TheCosmicTravelers

I agree with adding ladders (even though I understand they were not in the 6242 Soldier's Fort set), as the original 6263 Imperial Outpost is actually has two ladders so none is a downgrade (in fact ALL of the original redcoat buildings have ladders (except the small 1795) while none of the original bluecoat buildings did, so 6276 is not really an apt comparison).

I think the problem with so much grey (the original set did not have this color extending as far into the stern and sterncastle along the sides and rear of the hull) is that it makes the ship look rather drearily monochromatic. When I first saw the earlier renders, I initially thought I was looking at a grayscale image with dark red and tan colors added for highlighting! The green canon covers and golden scroll work in your color variant version definitely helped to dispel this impression.

This is actually one of the more 'realistic' pirate ships (excluding the large skull and crossbones printed on the mainsail), closer to what most pirates of the Caribbean actually used (ironically, 6271 is probably LEGO's best 'pirate' design in my opinion). This set is one of LEGO's few sloop designs that was favored for vessels prowling coastal waters, where a fore-and-aft rig would be swifter and more maneuverable than a square rig in the variable winds near the coast (as well as requiring a smaller crew to handle). Despite not looking as impressive as larger ships, the smaller size and shallow draft of sloops allowed them to access/hide in areas inaccessible to larger ships, a useful trait for pirates. I really like the pair of swivel guns mounted near the bow. This set is often criticized for not having a ship's wheel but I think vessels of this size were usually steered with a tiller (though there is no obvious tiller here either; 6250 oddly has both a wheel and a tiller but is probably worse than 6268 in every other way). An anchor is also missing but I imagine this boat is small enough to simply beach itself or be tied to a post.

I love it, especially the interior! I also like the tiller on the catboat. I disagree with the use of brown to replace black. Brown may work for natural/unaged wood, but exposed wood often does not stay brown unless treated or lacquered. For something like a dock and masts, I imagine the wood would have been regularly tarred or painted for protection so black may actually be more 'realistic'.

Wonderful two-decker third rate (I know the gun number isn't quite accurate but it certainly captures the essence)! I love that you have added staysails! One suggested change would be to double (or even triple) the ship's wheel as was common for larger ships. I have previously also thought about including boarding pikes but my understanding is that they were usually stored vertically against the masts and so may prove a bit tricky to incorporate satisfactorily in an aesthetically pleasing (and minifig safe!) manner.

Wonderful design! I agree with other comments that the bow could use some tapering and calling for modification of the stern wall - it probably doesn't need to be so massive and could use something to break up the blue monotony (perhaps lowering it and/or adding some openings so that sailors on the deck can see behind). I feel like the stern cabin feels a bit boxy; the sides at its front should rise up to the poop deck more gradually. I would also add a spanker sail like on 21322 and stairs/ladders to access the poop deck (if they aren't already present).

Wonderful redesign! I agree with calls to recolor the dark grey hull portions (mostly to white) as I never liked that color on the original hull pieces. Perhaps you could add carronades (or some other type of small brick-built cannon like on 6286) on the stern deck - there already are openings for them! @Mazin I think it is the clipper that needs a new purpose - this boat is already a good sleek sloop/cutter type useful for patrol, customs, transporting dispatches, catching pirates, etc. (single-masted vessels like this were used throughout the 18th century for various law enforcement purposes as well as smuggling/countering smuggling). The larger clipper on the other hand, being fatter for its length (and thus slower than the flagship; also quite opposite that of the long and narrow lines of a true clipper) and having 2 masts (though its rear mast needs sails badly as it otherwise only slows the ship further by increasing weight and drag), seems more suited for some of these alternate roles you have in mind.

I love that you have the stern cabin at the same level as the gun deck (instead of just plopping an unaerodynamic box on top of the stern that one sees too often in both official ships and MOCS). I understand that you are wanting a more muted color scheme but would light gray really be a “realistic” color for a period-appropriate sailing ship? Light grey does not appear to be common paint color during the period; perhaps you are intending a weathered, exposed wood look (in which case your ship will not last long without repairs)? From my understanding, ship wood was usually lacquered, tarred, or painted (common primary colors were yellow, ochre (tan?), white, and black) for durability.

I love the design but I am not a fan of having the upper hull predominately light grey. This color (though accurate to the original set's color scheme (the original had much less grey which was broken up by the green cannon covers)) makes the ship's images look black and white with some dark red colored in afterwards. Replacing the grey with white (and changing some of the white flourishes to some other color (gold?)) would look a lot better.

Great model! Perhaps some of the upper deck rails/woodwork could be made black (or more white)? I am also wondering if replacing the white with yellow would look better. Regarding the use of “pirate” minifigs as sailors, this is perfectly fine as most pirates wore the same clothing as other common mariners and sailors when at sea (with the possible exception of the captain). A ship during the age of sail would not have been solely crewed by uniformed officers. I second the suggestion to replace the shakos with tricorns as shakos did not become common headgear until the 19th century.

I would keep the upper railings yellow but try introducing some blue lower down (perhaps as stripes?). I understand your liking of the forward sails arrangement but I do think that the rear mast needs some sort of sail as otherwise it is just dead weight that slows the ship down due to increased drag and weight. Since LEGO doesn't officially make a blue and white striped fore-and-aft sail like the spanker sail of 21322, I found the next best arrangement is to get another jib sail (like the one at the front) and make a lateen rig as on the mizzen mast of 6280 (note that this sail is incorrectly oriented backwards on 6280's front box art but is correct in catalog images).

While I agree with most of your criticisms about the set (especially the quality control issues), I do feel you are being a bit harsh with some of your language and are mentally dwelling too much on the flaws. The original 1989 Imperial Soldier sets were not without major flaws either: I never liked how exposed the lower cannon was on 6276, how the crane was essentially fixed in position, and how low the walls in the governor's office were. And don't even get me started on 6274 (pointless rear mast without sails that would just increase weight and drag, cannon flaps opening downward that would get caught in the waves, really incorrect shroud rigging arrangement (these were always placed starboard/port and need a corresponding one on the other side for counter-tension), incomplete rear cabin, etc.)). Granted these were older sets while this new one is suppose to be something of a love letter for fans (but not solely for fans) so I can understand your disappointment but brooding on the flaws sometimes prevents you from a more balanced assessment that also considers all that is actually great about this set.

I just posted about this in the 10320 thread but I guess it is relevant here also: After standardization, commissioned officers in the Royal Navy wore blue tunics and coats and white pants (sailors were much less standardized but it seems non-commissioned officers generally wore blue tunics and blue pants at least during later times). The Royal Marines, however, wore scarlet tunics like the British Army and the various British Colonial Auxiliary Forcers. As Royal Marines were stationed aboard ships and at naval bases, it was thus fairly common for redcoat and bluecoat forces to serve together (you can even see this with the bluecoat captain/governor minifig found in the 2009 Imperial sets 6242 and 10210). Granted, you probably wouldn’t have much bluecoat infantry in the British forces, and the presence of the fleur-de-lis on the bluecoat sets’ flag does suggest France more. As the shako headgear was not common until the 19th century (at least ¾ of a century after the end of the Golden Age of Piracy), I replace them with tricornes on my sea-going bluecoats (I use the soldier torsos for midshipmen/petty officers and the various officer torsos for commissioned officers) and redcoats (who I use as Royal Marines).

Concerning bluecoats and redcoats: After standardization, commissioned officers in the Royal Navy wore blue tunics and coats and white pants (sailors were much less standardized but it seems non-commissioned officers generally wore blue tunics and blue pants at least during later times). The Royal Marines, however, wore scarlet tunics like the British Army and the various British Colonial Auxiliary Forcers. As Royal Marines were stationed aboard ships and at naval bases, it was thus fairly common for redcoat and bluecoat forces to serve together (you can even see this with the bluecoat captain/governor minifig found in the 2009 Imperial sets 6242 and 10210). Granted, you probably wouldn’t have much bluecoat infantry in the British forces, and the presence of the fleur-de-lis on the bluecoat sets’ flag does suggest France more. As the shako headgear was not common until the 19th century (at least ¾ of a century after the end of the Golden Age of Piracy), I replace them with tricornes on my sea-going bluecoats (I use the soldier torsos for midshipmen/petty officers and the various officer torsos for commissioned officers) and redcoats (who I use as Royal Marines). Concerning the realism of brown versus black for wood: I think that black gives a good representation of treatment with tar for preservation, which would have been regularly performed on a naval base (unlike a shipwreck island), so I don’t think arguments that brown is more realistic really holds true in this case. Wood was often treated/painted for protection (though a clear lacquer was sometimes used). In addition, different woods may have different colors depending on tree species, treatment, and degree of weathering. In my experience, untreated wood exposed to the elements tends to turn a light greyish color over time.