Dread Pirate Wesley

It has been almost a year since I have posted any updates. I want to thank everyone who is still following this project and supporting it. Over the past several months I have been making some decisions about the crew for this ship. Ultimately, since realism was the goal, I decided to go with an all fleshy crew. This is a departure from all my other Lego creations, and proved to be very challenging in its own right. Alas, I believe I am now satisfied with the make up of her crew so here they are: I found this book particularly useful in researching the makeup of a crew of a ship of the line. The author does an excellent job of not only providing accurate numbers of men, but also where they might have come from, whether they were pressed or volunteered, age, and many other insightful tidbits. After a lot of research I settled on a crew of 50 men, 1/10th the actual amount of crew for a ship this size. Here is how each group breaks down for those who are interested: These are the seamen. The majority of them are volunteers, although as many as 20% would have been pressed in to service. These "land lubbers" would have a rough time of it at first, though most would eventually adapt to naval life. Most except "Lucky Jack" front and center, he has had a hard time adapting to life at sea. These are the Marines. A ship this size would carry quite a large contingent of Marines and officers to command them. Here we see a captain and his Sergeant on the front left, accompanied by the all important drummer who seems to enjoy his job. These sea dogs are the Petty Officers and ships boys. This would include the ships clerk, quartermaster, gunners mate, etc. A lot of these men would be promoted from ordinary sea men to their new position. On this ship, when they get promoted they would be issued a red cap and blue sash to denote their rank. The ships boys would usually range from age 7-12 and be responsible for running powder to the great guns in action. This sharp looking group are the ships Officers. This would include the Lieutenants, Midshipmen, as well as the Warrant Officers like the Master and Boatswain. The 3 Second Lieutenants in the front are at different levels of dress. And finally we have the Rear Admiral of the fleet (Admiral Gibbs?), accompanied by the ships Captain and a Major General. I believe it would be rare to have a Flag Officer and a General on the same ship, but considering whilst on station Admiral's used their rooms on board a ship as a place of meeting and strategizing, it would not be unheard of. So there you have the ships crew ready to board their trusted ship. Soon, I will post a final presentation of the ship in all her glory ready to take to the high seas and voyage to her new station with this band of men with hearts of oak. Thanks for looking, C&C are much appreciated as always! Dread Pirate Wesley

I'm not sure if this belongs in here, but I started a little side project whilst collecting crew for my ship of the line. Here is the first of a series of scenes from Master and Commander: It's a challenge to recreate anything in Lego, even more so combining it with photography! More scenes to follow. Hope you enjoy! Dread Pirate Wesley

BAM! That came out of nowhere. Really great ship though. I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into her, not just building wise by stylistically too. Great job, welcome to EB! Dread Pirate Wesley

Very cool "mini" ship. I really like the original idea and the removable hull. Not sure if I like the modernization of the ship though, guess I'm more of a traditional sailor . Good find though! Dread Pirate Wesley

That's me by the way! I was going to post it once my ship-of-the-line was complete but you beat me to the punch. A little more background on this, the couch was an inspiration from the remake of the Charles Morgan in Mystic Seaport. Once I saw it I knew I had to incorporate it into one of my ships. The roll top desk is from the HMS Warrior in one of the officer's rooms, I don't remember specifically which one. The rest are just bits and bobs from various other real life ships. Most 18th century ships would have used hammocks or swinging bed boxes instead of cots but I have seen a few examples of small cots, mainly for landlubbers hitching a ride. Thanks for the blog! Dread Pirate Wesley

Great work Sebeus! There is definite character in this ship. I kind of like the rounded stern windows, it works well with the ship so hopefully you keep them. Also like the spanker boom idea, though I think black ropes would be better suited. Lovely build Dread Pirate Wesley

Thanks for the compliments! I forgot to mention in my previous post that I didn't have time to complete the shrouds before the show this weekend. That will be one of the last details to be added. Well I can't answer that question just yet But I can tell you that for the display this weekend she was sporting a redcoat flag and crew, mainly because I borrowed all the crew and flags from Praetorian and Pickle. I do have a lot of redcoats on those ships! Here is how she looked on display at our local LUG event with yours truly: You are correct about the color. The yellow black scheme on the lower portion of the mast and all brown above makes it look very out of proportion. I didn't bother counting the height in bricks but the lower section of the mainmast is 10 inches, the upper part from the top of the lower mast to the bottom of the cross trees is a little less than 8. Then from cross trees to tressle trees is 5 inches. I'm not sure how exact this is but proportionally I think it's close. Thanks Captain! Looking forward to seeing yours restored and completed as well I can't see the photos you posted for some reason, but looking at your brickshelf page I think the first one is referring to the telescope pin rails. There will be plenty more ropes on the pin rails once the sails are in place. The second photo I think shows pin rails at the base of the masts. Each mast right now has 6 lines tied to the bitts at the base of the masts. This will probably be the extent of the lines here. Thanks Admiral! I think I have a solution to the deadeye problem, but Im still experimenting with it. If only they made lots more of these in black! They are pretty tough to get a hold of right now. Thanks Sebeus! I did get a lot of pictures from the weekend. It got a lot of attention from the youngsters that's for sure. I think this is one of my favorite pics from the day: It was displayed as a cutaway as well giving a view between decks. It was amazing how many people thought it was a set! If only it were that easy Don't worry you'll like the stern once it is finished This thread will probably be the most complete set of instructions I can provide, but if there is any part that requires more of a tutorial I can certainly provide more details. I agree with you on the first part, she may be reverting to her original height above the water line now that the rest of the hull is completed. I also want to incorporate the original sweep of the stern that she had if I can. I don't fully agree with the second point, although this could be a matter of perspective. based on my original plans the tallest part of the stern is 25% taller than the tallest point of the fore castle. the tallest point on the foc'sle on my ship is 14 bricks, where the tallest point of the poop is 19 bricks (almost exactly 25% taller). Based on ratios it is nearly correct. However, since the ship is shorter and taller overall, it does look slightly exagerated. I've had to make these compromises throughout the ship since she is minifig illusion scale, using ratios however has helped to keep proportions as accurate as possible. Here's my original plan for the ratio, showing the waterline and stern on the left, bow on the right: Another thing which adds to the height on the ship is the hammock netting (fences), which adds an additional 2 bricks to the stern. This is transparent or non-existent on the model you showed so it's hard to tell. Also the perspective that the photo you posted is taken makes the model look very flat. It should not be. Looking at the gunports on the model they also seem to curve downward while the gunline does not, it almost looks fisheyed or broken at the keel. Hopefully this is not the case and it's just the photo. For me this is a better example of how Agamemnon would have looked: Even in this rendering there are no hammock nets, so add a little bit more height for those, but you can see the height difference between bow and stern. Perhaps I need to make actual nets instead of using fences for the hammock netting, that might decrease the illusion of how high the stern is. Now that the display is over with it's back to work on finishing her up. Thanks again to Dafi and Legonardo and everyone else for the comments and suggestions! DPW

At first the deck was all tan, and it seemed too bright. Grey or light bley would be interesting, for me dark tan was the best with such a large area. Plus it's unique since it's very hard to make an entire ship with dark tan decks, especially 3 decks! Interesting question. Pickle has the quality to match any ship in my opinion. She's small but still minifig illusion scale, with some really interesting details and custom work. I think they complement each other very well, what do you think: Praetorian is a different story. She was the first ship I built, and although very strong not really a match for the level of detail of the above ships. Currently she is in dry dock though, getting refitted with new spars and rigging. I'll post an update on her sooner or later. Thanks a lot for that website Skipper! There is a lot of invaluable detail in there once you filter through it. The past several weeks I've spent studying rigging to try and make sense of it. This book was also a great resource. I think I worked out most of the kinks and have finally put all the lines in place. The end product looks like this: Obviously no sails yet, those will come later. There's a few more lines that will show up once sails start to appear as well, but other than that the rigging is where I want it to be. Here's a view of all the control lines leading down to the deck: Also finished the design for the stern lanterns. I'm sticking with two for right now. In my research I've found many models that have three lanterns, some with two, and a few with none. I don't really know what the "standard" would be, or why there would be variation but I like two lanterns. It reminds me of this painting of Bellona: Here is my version of the lanterns: I also enlarged the captain's skylight. This was the last part that bothered me with the deck. It is removable to access the cabin if necessary: This will probably the last update I provide to this thread as the ship is so near completion. I will now focus on all the small details and adding crew and sails. Once she is "finished" I will start a new thread with her back story and new photos. As always though let me know what you think! Here is one last photo as she prepares for her first public display this weekend: Thanks for looking and commenting everyone! Dread Pirate Wesley

Nice looking ship Sebeus! I really like the color scheme. Nice use of the vitruvian man on the stern too, Im sure Legonardo would approve! Dread Pirate Wesley

Nice review she did there Sebeus! I had never heard of Brick Queen before but she has some good stuff on youtube. Any publicity seems to help with CUUSOO projects so I hope this helps you get up there. Good luck! Dread Pirate Wesley

It does look worse with the gunport closed from that angle. I dont have a good solution to this other than to fill it with a cannon I think it will take up the entire book case! Those look a little old fashioned with the fluted barrel, but I like the design. I might have to use that if I ever make a galleon or 16th century ship of some kind. Well... total bricklink orders are approximately 6500 bricks. Not all of those made it in to the ship, and I used plenty that I already had from other projects, so it's difficult to say. Probably in the vicinity of 6000. As for the cannons the main thing I was going for was scale, which is correct. They do not elevate which is unfortunate but wasn't a deal breaker for me. They also had to be only 2 studs wide, which was a challenge. I have yet to see this done in a 2 wide cannon. I think new member Wellesley has an innovative design that could be adapted to be 2 wide, but it also doesnt elevate (that I'm aware of). I'm sure it can be done though, so perhaps someone can figure it out. Ask and ye shall receive! The foremast now carries all her spars with control lines. Turned in to quite a maze of ropes! Here is an update on the rigging: This has been one of the most challenging parts of this build. Mostly because I've been trying to disect rigging from other models from photos. I don't have the best source material when it comes to rigging so Ive had to improvise a lot. Any recommendations on books or websites that have good tutorials would help! I also came up with a method for doing the stunsail booms. They turned out a bit thick, but I wanted them to be functional, which required them to move and also (eventually) carry a sail. Here's how they turned out: The bow and quarterdeck also recieved some tweaks, starting with the beakhead. It didn't match my plans very well and needed to be extended both horizontally and vertically. The head rails also had to be lengthened to make this work. Here's what it looks like now: Much larger than the original version. Just for fun here's a comparison with the original concept: As you can see it is getting more and more detailed. I even revisited the doors just for Horatio Last thing to be rigged will be the bowsprit, which is also proving challenging. Hopefully that will come together soon. Thanks for over 30,000 views so far! I appreciate all the support. DPW

Thanks! I wouldn't go back to the drawing board but I'm glad if it inspires you. Thanks Sebeus! Don't think that it will make it near you but it will probably make it to Brickworld one of these days. Looking forward to your SOTL someday! Hope it's as good as your Dutchman Not quite sure what you mean by thinner. A ship-of-the-line has a very bluff bow. If you mean the beakhead then yes I agree with you, it is a bit thick. More pictures? Really? The previous 90 weren't enough? Ok how about one more awesome one... BAM: I finally finished all of the ships cannons. This is the picture I've been itching to take for about a month now. Since the cannons are done I thought Id line up all the ships firepower for one last picture before they take their places on the gundecks. There are 60 cannons lined up here, plus 4 carronades on the forecastle. Overall a whole lot of firepower One last shot of all the cannons: The quarterdeck 9 pounders are on the front right, main gun deck 24 pounders next, and the upper gun deck 18 pounders in the back. Each cannon is at least 16 pieces so nearly 1000 pieces just in the cannons! The pieces of rope are not glued, they are wrapped around the cascabel (back of the cannon) and then jammed into the front under the barrel. I like the look and doesn't require it to be tied to blocks in the ship. Thanks for the comments. More updates soon I promise! Dread Pirate Wesley

Looks good Walter Only suggestion I would make is to add a cone or something to the end of the main yard, just so it doesn't look hollow. Other than that it's about as good as it can get with one of these boats! Dread Pirate Wesley

Thanks Captain Merlot. Yes she will be fully rigged with working rigging and sails... eventually. One thing at a time though I thought about a solution for this for a long time while building the quarterdeck, I simply couldnt make it work without making it really thick. I want it to be smooth so I cant have tiles on only one side, if you know what I mean. I even thought about coating the inside with Lego stickers, but couldn't find any suitable enough. It wont be plain though, today I added pin rails to the walls of the quarterdeck to make it more interesting. Here's how it looks with the quarterdeck 9 pounders in place: Thanks for the blog Admiral! Much appreciated as always The chains are still kind of an experiment. I've tried lots of things so far, from skeleton arms to lightsaber blades, the chains are the only thing the right length so far. I may have to tie them instead of using something from TLG, but Id like to use a piece of some kind. I will do ratlines, though it will probably be one of the last things that gets completed. I don't want to use glue, simply because it would make it impossible to retension one shroud or repair one line. I will share my technique once I get there Thanks Kurigan! My original method was to use one long string woven back and forth. This method worked well, and was surprisingly easy to do, but it wasn't modular enough. There was no way to repair just one shroud, or add deadeyes, so I came up with this method instead. Now each shroud is an individual line from one side to the other. Here's another quick update. I decided on red for the ships boats instead of yellow, it complements the ship well. Here they are mounted on the boat booms on the midships section: The midships section is now completed, apart from adding the cannons. The black tubes on the sides are the skid beams. They are designed to keep objects from scraping the hull while being raised onto the ship. Here's how it looks fitted to the quarterdeck: Thanks everyone for the comments and advice! Much appreciated, keep it up DPW

Good update Kurigan Those deadeyes on the shrouds are outstanding! Really the best Ive seen, I never even thought to be able to string through a car wheel without drilling. The white color works well with the masts too. I still think she is a little small though, as a model it looks great but if you add minifigs the deck will fill up pretty quick. Perhaps that is the intention though! Either way it's a great looking schooner, looking forward to seeing her completed. Dread Pirate Wesley

I wish that I could find a way to string two of them together that looked good. All my attempts thus far just look messy and unprofessional. To make it strong enough to manipulate I put a support between every gun, so approximately every 4 studs. On top of that there are pillars that run down the center to offer more support. It is quite strong, but I wouldn't try standing on it or anything Thought I'd provide an update since it had been more than a month! I've been busy getting all the rigging in place. I had a rethink on my previous method of doing the shrouds. In an effort to make repairs easier, I came up with a new method using lots of these as shroud deadeyes: Here's how it turned out. Experimenting with the chains as well below the shroud platforms: I also finally rigged the topgallant shrouds on the main and mizzen masts, as well as the backstays. Here's how they look: Here's a closeup of the mizzen mast with the gaff and spanker booms rigged. I chose to rig them entirely with rope, just how they would be rigged in real life: She has about 90% of her rigging now. Still needs rat lines, and control lines for the spars and booms, but the majority are in place. Im also pleased with how the the poop turned out. The hammock netting makes a perfect angle towards the taff. Here is one last shot of the quarterdeck showing a couple of redesigns. First thing I found out is that a sixty four would not stow fire buckets above the wheel house like a first rate would. So I removed the hanging brackets I had previously installed. Also, the hammock netting on the poop above the wheelhouse was actually elevated, making a railing to lean on. Im not quite sure how I missed that detail before, here's how the quarterdeck looks now looking aft: This ship is not too far from completion I dare say. Still a lot of small details to add, cannons, and decorations on the stern, but she is getting close. Let me know what you think of the quarterdeck and rigging! Dread Pirate Wesley

Thanks Frank. I agree there is not much of a keel on these boats, that would kind of make them useless in the shallows anyways. The 1 x 10 plate on the bottom of the longboat can be removed, but it is necessary to attach it to the boat booms on my sixty-four. I will try extending it further or simply removing it and see how that looks. That is a huge longboat Blackmoor! I've actually never seen one quite so large, wonder if it had a special purpose to fit so many men. How many minifigs do you think yours would hold? You should try it just for comparison DPW

It's an interesting ship. For some reason the only detail that I really like is the signal flags on the mizzen. The bow, especially at the upper gundeck is a bit of a mess since it slopes inward and the headrails are too high. I dont actually mind the white gunports, a lot of ships had gunports the same color as the hull, dont see that enough on MOC's actually. They were only a different color, like red or black, once they were open. See this painting for example: Dread Pirate Wesley

Good looking cannons were you surprised by the number of pieces required? I like your carronade design too. As to the ship she is very white indeed, Im anxious to see this progress. Keep it up Dread Pirate Wesley

That's a nice boat Horatio, I like the blue and white color scheme too. Thanks everyone else for posting examples in here too, lots of good inspiration. I spent some time updating my first designs. Finally have enough pieces to get the colors I want. I wasn't too pleased with the bow design at first, I like this second attempt better. Here's what I came up with for the longboat (yellow) and the cutter (red): And the cutter with oars stowed, as she will appear on the boat booms: Here's a cross section to show what it looks like with one side removed: Let me know what you think! DPW

Someone shot away the rudder! Other than that it looks great. I like that you followed a picture of the movie version too, wish TLG had done a little more of that You sure are cranking out the ships! Keep it up! Dread Pirate Wesley

I agree. Using brickbuilt cannons might make it look less cluttered too, even add in some mortars or something. Awesome design though, dont think Ive seen a building technique like that before Great work! Dread Pirate Wesley

I've built two waterline and one full hull ship so far. I must say you can acheive incredible strength with prefab hulls even with a ton of length. Check this photo out if you don't believe me: My waterline ships are much more interesting to build, and look much more realistic in my opinion, but they are definitely fragile! Especially at the size of my sixty four it just cant be lifted in one section. So the compromise is building in sections which provides a whole new set of challenges. For right now, I definately prefer waterline models, but since the introduction of black hulls and new techniques like Perfectionists NextGen technique that may change. Dread Pirate Wesley

That hull looks really good I like the design of the longboat too, you should post it in this thread to add to the discussion there: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=70017 Dread Pirate Wesley

Great fleet Perfectionist! The headrails on the frigates are superb, you have certainly mastered your own technique I like the brig the best, she looks lean and well armed. You will have to share your technique for the ratlines with me, that is the next challenge on my 64. Your "NextGen" technique works well too, especially with black hulls. I went the other way on Pickle using only the upper portion of the prefab hull and brick building the rest. It works for small schooners and such but not as well on larger vessels. Looking forward to more pictures, and of course sails Dread Pirate Wesley