as it should help things be more clear. Thanks, although I'm not sure if we are allowed to approve our own nation's builds?

Whilst Erwin had been exploring the island, the rest of the crew had been enjoying their shore leave in some of Breshaun's taverns and ale houses. One of the the most famous of these is the Key and Castle, with its prominent waterfront position, located just to the left of Fort XI. It's bright red walls make it a distinctive sight. Today is no different to most, and the entire dock is bustling with activity. Deals are made, friendships are formed and much merriness is had. A small yard out the back provides additional space for when the bar is crowded like it is today. The top floor and attic are mostly filled with rooms to let and the home of the landlord. Something a little larger than the rest of the scenes I have built this month. This is (hopefully) the first of many modular sections of Breshaun, although how well this works out remains to be seen. The colourful strips on the side are merely to allow easy aligning of sections. Now a few closer shots of just the tavern on its own, which can be removed from the main build. It was mostly inspired by the medieval market village style of construction. This build also has a rather sparse interior. The top floor has a bedroom with a little furniture, whilst the bottom has a bar. Finally this is my third build of the month, so approval would be very welcome!

Erwin strolled along a path, making sure to place his feet carefully, since the ground around here was quite boggy. He stepped around a clump of grass which had sprung up through the compacted earth and stones. Looking up, he spotted a stone carving about 10 yards further along the path. Erwin strode up to it and released it was one of the many shrines that studded the paths and roads of the island. He removed his hat and recited a prayer, wishing good luck for his family, all those miles away back home. He stood up after a few minutes in contemplation, and then continued along the pathway. About 2 hours later, the track terminated at the main road to Breshaun, and Erwin began marching back to the port. When he was about halfway there a hay wagon offered him a lift, so he was soon back in the town. Feeling his purse, Erwin decided that he probably wouldn't be able to pay the rent on the small room he was staying in until the Saler was fixed. He would need to find some sort of permanent residence that was cheap. Apparently, Erwin wasn't the only one who wanted a cheap place to live, but eventually he found a tiny poky little room above one of the warehouses near the waterfront. A balcony outside provided views of the bay and the myriad ships slowly bobbing at anchor within it. Erwin soon found out why this room was so cheap, as the warehouse never seemed to be closed, and there was a constant noise of boxes and barrels being shuffled around downstairs. Oh well at least there was a roof overhead.... A few more pictures of the 2 scenes from some different angles.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=122784&hl= /Franco Clarke/ Oleon

Thank you for all your helpful replies. Gosh, I hadn't noticed that when I made this, I shall endeavour to rectify the situation if I use that ship again. Probably

Thank you all I'm honoured

Thanks, I have a few more like her in progress, it's just so much quicker and cheaper to make small ships, hence why I have a lot more of them

Thank you all, I was tempted to licence the raft as a level 0 ship, but it wouldn't be so useful Thank you, the white one was a (rather bad) copy of the other member's boat I was escorting. Well I guess there must be a few. That's the thing with pirates, most of them don't have very much loyalty so they end up everywhere I see the Colander merchant raiders as slightly above piracy, since they intend to disrupt trade and weaken Oleon rather than merely plundering. Anyway, how do you know this is not all but propaganda I thought I had posted some pictures of this vessel at the end of last month's second free build, although these might be the first ones. I would like to put some sails on my ships, but for the time being I can't find the material I want to use on my ships (I know the stuff since I had some long before). I will attempt to rig them though. She actually has one pair of oars at the moment, tucked beneath the sides, although I'm not sure what good that'd do in a rough sea.

Thank you, I posted this ship a little before BOBS went live, but I thought she'd still be able to play a background role in my stories, even if she never impacts the game side of things. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=118837&hl=

Ship's Log Day 12: The Saler didn't handle the waves as well weighed down with all the additional fire power. All the men have green hint about them as the ship plunged and rolled on the apparently flat seas. Oh well at least no one was complaining about the reduction in rations due to the increase of the power magazine. Also the foreshortened mast meant that the Saler was even slower than the Hareng had been. This was not such an issue at the moment as they were escorting a small fishing boat. It was even slower than this heap of junk, but at least it handled the waves better. Ahead the lookout spotted a dark speck on the clear water. If this was a pirate ship, or even worse a corrington merchant raider, we could be in serious trouble. The Saler's cannon would shatter a small raider, but I didn't fancy our chances of actually getting them in our sights. However, it soon became clear that we may have found the only person in the entire seven seas to have a worse boat than our own. Clinging to a mix of planks, barrels and booms was a very bedraggled looking pirate. We pulled up alongside, and I hailed him, giving him a choice. Either he could join our crew or we could be forced to board and capture his ship, taking him prisoner as his flag showed he was most certainly a pirate. Despite having been stuck on that raft for who knows how long, he hadn't lost his sense and agreed to become a member of the Oleon navy. Although I was almost certain he would jump ship at the first opportunity, I couldn't just leave him to mercy of the sea. Having tied the raft to the stern of the ship we rejoined the fishing boat and continued our voyage. I was at a loss for what to make as my MCRA model, since nothing really happened. However, I'd been wanting to try an make a pirate raft for a while, hence the story. It's not a perfect raft, but at least it looks more realistic as a hastily made contraption than the official Lego alternatives.

What a lovely ship, the checkers on the stern finish it off perfectly

Thank you all, and I am glad you liked my tale. However, rather than being just a representation of a larger ship, the cabin was meant to represent the inside of this ship, which I used when they were on deck. However, thinking about it, that would be a very good way of representing large ships without building them in full

A very nice house, and a perfect plot for quick access to one's ship. I like the chest with the hair in it!

As the Saler pulled into Breshaun harbour, it became more and more apparent that something wasn't right. Despite the calm waters of the bay and the light breeze, the Saler was rolling and creaking as if she were in a storm. The wood around the bow had developed some nasty cracks, around the base of the heavy cannon. Erwin dreaded to think what would happen if they tried to take this bucket into a battle. She must be repaired, and have her bow strengthened, so they set a course for the sprawling shipyards and tied up alongside a brand new jetty. The vast demand for new ships had allowed the ship builders of Breshaun to make big money, and the lack of major competition on the island meant that they charged top prices for their efforts. Erwin marched up the pristine decking to the shipbuilder's office. 10 minutes later, he had arranged for the Saler to be repaired and strengthened to be ready by the end of the month. His coin pouch felt significantly lighter though, although Erwin reasoned it was better to be a poor man with a seaworthy ship than a rich man at the bottom of the sea. He informed the crew that they would be able to have shore-leave until the Saler was ready, which would be by the twenty third. This was a very popular decision with the crew who quickly disappeared into Breshaun's warren of streets. Erwin, however decided to explore the island further, hiking around the tracks and trails. He stopped in the ruins of some ancient structure, where one of the paths melted into the sea and stared out at the undulating waves, contemplating what the future had in store. Then he turned and made his way back inland for it was getting late and he should find somewhere to stay the night. Meanwhile, to the north a flotilla of warships sat riding at anchor. Sloops and cutters clustered protectively around a few large brigs. In the stern cabin of the largest ship, the Admiral stood watching the fleet and the swirling waves. Behind him, junior officers and navigators scurried around the maps of the sea of storms, plotting the known positions of enemy warships and merchant convoys. A marine captain entered the cabin, and cautiously approached the Admiral. 'Lord, you informed me that you wished to speak with the commander of HMS Flea when he arrived back from repairs, he is alongside as we speak' Silently the admiral turned around a strode through the cabin, past the map tables and up onto the deck. Alongside the flagship a much smaller vessel was tied up, and it's captain climbed aboard up the ladder. The Marines from both ships stood to attention ensuring no-one interrupted the two officers. The exchange was brief, and after 5 minutes, the captain of HMS Flea saluted, whilst the admiral turned around and stalked back below decks. HMS Flea untied from the Flagship, and sailed off towards the setting sun. To finish off with a pair of alternate views of the two scenes featured in today's story. I wanted to build something other than more small ships, so these were the outcome.

I would be happy to escort anyone who would like to be escorted in my small slow Hareng, if we can gather a convoy.

Thank you, the gold colour does do quite nicely for adding interest to otherwise bland ships.