Franco Clarke

Masterful forced perspective, I like the use of the dinghy as the ship's hull.

Erwin raced to the rails and squinted at the island. Sure enough a vessel was making its way out from behind the small isle, a vessel with a black flag flying from the tip of the mast. Erwin rolled his eyes, did these pirate types never give up? 'All right boys you know the drill, let's make this as quick and simple as possible' Erwin called out, 'signal the Colombe, we'll pepper them with cannon fire then board them. These pirates have made their final mistake' The Vif swerved through the waves, and Erwin looked back to see the Colombe following suit. Meanwhile the rest of the crew had leapt into action, working like a well-oiled machine. The cannon was rolled up to the prow and was soon lobbing cannonballs near the unfortunate pirates. The pirates, perhaps due to poor monocular vision, turned in and headed straight for the onrushing escort vessels. They returned fire with their heavier gun, but their aim was off and it sailed harmlessly out of sight. Erwin grimaced. These pirates were really bad, perhaps he could just ignore them, they probably weren't capable of raiding any merchants. The Vif sailed past the pirate's, and with a swift tiller movement, swung around behind it. The pirates continued to ineffectually fire their oversized gun, as the two Oleon ship circled it, ploughing cannonballs into the water. 'Alright they should be pretty shaken up by now, prepare to board' Erwin said as he heaved on the tiller, bringing the Vif smashing into the side of the pirate vessel. Erwin slipped a rope over the handle to keep the rudder steady and followed the rest of the crew onto the pirate ship. Grasping the hilt of his sword he charged at the pirate captain. The captain responded by reaching for his own sword with his hook hand and only succeeding in dropping it onto the deck. Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary disadvantage, Erwin kicked at the captain's wooden leg in the hope of tripping him up. The captain collapsed onto the deck with a muffled 'arrgh' Erwin looked down at the pirate captain's single eye which was staring furiously at him as the man tried to pick himself up. However, unfortunately for the pirate, his twin peglegs and two hook hands were severely impeding his efforts. 'The ship is secure' Private Collins announced, coming to inspect the helpless captain. Erwin turned to see that the rest of the pirate crew had been equally easily overcome. Addressing the captured crew Erwin said 'I am supposed to take you all to be tried for piracy. However, due to the shameful display I have witnessed today, I feel it would insult those who actually are pirates. I am willing to overlook your actions today, and drop you all of at the next port, under the condition that you seek more suitable jobs.' Erwin turned to board the Vif, 'I suggest you honour my suggestion, you might not be so lucky next time' Finding Private Collins waiting at the tiller, keeping the ship steady whilst they readied to continue escorting the merchant vessels, Erwin said, 'Collins, would you like to take command of our new ship for the duration of this voyage?' Private Collins saluted 'It would be my pleasure sir.' He handed the tiller to Erwin, and leapt aboard the pirate ship. Once the pirates had been secured aboard the Vif, the two ships sailed to rejoin the rest of the fleet, who had been watching the engagement from a safe distance. Just a quick story, accompanying my latest little merchant vessel, the Iguana. This was based around one of the big dinghies and ended up being in the same colour scheme as the Rana. She's pretty simple, using pretty standard techniques.

That is a brilliant fort, it captures the look of a more temporary structure compared to the normal stone forts. I like the triangular shape, and how big the whole thing is!

w Wow I love those huge sails, they really make this model!

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/140751-ol-fb3-aftermath/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon

In the newly built Dock 3 lay the newly arrived Stingray. Work had already begun to bring her back to operational status, all the irreplaceable parts had been removed and the new sections had been sourced from existing stocks. Erwin inspected the work, making sure all the work was being done to the correct standards. The advantage of having his ship mauled like this was that he could add a few of his own features during the rebuilding process. Walking up the gangplank, he saw a set of huge oars being fitted into cradles on the gun deck. Following the encounter with HMS Flea all those months ago, he was keen to have additional propulsion. Further aft he was pleased to see that the deck hatch on the stern deck had been covered over. Despite only having had the ship a couple of weeks, he had lost count of the number of times he had stubbed his toe on the a cursed hatch. At least that wasn't going to happen again. The jolly roger of Nightheart's ship poked over the top of the curtain wall around the dock, looking like some skeletal spy. Erwin grinned, knowing that there were other people who weren't content to sit around whilst Corrington existed was a comfort. Erwin walked back down the gangplank. He needn't have worried, the work crew were doing a great job of fixing Stingray, and she would be ready right on schedule. Far out to sea the battered HMS Flea had rejoined its home fleet, riding at anchor around a deserted island. The captain of HMS Flea stood in the grand cabin of the flagship, sweating as the Admiral stood motionless, his back turned. After a few minutes of silence the Admiral continued to speak. 'So you are sure it was Erwin Clarke leading the defense?' The captain stuttered out a response 'Well, I I think I recognised him, he looked familiar I mean, I couldn't be sure' The Admiral lapsed into silence again, standing still staring intently through the stern windows at the raiding vessels patrol around the edge of the fleet. 'Obviously the traitorous pirate Nightheart also survived too, and now that has cost us' the Admiral continued 'it is obvious we need to act quickly and stamp out this threat quickly' The Admiral turned sharply to his second in command, 'Prepare a squadron, go and hunt down Nightheart, and this time I want proof of his death' The officer saluted and made his way forward to where a dinghy was tied up to the large warship. The Admiral dismissed the remaining members of his command team, and stalked into his cabin. This build consists of the next section of my port. By rearranging the previous buildings, I was able to clear the area that originally had the tavern on it, and instead fitted this dock in. To define the boundary between the civilian area of Bresahun and the Navy dockyard, I built a large wall, complete with observation post and cannon tower. The large grey studded area on the opposite side to the wall will be filled with buildings at some point. The inner face of the wall, showing the dock sign, a crane, and the main tower. The top floor of the tower has a pair of cannons which face out across the port and out to sea. The next two floors are mostly empty, and can serve as store-rooms for the guns at the top and also shelter for the soldiers manning the wall. Finally at the bottom there is a small jail cell, in the style of a classic pirate fortress. The outer face of the wall is slightly more plain. The garage sign was originally going to be part of a small lean-to attached to the outside but there wasn't enough space so it became a little pointless. Perhaps this is now the Garage Gate entrance into the Navy dock. This view also gives a better look at the lookout post on the sea ward end of the wall. Finally a view over the rest of the port with the wall in the background.

Thank you, I'm glad that the story wasn't too tedious and drawn out! I have now finished the sails and rigging, it's a little sparse, but she needed to be quick to 'flatpack' so the rig is simple. Thank you, I do really enjoy doing the stories, indeed, often the stories drive what I build. I'm glad you liked picture 4, that was my favourite. I originally intended to have the ship in the back exploding, but that was too complicated and distracting. Thanks for the kind compliment, sadly I will have trouble doing anything larger as my backdrop is getting too small Thank you, I have to agree there is a certain pleasure in pulling models apart to simulate battle damage! Thankfully the second set of sails came out much better and are now on the ship.

Thank you, I am glad that you enjoyed my little battle! The galleon was actually just thrown together since I needed something larger than my little merchant boats, but seeing as it has gone down well, I might complete it a bit more. Also, regarding the Corlanders which I like to include, perhaps they are a rogue fleet, which has broken away from the main nation? Thanks, I do enjoy coming up with the stories, almost as much as making the models! The figurehead just happened to be there since I was using white for the main structure, and it kinda fitted

A very impressive ship, I'm sure she'll serve well! I really like the brickbuilt flags and the telescope railing around the back, it just works so well!

Great little setup there, the fact that it isn't on level ground really sets it apart!

I like that take on the idea, I guess Eslandola will have to place a ban on talking parrots now!

My category B entry: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/140608-ol-ch4b-treasure-fleet-part-2/

This entry ended up being very long, even with part of it removed. Ye have been warned! This follows on from this http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/140595-ol-fb2-treasure-fleet/ so some things might not make sense unless you have already read that one. The next half of the day passed un-eventfully. Although he did not know the exact location of the fleet, Erwin guessed they were about a few hours sailing away from rejoining them. Then came the inevitable call 'Ship ahoy.' Erwin signalled for Collins to take the wheel and sprinted to the rigging. He climbed up to the crow's nest where the lookout handed him the telescope and pointed out where the vessel was located. Placing the glass to his eye, he observed the ship in question. In fact it was not one ship, but two moving in close formation. To his dismay they both had red flags, and one was unmistakably a Corrington Merchant Raider. He lowered the telescope and wondered if they were going to attack them. He didn't put it past Corrington to attack the treasure fleet, and a lone Terraman filled with gold was a tempting target. 'Thank you keep me informed if they do anything' As to answer his question, a shot rang out and a cannonball fell hopelessly short of the Stingray. Erwin grabbed the rigging and slid back to the deck. The Corries weren't stupid, they wouldn't open fire so far out of range unless they wanted to draw his attention. Therefore these two vessels were probably meant to distract him from the main attack. Back on the stern deck he signalled the Terraman to inform them of the incoming vessels, and to advise them to cover the port side ready to engage the enemy. 'Move all guns to the port side and prepare to engage the incoming Corries' Erwin commanded, turning the wheel to stay on course with the terraman. Private Collins looked surprised and asked 'Shouldn't we cover the starboard if the Eslandolans are watching the port side?' Erwin smiled 'Indeed, but they don't trust us, so they'll probably cover starboard anyway just in case we are trying to trick them' The deck rumbled as the two guns were rolled over to face the incoming threat. Erwin was beginning to wish he hadn't sent the Vif away, as if his suspicions were correct, then they were in serious trouble. The Corrington ships appeared over the horizon, firing as they came. A shot flew over Stingray, landing in the water beyond and raising a column of seawater that came splashing down on the deck. 'All cannons fire FIRE!' Erwin shouted. The long guns found their mark smashing chunks out of the prow of the Merchant raider. The guns on the Terraman's top deck also opened up and began ranging in on the incoming Corries. Erwin shouted up to the crow's nest whilst the guns were reloading 'Lookout, watch to starboard, I fear we might have more company soon.' Erwin got Collins to signal the Terraman to pick up the pace. If they were quick enough they might be able to rejoin the fleet before they took too much damage. A cannonball punched through the stern of Stingray, and she lurched and jolted. 'Go and check below for damage' Erwin shouted, and a marine jumped down the deck hatch. The Corries had now closed to very close range, although their shooting hadn't been all that effective, mostly concentrated on Stingray. If there was to be a surprise attack, now was the time. 'Sail ho' the lookout shouted, Erwin whirled, fetching the telescope from his pocket. Sure enough another merchant raider was bearing down from the starboard side. The guns on the starboard side of the Terraman opened up, but missed, as the raider swerved in the water. It then corrected its course and fired at Stingray. The shots flew true and smashed in the middle of the mast blasting the topmast off. The sails crumpled as the rigging and spars collapsed to the deck. A mess of sails, rigging and mast sections covered the gun deck and hid the prow from sight. The few remaining sails caught the wind in an unfortunate manner, swing Stingray about so that it couldn't engage the enemy at all. Erwin looked on helplessly as the three Corrington ships swept past the disabled Stingray, heading for the Terraman. All at once they ceased fire- obviously they intended to take her as a prize and didn't want it damaged. This gave him an opportunity, if they were trying to take the terraman intact, it would not be a quick process. Erwin turned to Collins and the few other men who hadn't been trapped by the falling debris. 'We need to move some of this stuff so that we can get a gun up onto the stern deck' he explained. They starting lifting timbers and cutting ropes, until they were able to access the gun deck. Erwin slipped through the hole, and clambered down onto the dark gun deck. Thankfully everyone was ok, so there wasn't the problem of casualties. Erwin directed two of the gun crews to lower the anchor, whilst the rest began lifting one of the heavy cannons up onto the deck. 'Another vessel incoming!' The look-out yelled from his perch, now hanging over the sea. With one final heave the cannon was pulled onto the deck. Erwin directed the crew to prepare the gun for action and then climbed forward to see what the new ship was. Unsurprisingly, it was not coming to help, but instead trying to steal some of the Terraman's cargo. Erwin sighed in frustration. This new arrival wasn't just another raiding sloop, but a full blown brig, probably with 10 or more guns. They didn't stand a chance of stopping such a vessel.... Then a slightly more pleasing thought entered Erwin's mind. They wouldn't really be interested in a ruined escort sloop, so they probably wouldn't attack Stingray. However the cluster of Corries would pose a threat to their profits-criminals never like sharing. Therefore they would probably fight each other, and then we could maybe finish off whoever's left after that. Erwin clambered aft and saw that the cannon was positioned correctly, pointing over the port side of the stern. Then he worked with the rest of the crew to collect as much ammunition and powder from the magazine so that they could fire as quickly as possible when the time came. The brig sailed close by the Stingray with its cannons poking from their ports. However as predicted, they paid little attention to the crippled sloop. The Corries noticed the encroaching pirate ship and began to disentangle themselves from the merchant ship. The brig swung to the north and it's battery of guns fired, tearing into the first of the Merchant raiders. The merchant raider's bowsprit splintered, with a piercing cracking sound. Then it snapped and plunged into the sea, ripping the mainsail as it fell. The raider in turn fired its guns at the brig, but the shot did little damage to the thick hull. Now the second Merchant Raider was approaching, accompanied by HMS Flea, but they two were met by a broadside from the Pirate Brig. The shots must have hit something critical as soon there was a fierce fire burning aboard the Corrington ship. HMS Flea swerved to avoid a similar fate, and cut across the Brig's bow, narrowly avoiding being rammed. The other merchant raider approached, firing into the stern of the pirate ship, smashing the gallery's windows. The brig lumbered around bringing the side smashing into the prow of the merchant raider. They fired a broadside into the shattered vessel, knocking out chunks of wood and railing. Then the pirate crew charged onto the wounded vessel, quickly killing off the surviving crew. Erwin noticed that HMS Flea was making a beeline towards them, obviously trying to finish us off before we intervened. 'Right here's our chance, FIRE!' The cannon kicked back and the shot flew straight and true decapitating one of the gun crew and smashing a hole in the deck. Obviously unimpressed by Stingray's tenacity, they swung away from the ship into open waters. The burning merchant raider followed suit and sluggishly turned away from the brig. However the fire must have reached the powder magazine, for at that moment the ship exploded dramatically, flinging shards of wood everywhere. Erwin grabbed Private Collins and pulled him down beneath the cover of the railings, and not a moment too soon as a splinter over a foot long sliced through his shako. Erwin stood up, to see the pirate brig bearing down on them, ploughing through the flaming ruins of the merchant raider. Noticing that the Terraman had made good progress in the opposite direction, Erwin quickly came up with a plan. 'Men we've fought hard, but we can't beat these odds' Erwin announced in a subdued voice, 'It would be better to stop than fight for a hopeless cause' The crew grimaced, but seem to agree, raising their hands to demonstrate the admission of defeat. The brig loomed high above the Stingray, and a gangplank was soon lowered to the deck. A lone figure walked down it, bedecked in black clothes, with a fancy bicorn hat upon his head. Erwin guessed that he was most likely the pirate captain. He stood on the deck and asked 'Which one of you is in command?' Erwin stepped forward and acknowledged him. The captain's face turned from a grimace into a smile. 'I am Captain Nightheart, formally of the Dark Wolf, now Captain of the Black Barbarian' he said gesturing to the brig. 'I am not here to pillage the fleet, I am here for the same reason as you are, Captain Erwin, to fight Corrington.' Erwin was taken aback, for he had never met a pirate before, especially one who didn't want to plunder ships. 'I have my own reasons to hate Corrington,' Nightheart continued, 'and I would happily help you make your way back to Breshaun, if you would like' Together, they escorted the Terraman back to the fleet, with the Black Barbarian towing the shattered Stingray. They were joined by the Vif, and then proceeded back to Breshaun with a most unexpected story to relate. The new build here is Nightheart's pirate brig, the Black Barbarian. This has been built in the same technique as my larger Imperial Brig, but I aimed to make it slightly lower in the water, which I hope has been partially successful. She was originally going to be presented with sails and rigging, however, I messed up the sail making process, and I haven't had enough time to make a new set since. The colour scheme was picked so it would greatly contrast with my mostly white imperial ships, whilst still using a nice cheap primary colour. At the front there is a small working capstan, and a pair of mounted guns. Further back in the centre there is below-decks access which is usually covered by a boat, and finally at the right back, there is the wheel. The stern was mostly influenced by the pirate ship from the Aardman pirate film, hence it has a jumble of windows at all different angles. This also lead the stern to be quite high which fitted with the more fantasy style I was going for. Her main gundeck can carry 8 guns, and although it is a little cramped, it isn't quite as bad as some of my other ships. Lastly, here's a photo of all the ships from this story displayed together. I must thank my friend for allowing me to borrow his Imperial Flagship, without which making this story would have been much more difficult.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/140595-ol-fb2-treasure-fleet/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon

The Mighty treasure fleet of Eslandola made its way across the sea of storms like a herd of plump cattle. And, of course like all herds of tasty cattle, it attracted wolves. One of the stuffed Terramen had been split off from the rest of the fleet, and now lay besieged by a much smaller pirate vessel. The small boat had managed to slip in under the Terraman's guns whilst it was busy dealing with a larger opponent. Now the pirates swarmed out of their ships and up the sides of the sloped sides of the Terraman. The Eslandolan crew were attempting to dislodge some of the pirates with long pikes, but it was only a matter of time before the raiders reached the deck. All of a sudden a score of the pirates were hit in shower of grape shot, and fell screaming back onto their ship, or into the churning water between the two vessels. The pirate captain swung round to the direction from whence the shot had came and his eyes widened in horror. He grasped the tiller with his hooks and swung it away from the Terraman, as a pair of Oleon warships came out from behind the Eslandolan trader, firing as they came. Erwin smiled, the pirates had been so busy with their prize that they hadn't noticed them coming. He heaved on the wheel, bringing Stingray up alongside the Terraman. Turning to Private Collins, who was busy shooting at the steadily retreating pirates he said 'Signal the Vif to pursue the bandits, to make sure they don't attack again' 'Aye Captain' Collins responded walking back toward the cupboard where the signal flags were stowed. Erwin turned to the Terraman which loomed high above Stingray, and yelled 'Don't shoot, we are here to escort you back to the main fleet' A helmeted head poked over the parapet of the larger shit and a voice floated down 'How do we know that you're not just leading us into a trap?' Erwin rolled his eyes 'You don't, but I'd hope that our peace treaty would be enough to show that I mean you no harm' The head disappeared and it sounded as if the Eslandolans were discussing their options. The Vif's gun rang out and a plume of water shot up beside the hapless pirate ship that was now dwindling to a speck on the horizon. The head sprang up from behind the railing of the Terraman 'Ok we will trust you, but expect violent retributions if you cross us' Erwin saluted to indicate his understanding and then went back to the wheel. He guided Stingray out in front of the large merchantman. This was originally meant to be part of my challenge entry, but that was become so huge, that I had to cut it out, so now it just serves as a prelude. The main build is the little pirate vessel, based upon my favourite Imperial trading post ship, its kind of basic, but I'm pleased I managed to fit that sail onto something finally!

Thanks, I'm glad you all liked it, and I apologise that it was a little bland. As for the crocodile, I was imagining it was stuffed probably, something to do with the habormaster I suspect.

September http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=140407 I Franco Clarke I Oleon

Erwin awoke and wearily opened his eyes, only to see an ugly face leering down at him. He leapt up and grabbed for his sword. There was no sword. Erwin looked back at his assailant. He relaxed slightly as he saw that it was merely a carved islander statue. Erwin frowned, as he realised the room he had few similarities with his cabin. Indeed it was not his cabin, or any cabin, it was a room on dry land. The last time he could remember he had been on the deck of his ship, fighting off the document-thieves. Erwin took a step back and tripped over something lying on the floor. To his horror he saw that it was a crocodile! He kicked at it and scrambled away. It stood motionless with its eyes all glassy and still. It was just as dead and harmless as the statue had been. Erwin got shakily to his feet. What was going on? He turned as the door opened and a man wearing a mouldy-looking wig walked in. 'Ah Captain Erwin, you've come around' said the stranger. 'Not meaning to be rude, but where exactly am I?' asked Erwin. The stranger smiled, 'You are in Breshaun, you have been asleep for almost a week now' Erwin grimaced 'Ugh, I don't remember that drinking much, I better be more careful' 'Oh no, you took a knock on the head' the stranger said hurriedly, 'you lost a lot of blood you were lucky to survive' Erwin smiled 'And to whom do I owe my survival?' The stranger introduced himself 'I am Doctor Riordan, and I have been nursing you back to health since you arrived in Breshaun. However, you really have to thank Mr. Collins for your survival. His rudimentary dressing helped stem the blood and keep you alive until I could help' 'Thank you then Doctor, I am indebted to you' Erwin said, making note to thank Private Collins for his actions. The Doctor then turned to leave, and said over his shoulder 'I have other matters to attend to, and if you don't mind, I wish to get back to work' Erwin hobbled over to a stand which held his uniform, and grasped his tricorn, feeling the unfamiliar threads around its rim. These indicated the rank of commander, and he was only a lieutenant. Or at least he was just a lieutenant. As he slipped his coat on, he felt a letter in the pocket, he fished this out and unfolded it. It was from the Admiral of the New Terra fleet, congratulating him on his successful mission and the acquisition of the document. In then went on to announce his promotion from lieutenant to commander, in recognition of his successes. Finally it informed him of a new command, the cutter Stingray. A day later Erwin was standing next to Collins on the quayside in front of Stingray. She was much larger than the Vif, with over double the firepower. Her hull was wider, making her slightly slower, although she was still no slouch. Erwin noted that the figurehead was that of the old Caribbean Canary, obviously rescued when it was dismantled. The Stingray's crew were busy readying the ship for sea, loading supplies and cleaning the guns. Erwin turned to Collins. 'I hear Eslandola has a mighty fleet massing in Nesila, it'll surely attract all kinds of pirates' 'Indeed, do you think it might bring out our old friends, the Corries?' 'Hopefully, Stingray should be a match for their merchant raiders' This model was a little interior scene, which should hopefully please all the stud-haters out there! There's not much to note really, although hopefully the furniture can be transferred to future Breshaun buildings.

Neat ship, I especially like the little house on the deck, makes voyages much more comfortable.

Nice build, and a lovely little ship

Nice work I especially like those little white and blue checkers on the front, I think I might have to add similar pieces to my next house!

Thank you, one of the problems I have is making the photos look like night, most of the time they end up looking like daytime, hence I have to use low sensitivity settings to make them less bright. It seems an awkward balance...

Thank you, I am working on another ship now!

I'll look forward to seeing your boatshed, I'm sure you'll do a really good job of it. As to my set up it's simply a blue sheet draped over a radiator for a 'sky' and then various torches and lamps to light it.

Very nice, I love the updated forbidden island look to it!