Frank Brick Wright

Current status: hull 80% built Piece count: around 900 Fresh updates! So the hull is in is way to being finished! After all, it did not arouse many structural problems, because my random placement of the hinges turned out to be (luckily) approximately accurate This is also my prototype for a lateral section of the gun's deck, and also for the masts… I love this colour scheme

I think the problem here is that the proportions he is using are not correct, thus giving the 'sausage' look. This is because he built a very high ship, comparing to both wideness and length. If you see the plans of this ship of the line and compare them with his first ship, and since he is building from the water-line, you will see that he needs extra length or less height. But ships of the line are indeed larger than longer, when comparing to normal ships, my apologies

Without a question this one and his blue coat equivalent:

The problem with building ships of the line is that they are extremely long. Your first version looks fantastic, but to me it is a galleon. Though being high, if you see the reference pictures you placed here, you will also see that the ship is much more longer than what you are designing them. Besides giving her extra length, which can create problems because of the number of parts you have available, you can do each gun's deck lower, like 4/5 studs. This will probably help you to get the look you want, but you will probably have to neglect the inside. Anyway, great WIP toping, I will certainly be following it

Thanks for your post! Your technique , which I am proudly using, is amazing. Your technique allows the most accurate hulls at the minifig illusion scale, and it quite possible to build a hull almost exactly equal to an historical one. To do this, I matched every section from the Unité's plans with every lateral section of my ship, that ones built by colourful plates. I'm not sure, but as I went through your xebec project, I think you made approximately every lateral section equal to the others; that is actually the only bad thing I can appoint on your first great usage of the technique. Anyway, now returning to my ship. In fact I placed the hinges in a somewhat convenient way, and I had no concerns for geometry. My lateral sections have 12 studs of length, and I already built 9 of them in one of the sides. As far as this goes, I only had a small fight with the bricks, and had to very slightly stress them, because the angle formed by every lateral section with the vertical bricks was almost, but only almost, the same. I hope I can finish the hull with this alignment. Another issue of your technique is the rudder. I went for a simplification. The way you built it is probably the best one, but I still find the gaps between the parts inelegant. I'm also using high quality pictures of a 15.000€ model-ship french frigate (link is here http://www.modelship...gun-frigate.htm there you can find the fantastic pictures). I measured the angle (blue). At red is the highest angle possible to achieve with slopes, and at green a vertical (90º) angle, which is the one I chose.

Stern details are amazing! It gets that wet, random look of the real Flying Dutchman, great job! Only 1 thing I don't really like: that toa (I guess) face at the top, looks a bit weird there

This fantastic! Besides the enormous size and great amount of details, the tumblehome is fantastic! I usually think that tilling decks gets a nice effect, but can be very parts-consuming and doesn't worth the money for buying the parts. However, I would suggest you tile your ports; it's actually the only thing I don't like in the ship, though its interesting to see an alternative to flags

This is fantastic! The mortar, specially, is amazing. I love the colourscheme and the tiled floor Great job on this ship!

Muahaha, I have a plan! I hope to start building the gun's deck in the next week. I've ordered hinge bricks for the tumblehome (they are just waiting for me to have time!) and I have also created a prototype of a gun section. It will be a typical frigate, with two black stripes with a yellow one in the middle.

True! I own the ship and I can confirm it. You can always use brickset if/when you have doubts

You really have a nice battle scene here! I like that big pirate flag! Hope to see more MOCs from you soon!

Current Status: Frame Built Piece count: around 400 So here it is. First of all, I apologize for the extremely bad quality of the photos, but my digital camera has been broken and I had to take pictures with iPhones, so the quality is far from good. Hopefully the camera will be repaired soon. This project came to replace my digital version of the Batavia for a big reason: I found that pre-fabs ships float. My intents of putting a pre-fabs ship near the bottom of a pool were destroyed, so I had to found a new hull building method. This was when I found cb4's technique I used the basic idea, changed most of the parts he used, matched the lateral sections to plans (of the Unité, aka Surprise), and at last I started building the frame. It is quite colourful because I don't have that many plates However, after 2 BL orders, totalling 2200 parts and 80€, which I received today, I hope to post an update in the weekend The Brickshelf folder, as soon as it gets public: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=493061

Your idea for the galleries is, indeed, genial! I think it really gets a nice effect… No wonder why you decided to build in the middle of the night Waiting to see the next update!

I really like the stone! Besides getting a very nice effect, I don't think it is worth spending a great amount of money for covering a similar area with bricks… After all, Lego is supposed to have fun, and I can't see why other materials can't be used to build an environment. For me, saying the stone is wrong would be equivalent to forbid fabric to be used in ships' sails Also, great buildings! Nice MOC!

I vote for brilliant I'm always amazed with the amount of detail you can put in your small ships and your micro-hull building techniques are also remarkable! Great job!

I hope I can help! I have read your link and what basically says is this: Upper Deck ____24 Guns 9pdr Quarter Deck ___8 _____ 4 " and 4 Carronades 12pdr Forecastle _____2 _____ 4 " __ 2 _________ 12 " Which is to say that in the Upper Deck there are 24 guns of 9pdr, 8 guns of 4pdr in the Quarter deck and 2 other guns of 4pdr in the Forecastle, totaling 34 guns. The same for carronades. Just as Foremast Jack said. In the link you send there are other references to carronades of different quantity and power. Like 32pdr and 18pdr, with the numbers you referred. But carronades are not like normal cannons, of 18 or 24 pounders. A carronade is a cannon built specifically for close combat and were mostly used in earlier times, as the development of naval artillery led to long range battles. Your problem is that HMS Surprise was first a french corvette called Unité, and was latter captured by the British who renamed her to Surprise. With the french the Surprise had cannons, and the British changed them to carronades. If I were you I would build cannons, but you will have to decide Hope this helped.

Looks better! This is going to be a colorful ship, I see! Just a tip: consider waiting some more time between updates, so that you can work a little bit more in your ship. Isn't a good idea to update the MOC every time you put a brick

Because white people aren't really white! If you are white and you compare your skin colour to a sheet of paper, you will see what I mean. Flesh colour is an accurate colour for skin, I do not have problems with the colour in itself, it simply isn't yellow. Getting back on topic: besides ships I would like to see some proper fortress, something in the spirit of the Eldorado Fortress, a strong base. I am a little bit disappointed, though, with the PoTC and Nijago sets, because none of them as a really proper build, I mean a building with structure, reasonably large or outstanding. Fortunately we have Castle and Harry Potter, but I feel as if Lego is doing each time sets composed of sparse parts, if I am making myself clear. I think I would like if they retake the spirit of the classical imperial soldiers' builds, but with a new outlook, more modern and finished. So this is what I would really like: a fortress (nothing like Soldier's Fort…) some small ships a large ship (the F.D., perhaps?)

I had never thought on that, you have a point up there It makes sense in licensed themes, but I hope they do not spread it to other themes in the future! For me, minifgs are yellow and will always be! If they change them all to flesh colour, then here at E.B. we will have to change all of our Emoticons colours!

I think it is possible to create a great ship with a limited amount of parts. My personal opinion concerning the PoTC sets is that they are quite unattractive. The only one that would tempt me would be the QAR, but even the BP is terrible. Moreover I can't understand their idea of changing face's colours from yellow to flesh I am also a great fan of the Imperial Flagship, and I think the FD should have around that size, 1500+ parts approx, perhaps even around 2000. I believe a Flying Dutchman as a large exclusive set would be quite a success, even for non lego-fanatics/obsessed/big lovers as we are

Wow! Even if it is a reproduction of Belatrix Model!, it is AMAZING! Can you tell us about the number of parts you used?

Yup, I think it would be nice to do that, but the galleries are always a problem I'm looking forward to see the (brilliant) solution you will create

I've studied the Batavia for a while and I've made some sketches from internet pictures, so I think I may help you You have mainly two options, I think: 1) the use ofwhich is my favourite because it easily allows you to create the "arched" part and you can easily use a snot technique to build the lower part in the same way, with the exact same piece. If you don't want to do window you can even use which would be even simpler. But I prefer the first option, because you can work on details and still have a nice accurate look 2) the use of slopes with different angles, like 45 and 33, to create the "curve", tough I think it would be hard to be accurate. [3) the use of plates, but it would be extremely hard, take a LOT of time, require a lot of parts, eventually tile it up and overall I still think the first option is the best] Hope it helped!

Well, you definitely got the classical feeling, I think. Only some more yellow bricks and you would have it all Nice little build!

Ouch! This is fantastic! Your overall curve (both in the sides and at the bow) is amazing, and I think you have here the potential of having one of the best pirate ships ever made of Lego (no exaggeration )!