Franco Clarke

Very nice, this forum has brought a whole load of interesting ways of making little boat hulls. Is the deck snotted?

Erwin watched sadly from the stern of the Hareng as the old Canary Clipper was hauled towards the breakers yards further upstream. Across the still waters came the sound of an officer shouting to keep the rowers in time, the only sound which accompanied the ageing vessel's death march. The sun sank lower in the sky, illuminating the stern of the Clipper red, as if she were on fire, and the fire was reflected in the smooth sea. The old girl passed Eldorado Fortress, and then veered right and was hidden from view by the fort's crenelations. The Canary Clipper had been one of the first ships that had been dispatched to the new world, but had spent recent years anchored in Eltina harbour, filled with stores to resupply naval ships. But when it was found that her hull was mostly rotted, it was decided that she was no further use and sent to be dismantled. This moc was inspired (unsurprisingly) by Turner's Fighting Temeraire painting. It came about since was about to dismantle the Canary Clipper, one of my oldest mocs, to provide parts for new ship. Since she had served me for so many years I thought it only fitting that she went out in style, hence this moc. I also tried to add a little foam to the 'sea' with assorted white bricks, although I'm not sure how well it has come out. Comments and criticisms very welcome.

Very nice little boat, I like the use of purple, not a colour often seen on ships, and the full hull allowing for a decent interior.

Great build, as others have said, the building with the brown roof is especially eye-catching with the stones sticking out of it.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=119919&hl= Here is my Category B entry

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=119631&hl= Here is my category 1 entry

That's a good idea, and I shall try and get some when I next compile a bricklink order! The problem was I wanted them to stick out sideways from the back like on the old Imperial Flagship, but they couldn't fit with the curved part Indeed, his bad luck can't last forever.... can it? Oh sorry, I will rectify this at once! Thanks for registering them for me, and yes the Hareng will be my licenced ship, but I understand I have to 'buy' it before I can licence it? If so I don't think I have any money... As for selling other ships, I have plans for the other two in regards to stories, but some of the other ones which are under construction could be sold, or perhaps leased to other members. Here is a more detailed look at the ships from the story. The Rana This model was based on the Imperial Trading post ship, one of my favourite of Lego's ships. It is a pretty basic design, in the style of a classic pirate set rather than a real historical ship. The cargo deck with the cargo, mostly palm wood for the shipyards. The rear deck lifts up to reveal more stowage space. The Hareng Like the Rana, this boat was also based on the Imperial trading post ship. I added a cannon to give this one some teeth, although it lacks the 'cabin' at the back. I'm not entirely pleased with this one, especially the colours around the prow, but it'll do for as a basic ship. The Dark Wolf Finally the oppressor, the (comparatively) large pirate ship. Built on a set of renegades runner hulls, it is probably a slightly more original design. The stern was inspired by the old Flagship, although it was too small to fit lanterns back there. A small hold/ access hatch at the front.

Ship's log, Day 7 Whilst sailing in convoy with a couple of our merchant ships across the middle of the sea of storms, a pair of sails were spotted. As we drew closer, it became clear that the larger one was chasing the smaller one, and the sound of cannon fire served to back up this theory. Observing the ships, the larger was most certainly a pirate vessel, with a large black flag fluttering at the stern, and the crew appeared not to have noticed our arrival, since they were intent on catching the smaller vessel. Due to the smaller ship's green paintwork I reasoned that it was most likely an Eslandolan ship, and despite its success in evading the pirate vessel's fire, I feared that it was only going to be a matter of time before they were hit. Since we are at peace, I decided to intervene and help the merchant ship. We altered course to intercept to two ships, signalling that the ships were escorting to follow about half a kilometre behind. As we drew close to the two ships, the larger pirate vessel pulled alongside the Eslandolan boat, and its crew prepared to board. Deciding that we couldn't afford to hold fire any longer and noticing that one of the crew appeared to have noticed our arrival we fired a shot, aiming for the raised rear deck of the pirate ship. The shot fell short and luckily smashed their cannon. The pirates, surprised by the arrival of another ship began to panic, breaking off their attack on the merchantman and gunning for us. We continued to fire, putting shots through the hull just behind the centreline, and filling their sails with holes. The return fire was poorly aimed, and, since their cannon had been destroyed, lacked the weight to do any serious damage, apart from Private Collins, who received a splinter wound. Once our merchant ships came close enough to be spotted by the pirates, the large pirate ship, turned about and broke off from the engagement, obviously assuming the merchant ships were more warships entering the battle. We came alongside the Eslandolan Merchantman to help repair the damage which they had sustained to enable them to complete their journey. As thanks for driving off the pirates, the Eslandolan captain gave us a barrel of rum which was much appreciated by the crew! We parted ways after that and completed the remainder of the voyage uneventfully. The pirate ship comes alongside the Eslandolan Merchant ship. The Pirates prepare to board the merchant vessel. One of the pirates notices another ship has joined the battle. Fire!

Perhaps I should clarify. Despite the appearance of the model, at this point in the engagement we were merely withdrawing to our ship, using our guns to fire warning shots away from the islanders, and making sure if they became close enough to pose a significant threat that they could be neutralised. Also there was the hope that these uncivilised people could be frightened off by the sharp crack of our muskets, but it was not too be.

Wow, the intricate exterior of the building alone would make this model stand out, but adding a fully detailed interior, the carriage and fountain makes it even better!

Wow, this is surely a stand out entry, for the idea of using Vikings instead of the classic islanders. The prow of the ship emerging from the sand looks very good.

Officers Quarters | Franco Clarke | Oleon

Very good, I like the layers of soil and rock which you have built into the base. It adds interest without distracting too much,

Thanks for the replies, I'd say the statue took long than the rest of the moc on it's own. Well I guess this bunch aren't too friendly, but hopefully there might be some out there that are more sympathetic to our cause. I also doubt that they follow the religion, so they would need enlightenment to start with.

Ship's Log, Day 18 Early in the morning, the lookout unexpectedly spotted land off the starboard bow, and on investigation of the charts, it was found that this was unmarked on our set of maps. Knowing that Oleon was always keen to add new islands to the empire, we altered course, whilst signalling to the merchant ships we were escorting to continue. I calculated that our faster warship should easily be able to catch up with the slower merchant ships, even with a trip to investigate the island. As the island came into sight and grew closer, we began making out details on it. It was approximately a kilometre or two long, mostly low with rocky outcrop overhanging the entrance to a cove. A village of huts was built into the trees on the shore of this cove, so we headed towards this to see who had claimed this island. We dropped anchor in the cove, surrounded by the catamarans of the island's inhabitants. The red paint on these vessel's hulls led me to suspect that this settlement might have something to do with Corrington. Noting this, I left behind enough men to crew the ship's cannon, in case we were attacked. We waded ashore, and were greeted by a party of men dressed mostly in leaves and pieces of bone. They were brandishing spears and bows, but modern weapons were notable by their absence. Despite attempts to communicate, we didn't manage to get them to lower their weapons. Likewise we were unable to understand their communications. After about 15 minutes of trying to see if any of them understood us, I stepped forward with my hand outstretched, in a friendly gesture. This was taken very badly, and we had to beat a hasty retreat, whilst being pelted with rocks, arrows and spears. Thankfully, only Private Collins was injured, receiving an arrow through his right elbow. As we climbed back aboard the ship, we noticed that the islanders were readying their canoes and catamarans, and began chasing us as we sailed from the cove. After a spear flung from a crossbow mounted on the largest vessel embedded itself in the rudder, I decided enough was enough, and that these people had clearly shown themselves to be enemies of Oleon, so I ordered we return fire. Shortly we sunk two catamarans and a few canoes, leading to the islanders breaking off the pursuit and allowing us to rejoin the merchant convoy before 6 in the evening.

A nice pair of ships, packing detail into a smaller frame than some of the larger ships on this forum. I like the choice of colours, not always the most common ones for ships.

Thanks, she is well-armed for her size, I always like to pack guns into a ship- there's no award for most under-gunned ship!

Thanks for all to kind replies, indeed having a large amount of gunpowder in your bedroom would force you to be very careful! Thanks for the idea, I shall have to add more tiles next time I make a bricklink order, since the majority of mine are already invested in the fleet.

Those are some impressive buildings, but the highlight for me would have to be house of lords.

Nice work there, with the cobbled street, and the flags in the base complimenting the colour scheme of the figures and the building.

Erwin, only being a junior officer hadn't enough income to own his own house. Thus when he had to remain in port for extended periods of time, he lived in the barracks of the local fortress. To increase fire-power of the fortress's primary batteries, extra gun positions were incorporated into the barracks block, and the seaward wall was strengthened to allow it to withstand return fire. This move was unpopular with many of the colonial troops, since it made conditions more cramped within the building. However, for Erwin, who is used to the confines of a ship's cabin, the room still felt spacious, even if he did have to share it with a cannon!

Nice, it has captured the appearance of an abandoned fortification, after it has been taken over and 'improved' by a bunch of criminals!

Second that! The fancy base helps set off the detailed scene contained within, I especially like the sailing boat!

Thank you for all your kind compliments, its nice to feel welcome here. The first photograph does indeed show the ship from her best angle, since it masks the stockiness a little. I am planning to make the next ship a little more colourful, mostly around the stern and prow. Hopefully that will also help to contrast with the more monotone redcoat ship. I guess time will tell!

Wow, what an astounding ship, it's so large that it could take on entire fleets of ships and still come out on top! The stern looks beautiful, and very similar to the HMS Victory!