Captain Genaro

A very good, clean build that has excellent photography. Good posing of the minifigs, and an original story. I approve .

Nicely done. Good use of the various colors to create the ground, and the sugar canes are nice as well. The random round plates are a good addition, as they help add some variety to the ground. I'm not too familiar with sugar canes, but in pictures it appears that the bottom is more brown while the top remains green. Perhaps using a 1x1 brown or tan cylinder could help represent this?

Well done. The roof is nice and I like the shingle wall. The grey certainly adds a weathered look to it. Although I've only visited Louisiana a few times, this certainly looks like something I'd expect to find down there.

It's always nice to see a wide array of Lego themes applied to the golden age of sail (even if you are a blasted pirate). Welcome aboard.

Here I felt bad for having one of my builds sit in a box for 2+ years without working on her. Not sure what parts are new and what is from 15 years ago, so I'll just offer some general feedback. I feel that her cannons should be spaced out a bit more, preferably with 4 studs between the guns. Additionally, the stern could be a little more ornate, and the quarterdeck and great cabin could be lower. I know the high quarterdeck tends to be a problem when using prefab hulls.

Not sure it's a good idea to have an open flame on a primarily wooden structure ! The build is quite nice. You did a good job making it appear to be a ruined structure that has simply been added onto. Making it all the better are all the details, it adds a lot to the aesthetics of this build. I approve .

Clever the way you've combined both of your builds, but focusing on the shanty, I like it. A nice structure that has all the air of a fun little Caribbean pirate hideout. The rooftop deck is a great addition and something that I would expect most seafaring captains would appreciate. I approve .

That is some high praise; thank you very much, sir. Yes, she is a 2A. The sails are fairly easy to make. I'd imagine that you'll go through most of the steps in the normal course of making a sail, and the extra steps are very easy. 1) Measure the dimensions for the sails and use paper (old newspaper in my case) to get a pattern for the sail. 2) Trace the pattern onto the cloth you are using for the sail. 3) Use a pencil to draw the various lines on the sail. 4) To prevent fraying, I used a water and glue mixture and pasted it along the edge of each sail. After the dried, I cut the sails. 5) Attach string to the sails if appropriate, and sew the sails onto the spars. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know. And here is a shot showing the cannons. Swivel gun to the left, cannons on the right. Anatomy of a Cannon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr I do appreciate you taking some time out of your weekend to comment. The brig-sloop is still in (mostly) one piece, just sitting in a box. Frankly, I went through a bit of a dark-age in terms of pirates, but BOBS brought me out of it. I'll certainly get working on the brig again, though it may be a while before I have anything worth posting. The hull is made exclusively of hinge plates. This LDD picture shows a rough outline of what she looks like, though for the life of me, I cannot seem to get all the hinges to connect. Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr Your feedback on the rigging is very helpful. I'll experiment a bit with functioning halyards (you make it sound fairly easy) and try to incorporate them in my next project. The design for the snow mast is great and eliminates the odd bend in the spar. Thank you for sharing that.

Congratulations and a double ration of rum to all the winners! There were some truly amazing and in some cases amusing entries.

I appreciate all the approvals, but I don't think they do anything for the second free build, do they? Leon comes from a wealthy family; I'm sure he'll be just fine. Silence fore and aft! Mr. Clonfert, take that man's name and stop his grog for a week! In all seriousness, this is heavily inspired by O'Brian and his telling of Aubrey's adventures in wonderful world of mining. Thank you. The trees were fun to build and I, too, think they came out nicely. Correct. This is the first build, (which reminds me, I need to fill out the license form). Not sure how practical the measuring devise is, as it looks like something a conman produced to impress ill-educated sailors. I wouldn't say inside joke, but if you're familiar with Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, this is fairly similar to a predicament one of the protagonists found himself in. Thank you.

Thank you. The sails and rigging were rather time consuming, but the hardest single part had to be the blocks (fortunately I only used 8). As for the term sloop, Kolonialbeamter's explanation is correct. Her rating is that of a sloop-of-war while her sail plan is that of a cutter. I'll specify that in the introduction. Very kind, thank you. The color scheme was chosen as those were the bricks at my disposal, and I think it turned out really nicely. Of course, I'm also partial to the Nelson Chequer, so I'm not sure which colors I'll stick with. Glad you like the rigging. It really adds a lot to a ship, and it's rewarding to see it all come together. Thank you. Hopefully this makes up for my poor showing (total absence) in the last challenge. The sails are hand sewn to the yards, and the string is connected to the sail with glue. While I would have preferred an all-blue crew (none of those despicable red shirts and bandannas), these lads are among the best hands on the seas. Thank you, sir. Glad the rigging is appreciated. Basically, I thought the rat lines would require too much time, and I want her to be ready for this month's MCRA. Plus, I'm not sure I'll keep the Poseidon in one piece, so I don't want to invest too much in the rigging.

The first picture alone gives the appearance of a fast vessel cutting across the sea. I like it. The build is great as well. Nice job on the masts and sails. Your crew also looks like a fearsome bunch to meet in combat. I approve

Well done. We haven't seen too many small boats like this, which is a shame given their importance, and you've done a really nice job. Best of luck to that determined crew.

[OL- FB2] Good Timing l Captain Genaro l Oleon

[OL- CH2A] Pride of Poseidon l Captain Genaro l Oleon

After a timely message saved him from falling prey to a land shark, Captain Anthony Genaro found himself in the best circumstance he could ever have hoped for. A brief stop at the Port Admiral's office resulted in Genaro receiving a letter that stated, among other things, that he was "to be appointed as Captain of His Most Righteous Majesty's Ship, the Pride of Poseidon" and to make all haste in preparing her for sea. Seeing as several other ships had recently been paid off, Genaro fairly had his pick of seamen, and before long, he had filled all the watches with barley a landsman between them. Though one of the smaller ships in the Oleander fleet, she is well armed. Six eight-pounders along her sides, along with two swivel guns in the bows, marines, and a well-trained crew make the Pride of Poseidon a match for almost any foe foolish enough to challenge Oleon Overview Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr Fully manned Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr A last shot showing how I used hinge bricks to get the hull's slope. Pride of Poseidon by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My main goal was to create as historically accurate a sloop as possible, and I'm fairly pleased with the results. It was definitely a learning process for me, and I'm sure that my next vessel will come out even better. And advice as to how I can improve the rigging (except ratlines, which I intentionally left out) is appreciated. Comments and criticism are welcome.

Sharks can be just as dangerous by land as by sea, and, despite his luck at sea, Captain Anthony Genaro found himself in the company of one of the most vicious of all the land sharks. Promises of precious metals by the ton, possibly even gold, just sitting under their feet waiting to be unearthed had already convinced Genaro's friend, Captain Amadeus Leon, to invest a colossal sum into the project, and Genaro was seemingly about to fall prey as well. He may be able to smoke false colors almost instantly and without doubt he could tell when a ship was spilling its wind, but seemingly any landsman who used terms such as "annual yield" and "rate of return" could make a fool out of Genaro. And despite his prize agent's best fiscal advice, Genaro was willing to cancel his previous investment in a merchantman and put it all into the mining venture. Beginnings by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr Just as the land shark was about to hand Genaro a pen and some papers to sign (nothing major, just power of attorney, access to financial resources, etc.), a commotion got Geanro's attention. A wagon hauling barrels to the site blocked a messenger's horse, forcing the boy to dismount and walk the rest of the way. "Captain Anthony Genaro, sir," said the boy, wearing the uniform of the local guard. He held out a letter to Captain Genaro, simply stating that it was of the utmost importance that he read it directly. Very well, said Genaro and a brief glance showed that it was from the Port-Admiral. Terribly sorry for the delay, it said. Some clerk had bungled the whole affair as the Little Hermes was merely a temporary post until her true captain could report aboard. Genaro was to have a new sloop, the Pride of Poseidon directly and he must return with the messenger at once. "I have another horse waiting, sir, and may I be the first to congratulate you" said the messenger as soon as Genaro had finished reading. Beginnings by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr "Why, give you joy, old friend," cried Amadeus upon hearing the news. "Of course you must be off, no question about it. Besides the metal isn't going anywhere and you mustn't keep the admiral waiting." Through a forced smile, the land shark completely agreed with Amadeus and declared that Genaro must be off "but might he consider simply putting his name to these documents first, wouldn't take more than a moment." "Oh, no, no," cried Genaro "it would never do, and it would be most ungrateful of me to delay the admiral by a second. No, there is no great harm if the mine is delayed a few days." And Genaro followed the messenger back to the horses, smiling for Fortuna truly had blessed him today. Beginnings by Capt. Genaro, on Flickr __________________________________________________________________ As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

Just when I thought you couldn't outdo yourself, you come along and prove me wrong. Great attention to detail, everything I would expect is there (except the ship's bell, did I miss the bell?), and the shape is perfect. Am I correct to assume you use the hinge brick in designing the inward slope of the hull?

Beautiful; everywhere I look pure beauty. The field is really nice, particularly the use of brown and tan to separate the rows from the rest of the ground. Of course, the tree looks great as well, and the use of the lattice-piece for the beekeeper's hive is genius! I approve .

Really clever use of the hulls for the roof. I love it! The interior is really nice, too. Varying stonework for the floors and plenty of liquor and a chandler for swinging on make this a nice build. I approve .

Great build. It's really neat to see all the parts throughout the yard, and I like the amount of detail that you've put into the scaffolding and cranes. Would you happen to have more pictures of this build?

Really nice build. The exterior, especially the wood-beam section, looks wonderful, and the interior is really well done. For a seedier part of town, I think this structure is a little too nice. The exterior is clearly worn, but it still looks clean and well kept. Some garbage and holes/cracks in the plaster and stonework would certainly help.

You're really turning out some nice vessels. Once again, I can't find anything wrong with it, and the techniques are innovative and as usual .

Absolutely amazing, I love it . You've done a suburb job with the lines and the shape of the decks is perfect. The color scheme, while not my favorite, looks very good, and I'm always amazed by what some people can do with digital models (I have a hard enough time just getting two hinges to align!). You'll get some strange breezes on the Brick Seas .

Neat and well-executed idea. I like the rock formation and the minifigs' posing is excellent. I would recommend build up the wreckage a bit, as right now it appears to be that of a ship's boat as opposed to a proper sailing vessel.