Mr. Townsend

I had the idea to add canvas covers to the ships boats. They need some ropes to tie them down and some seam lines sewn in to sell the scale but am curious for thoughts on the idea. I remember seeing similar things in an episode of Hornblower but you typically will not see covers on model ships.

You’re making quick progress! The new stern details are looking great so far. Setting a deadline is a good call.

I wouldn’t say they are particularly heavy but I have a flex tube running through the middle so there’s no rigid structure at the moment. I’ll add some metal rods inside the flex tubes which will strengthen them and remove the sag.

Definitely a lot of reddish brown. But the white and black tiles had also cracked over time. I’m not sure exactly why that happened but I tried to support the snot work better so hopefully that helps prevent it on the future. I also got all the square sails on the yards but haven’t progressed past that yet.

While getting ready to move onto standing rigging, I decided that I had to rip the stern off the ship before moving forward to redecorate what was a rather bare Captain's Cabin. I'm pretty excited how it turned out. I was also happy to replace bricks that had cracked over the 10 years this ship has been sitting. I've been pretty surprised how many bricks have cracked over time or as I was removing them to update things.

They sat in tea for about 30 minutes to reach this shade. Here you can see the before-and-after effects. Additionally, I've made some carronades for the quarterdeck. It's a slightly expanded design compared to what I had previously. It's wider and has plates on both sides, which I prefer to the previous iteration.

The full set of sails is ready! 23 sails to fully fill her plan.

Wow! I hadn't realized it was going to be a 100% rebuild without a teardown to start. It's cool seeing both models next to each other. I see a bunch of gearing in the bow. What functions will those serve?

Wow, what an incredible build, the sheer size of this is just immense and really shows how far you’ve pushed the scale here. It’s especially impressive seeing it fully rigged and on display like that. I’m curious, with how large and complex it’s become, do you still have access to any of the lower decks or interior sections, or has it reached the point where it’s mostly fixed and static now? I know with builds at this scale it can go either way depending on how modular everything ended up. Either way, absolutely phenomenal work, this is one of those projects that really raises the bar

I will dye them with teabags. I prefer to get the sails sewn first, then dye them, so I can make sure they all end up consistent. I'm interested to see how these sails turn out because the fabric is lighter than what I've used in the past, so I'm slightly concerned about how well it will hold its shape, but it's much easier to work with. I've completed all the template transfers but am struggling to find the correct thread to use. So far, I've had to restart twice because the first was too light in color and the second too thin. After ruining two others here’s the first sewn sail. It looks rough but will clean up over the next few steps. I’ve got to tell myself to “trust the process”.

The weight isn't much, but with the extensive rigging, the masts are incredibly sturdy. Each mast has a dowel running through its middle to increase rigidity. One of the things that makes the rigging so strong is that it is connected to the hull at the base of each mast, with backstays pushing tension to the stern and forestays pulling it forward. It was slightly loose until the bowsprit was anchored down into the keel (you can see it running in front of the figurehead), but now there is very little possible movement.

I'm going to update this post more often than I have in the past, even when the progress isn't massive. Last week, I completed the full set of sail templates and started transferring them onto cloth. Once the patterns are on the cloth, I will sew them in, dye the cloth in tea, then cut to shape and hem.

This is a pretty incredible build. Well done. Looking forward to the progress.

After 8 years, I've cleaned the dust off and started making progress again. Seeing the Fortuna brought me back to this project, which has been sitting on top of my bookshelf. I've got a few more parts to order and a few more sail templates to make but I'm excited to be moving forward.

This is great. It’s got a classic feel to it which I really like. One of my favorite parts is the blue sails. They match Lego stock sails so well in their shape and the material you used.

Its not the best picture but I wanted to show the progress that has been made on the Matterhorn lately. The project is finally back in progress after two moves of 1200 mile. From trip one she lost her bowsprit and trip two the stern had to be rebuilt. Now I've got a solid build space to bring this project to completion. I won't offer a timeline as I've never been anywhere near accurate with them. Normally when I sit down for a session I'll throw one or two strings up and then re-shelve her for a spell. Topmasts are now in place. Backstays and rigging the topgalants is mainly what's left on her standing rigging. Then will come sails and running rigging. I've gotten pretty good on the sewing machine so sails shouldn't take near as long as they did on pinnacle. Hopefully I'll make them right on the first go rather then the third. This photo never made it into the thread so I'm adding it now. The idea is that Matterhorn has been launched and is in process of being rigged. In the meantime her captain is throwing a party for local politicians and military officers to show off the new vessel. It took three iterations of the tent before I was contented.

The Classic colors give this a great mood. Brings me back to my childhood pirates. Great build!

Excellent build and a good story! I can see why the Sergeant is apprehensive with those skulls staring down at him.

Awesome micro build!

Ah yes, that other one...

A great build to show the end of such a lovely ship. I'm glad you took it in stride as I'm not sure I would take the loss so well. I would love to see the upgrade you made to her rigging. Brick on!

I apologize for leaving you alone in the seas Capt. Genaro, though how much company the Gee Golly Dandy would be I'm not quite sure. I had started an 8 gun lugger that I wanted to get into the January MCRA, but I packed up my LEGO a tad early for a move across country in expecting to make this month. Hopefully I'll have a shipyard going by mid March or April.

I simply love it Kurigan! When you built the last one with rubber bands I thought that was spectacular, but this tops the cake. The lack of studs is beautiful! Small ships are so much fun to build because it can be done so quickly. I've certainly found how stable Lego rigging can be when it's tied together with the chains under the channels. I think in the past that has been a big problem for builders as they've neglected them or brick built a representation of them. The chains are so important to the stability of the masts. When I had Matterhorn's lower masts rigged I lifted her by the fighting tops. It worked very well until I thought rocking her would be a good test. I ended up re-rigging a few chains after that. :D

Where is the main post for the MCRA showing the deadline for January? I assumed it wouldn't start until February since I never saw that thread bumped. Can that be pinned?

The game is now in early release and is quite awesome. Add me to your friends list if you get it. Winfrit Townsend - United States. I'd love to either sail with you or sink you.