Sebeus I

Not much to report for last weekend. I worked a little on the stern. On the previous model I used a pair of standard sharks to portray the demon fish sculptures that support the lower balcony, which I quite liked. However, since there are supposed to be 4 supports, rather than 2, I needed something else now, given the limited space. Quite challenging at this scale.

Progress is slow but steady. The bow section was going to take much time and study, I anticipated that. The Tripple Cannon mechanism is not finished yet but I had to make certain that the barrel positions were correct relative to the gun ports first. It's a tight fit though it's supposed to be. Must remember to swap the brown chains with dark grey ones still. It's all a bit messy still but it will get better once the mechanism is finished. I expanded the crew, along with the official minifigures the Dutchman will have 22 crew members. I hope that will be enough to populate the weather deck. Much to do still...

Not much to report as this point. Lot's of celebration to be attended . But my bricklink orders have been coming in and I finished the outer shell of the lower hull. There are well over 1500 pieces in there already and I still need to add some reinforcing inner structures. It is a slow and cumbersome work, building a custom hull of these proportions. But it has to be right from the start. Adjustments will not be possible later. I am satisfied with the result, an excellent hull will make a great ship! That rudder end of the keel is attached via 3 different anchorage points (the one on the old model fell off every time so this time I want to make sure it doesn't ) Furtermore... Two more crewmembers have presented themselves, they are very enthusiastic about joining the Flying Dutchman. I couldn't wait to get started on the doors to the cabin. I had this design in mind ever since I laid eyes on those fender pieces. The 2x2 half round tile allows for a compact design. I'll need 6 of these doors since I'll be paying a little more attention to the bulkheads as well this time. I've been studying all Flying Dutchman movie scenes the last couple of days, including the deleted scenes. As was to be expected, more inconsistencies surfaced. This means choices will have to be made. A rather special part in my bricklink order, were these chain links with bar, I do hope they prove to be useful for the triple cannon mechanism. Another interesting part are these arches. One of the area's I look forward to revising, are the side galleries. In a perfect world, I'd use old light and dark gray arches. However, we don't live in a perfect world, cost-wise these are simply not viable. So I'm giving it a go with sand green and dark green, hoping that they won't stand out of the ship too much. With most of the needed parts at my disposal, there's nothing stopping me to continue building this ship. I've decided to have the ship in two parts, much like the old one, for transport reasons, that will bring challenges for the rigging but I'm confident that I'll manage to figure out a good system. Still need to figure out were to place the battery boxes though . The intent is to either turn the window around or have the flex tubes in a position were they won't be seen, such as behind the upper balcony. I don't have the space for a double window though, due to a consistency error in the movies, the captain quarters' interior is longer on the inside than it is on the outside. So I'll need all the space I can get . I made a quick sketch to get my bearings on the interior,I took some liberties in deciding where some area's are, begin and/or end.

I've decided to build a Captain's Quarters vignette first. I figured it would be a shame to hide away all of this in the ship before taking good pictures of it. Since the accessibility of the interior will be limited on the finished ship (if even accessible at all), It makes sense to take out and highlight the most famous part of the interior this way. I designed a new organ, which I'm very happy with. This vignette may also serve as a benchmark on Rebrickable to see how realistic it is to expect to sell building instructions of the Flying Dutchman. I gave the anchors a makeover. They are more consistent in colour. The previous ones were hard to spot since they blended into the the rest of the ship very well. Not necessarily an improvement, more like a personal preference. Not a very urgent matter but I have been looking into the planking of the weather deck. I hadn't really paid much attention to it earlier but upon closer study of the movies I noticed the weather deck isn't as dark as I imagined. This picture gives a good impression of what it really is (but I've confirmed this colour with movie shots as well). Building a deck out of medium nougat tiles and plates is perfectly viable. All though I'm not sure I want to. In my mind the colour doesn't fit so well on the ship. Anyway, lots of time to reconsider, I haven't even started on the lower decks yet. That would be an easy way to enlarge the crew though I think the presence of "normal" people on board, would weaken its ghost ship appearance. I already ordered some transparent yellow and orange to replace the starry window panes . The vine pieces are not really the main limitation for the cannon flap mechanism, what makes the whole thing very complicated is that the sides are angled, already reducing usable cannon barrel length. I tried, instead of using a brick wall, using plates and brackets but I end up not winning any space at all . I have been a bit too ambitious with this Idea. Perhaps the scale is just too small to make this work. That, my friend, is thanks to the wonderful D-shape SNOT brick. A real game changer in the world of MOCing, if you ask me . These connect to the tiles while 1x1 clip plates connected to flex tubes behind the window, keep the thing together. this means there's the backside is the ugly side though. Well, counting from the waterline it's the exact same height as on the old model. However, since my new model includes a significant part under the waterline, which amounts to about 3 bricks, the total height from the bottom to where the hull ends and the superstructure begins, is exactly 10 bricks high (if that is what you meant).

I figured I can keep the old one intact for a bit longer, at least until I finish the lower hull. I'll have to dismantle it at some point though. Or at least strip some essential parts from it. The comparison is a little bit distorted since the old one was a waterline model while the new one has a significant part of the submerged hull built as well. Which makes it about 3 bricks higher. I considered to stick with a waterline model, they work great on layouts after all, engaging into battle with other ships... However, the new rounded underside does provide additional strength. Much needed strength if I ever were to, for instant, set it up in a mealstrom scene. Not saying I will but If I do get such crazy idea in my head, at least the ship will be able to handle it. I threw some money at this project. Partially spent on a missing crew member, Hadras (on the top right). Hadras is the only one that is still somewhat affordable, I'm glad I already have Davy Jones, Maccus and Bootstrap Bill. Below the official crew, there are some of my own and below that some other POTC figures. The Flying Dutchman will need a much bigger crew though, to man this 52-gun ship. I'm considering using these fish people as well. A bit early perhaps but I tried my hand at a new stern window for the Captain's Quarters. The sparkling transparent purple is only temporary, the intention is to replace those with transparent yellow, orange and maybe pink. Though I've got to say, I do like the starry appearance as it is now. I placed some large bricklink orders to get going, mostly dark tan parts but also some specialised Technic parts to enable the triple cannon mechanism. Which still isn't ready but I'm confident I'll get there. I did decide to have the triple cannon hatches mechanism independent of the firing mechanism, there simply is not enough space in the forecastle to make it work otherwise. I'll have to forego the broadside cannon mechanism, unless I leave out the front 2 cannons (on each side), I can't make it fit along with the triple cannon mechanism. I might explore the concept one final time when I get the triple guns working but I doubt I'll come up with something. The big one yes. But the small ones look rather derpy though I don't think they embody the haunting impression I want to display with this ship. Not all of them look angry for sure, some have a rather sad expression.

Thank you! I have been working on the Triple Cannon mouths first. A significant improvement over the previous model. Much more recognisable as a demon face. It's going to be a challenge to get the chains routed smoothly through the interior and and even bigger challenge to figure out how to operate the hatches. I've been making great progress on the triple gun mechanism already, retracting, turning 120 degrees and recoiling all operated with a single axle. Can't wait to show that off. I looked into a potential feature for the broadside cannon hatches. The design on the right makes a mechanism, to slide down the hatch within the hull, viable. I don't like the design much however. I'm considering to forego such mechanism and simply leave them open. Before these two designs I looked into alternatives for the vine pieces but they really do make the best option to somewhat create the demon faces on this scale. I think I'll fiddle a bit more with it before I finalise my decision, which I will have to do in order to continue building the lower hull. Another dilemma that has been plaguing me, is the transport solution. The old ship went in two parts, each in a box. Upper masts and sails removed. This proved to be a very efficient solution . However, for my new model, I'd like to add some more rigging, which will become rather complicated on a ship that goes in two parts. It has to go in two parts though since it wouldn't fit in my car otherwise .

My copy of 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship arrived this week and I immediately opened the box to build it. Here are some comparison pictures! 10365 is a splendid set. I feel a stronge urge to do many modifications already though. To that extend event that I'm contemplating about making a whole new ship, rather than modifying the existing one .

Thank you! Sooner than you think! I've just ordered myself one. I'll make sure to have them exchange broadsides .

Thank you. Thanks to @Legostone I managed to complete it when I did. Otherwise It might have taken another year before I started and perhaps the Goonies set might have discouraged me go take on this subject then. I like Mister Phes' suggestion of a Baracuda Bay concept, that could actually work well. If not that, I doubt we'll see anything close to a sea worthy ship.

Thank you! I'm brainstorming about some more potential MOCs in the Wednesday universe .

I'm loving those cars! Splendid work there. Even though they seem a bit large for the excellent minifigures.

I have very much enjoyed the Netflix series Wednesday so far. Naturally I was inspired to design some MOCs fitting of the theme. I started with the Addams Family limousine, which I tried to have as faithful as possible in minifigure scale. For that reason it was however not possible to have any interior in the car. I prioritised external aesthetics over functionality. Before I decided to build Wednesday's means of transport, I was already fiddling with some idea's for the limousine included in 10232 Palace Cinema. I never liked the car included in that set and set out to design something better. Perhaps I'll create an open-top variant of this one for that purpose . I've been wanting to build a cast/wrought iron gate for your typical haunted mansion. Wednesday gave me the perfect opportunity. The outer gate of Nevermore Academy, in Wednesday, is a very elaborate piece of art with many details that are very difficult to replicate in LEGO, at least in minifigure scale. So rather than pushing to get an accurate replica out, I decided to take my own approach and design something that breathes the same atmosphere even though not necessarily depicting the exact same thing. The black roses and swirly plant pieces (among some other parts) from the Wednesday sets came in handy. The gate doors open to allow the limousine to pass through. They may look fragile but they're actually reasonably sturdy, given their fine construction. I am not too fond of minidolls so I tried to compose a minifigure variant of Wednesday Addams. It's not great, perhaps I'll be able to find a better torso and head... I've digitalised my design so I could make building instructions for it, these can be found at Rebrickable. The digital model includes some small improvements for which I did not have the parts lying around. Let me know if you like it! The limousine's roof is a bit more smooth for example.

Love the use of those vintage doors, I have been using them on my ships as well, perfect size for a ship!

Thanks, I have visited the Batavia replica in Lelystad twice, it certainly inspired me . The Inferno is built on prefab hull pieces but I believe these are too small to accomodate a proper warship, such as the Zeven Provinciën. I'd recommend a custom, brickbuilt hull to allow the construction of a wider ship. Thank you!

Lovely traders brig, I appreciate the effort keeping the rigging 100% lego, it iz quite challenging. Interesting that you didn't go for prefab hulls, for a ship this particupar size, it would keep the part count low. But perhaps there are no hulls available for this edition of the Bricklink Designer program?

Haha, we began building her about a month earlier. Since then she occupied my mind a lot of the time so it is quite natural that I would draw her when the opportunity arose .

Thank you. You definitely should, I haven't seen many ships with this hull, if even any .

Thank you, It's not only to avoid the rigging itself but the stays need to be pretty well anchored in the walls, which in turn requires the walls to be very sturdy themselves. Having a large opening in there could jeopardize that structural integrity. It's not impossible though, I'm certain a solution may be found to reinforce the walls in some other way. Nevertheless, given the short timespan in which the largest part of the ship was built, we cut some corners there I guess . Oh, I certainly agree, if it can be done, legal connections, without compromise, I will .

Thank you, "Legal" is a matter of perspective (as a pirate would say ) When not considering the rigging (which I guess counts as not legal as a whole), I'd say the only debatable connections would be a couple on the upper side walls, where different angles connect. There's no excessive stress or anything like that though, they're more like incomplete connections where plates are not clutched into each other completely and are held in place by other features. Now that I think about it, those plates could have been replaced by tiles and it would be completely legal, though less sturdy.

Thanks 😊 I think I've built ships on most colour prefab hull now.

This is a collaboration between me and @Legostone . We present: The Inferno! Soon after 71391 Bowser Airship was released, I collected enough medium nougat coloured hull pieces to build a ship. Initially my intention was to build a replica of the famous Inferno, as seen in the move The Goonies. However, upon closer inspection of the reference material, we eventually decided to deviate and add some more interesting features. David came over to my place for a Ship Building Weekend, we had done one of those before, resulting in the creation of the Revenant. This is what we started from, on a Friday evening: (I typically collect potential useful parts in the hull of a WIP ship, that's just my process ) And this is what we had at the end of the weekend. Needless to say, we had been quite productive. One might even call this speed-building. From there on I continued on my own to finish this beauty. Though we continued to discuss solutions via whatsapp. I had never built a ship with a sprit topmast before, for a more classic galleon rig. It's more tricky than a modern bowsprit, meant for jibs, but I think it works. Some things we didn't like about the Goonies' Inferno are: the not so glorious stern (we wanted galleries!), the odd position of the main mast and the lack of fire power (Our ship now runs a compliment of 18 12-pounder guns on a dedicated gun deck and we left some room on the upper deck for additional 3 pounder guns, though I've only placed two near the capstan. The colour scheme is one I am very happy with, On top of the medium nougat hull sit the walls, which are made out of (old) dark grey. It more brownish tone, compared to the newer Bluish Grey, works great on a "wooden" ship. David and I had collected just enough rust-coloured gunport flaps, before Bricklink decided that Rust is not an official colour . To be fair it's not that different from regular red but still, regular red might have been too bright to play nice with the rest of this particular colour palette. Above the main gun deck, we have a splendid marriage of dark orange and dark red, continuing all the way up to the beakhead. On top of the stern medium nougat makes a return. I find that the reuse of the hull colour elsewhere on the ship often works well to bring some balance in the colour scheme. Pearl gold serves as decorations, ornamenting the prow and stern. I've taken some pictures before I added the sails, as it is often easier to see more of the ship itself that way. The deck is made entirely of dark tan. I personally find that reddish brown is easily overused so I've tried to limit it for little details on deck only. I had these printed tiles from the Snow White set, which goes well on the binnacle. Concerning the helm, a ship like this really isn't supposed to have a steering wheel. A whipstaff would have been more appropriate There is no interior, on a fully rigged ship it doesn't make much sense investing time in details into an interior that can never be accessed anyway. I'm very happy with these grates, I had these built already for another ship but it just felt right to use them on this one. (It's going to hurt collecting more reddish brown fences, they're quite expensive ) I think medium nougat would work well for the masts, instead of the current tan. Unfortunately I only considered that when the standing rigging had already been applied. Captain William B. Pordobel, can't forget about him. And that concludes our business, let me know if you like it. David and I are already discussing a new ship to build on another ship-building weekend .

That's some excellent part usage right there! I like the use of these classical/vintage parts, the cannon wells work quite well.

Thanks. After all it was designed to be a set, since that was the objective of the contest. Another castle-themed boat did make the cut though. Sea Serpent. LEGO© typically does their own thing with these designs so I'm curious to what that one will turn into.

Thanks, I've been designing many more of such small boats.

I can't say I'm very happy with how the balrog looks. But I've got to say, the booknook concept is pretty brilliant. The use of colour to show where the fire is bright is pretty cool too, I saw that before on a balrog MOC a couple of years ago though. I'll probably end up buying ot, perhaps I can use some of it to enhance my own balrog, which is a bit rough around the edges . https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/forums/topic/194398-moc-lotr-the-balrog-of-moria/