BrickPerfection

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was the 6289 Red Beard Runner. It's pretty bad compared to earlier ships and as a child I spebt much time looking at the 1994 and 1995 catalogues containing the Skulls Eye Schooner! Back than I really wanted it badly . I later got one BSB which was used (before the Legends version was released) but I still dreamed of the SES. I do have one now and I quite like it Perfectionist

Yeah, really the first sets were certainly among the best. The ones released in 1993 and 1994 were good as well, but then the theme started to become more childish... and then be discontinued until 2009 Of the sets you have there, i only own the BSB currently. As I personally prefer collecting MOCs of my own , I only plan to collect all the major ships of the theme. I already have the BSB, SES and BBB. The RBR and the imperial flagship (2010) might also be added, but I don't plan on getting more. Though I have to say such a nostalgic collection like yours does have something surprisingly nice... the only bad point is that it takes lots of space and sets get dusty like your carribean clipper did (tiled MOCs are easier to clean ) Best Regards Perfectionist

I voted Enchanted Island too. I don't think that it is such a great set, but the overall appeareance is quite nice. Also the islander subtheme isn't that great imho; altough the idea was nice, the sets are lacking a bit. But tey're still way better than Pirates II, except for the parts and minifigs I think.

Ok, for building on hull sections I guess, it needn't be accurate but it should create the impression of being that. This is a pic of a US brig replica (Niagara), the original was build in 1813. Note, that it is quite flat above the waterline (open gun deck!). Also the sails array and bowsprit are overhanging considerably (overall lenght 198 feet compared to 111 at the waterline)

Cannon battle: 2 awesome minifigs and a metallic cannon That's combines pretty much all that is good in the new pirates line. On the other hand, I think many sets are really lacking compared to the classic ones. I recently bough a Brickbeard's Bounty (because it was cheaper) and although I knew about some constructive flaws previously, I was heavily disappointed! The parts, minifigs and colourscheme might be nice, but everything else is simply awful! It falls aprt quite easily, esspecially the rudder (which is solely because a inverted 3x1 slope was used there); the rigging is unstable and looks silly. It also seems incomplete without a deck (I know Rick has added one ), esspecially at the f'castle. Put it next to a BSB or a SES ( I own both) and its really looking poorly designed and crappy. Just my thoughts on this topic. Perfectionist

Since Pirates has always been a theme mostly for children (and its getting more childish ever since initial release) I doubt that is ever going to happen. Also note that the imperial flagship is already the limit here i think. But I like the idea very much as well. There must be something to dream of, even if it is so very unlikely I think that if lego would be going to release a new pirates line (since pirates II will be discontiniued), they might release another small ship like the Renegade runner or the armarda flagship.

As a rule of thumb, a ship of the line (of the age of sail) above the waterline is almost consiberably wider in relation to its height between the f'castle and the poop deck (the lowest part). However at the stern, it is pretty much always higher than it is wide since it gets both narrower and higher there. This is true for all capital ships of the era I have ever seen models of, also for galeons of course (which have much higher sterns). For more detailed information, you should specify what sort of ship you're wanting this ratio of. Perfectionist

I also voted Renegade Runner (while uploading new pics of the Achille ) I think it is something unique and very realistic because of its rigging which has noe square sails! The CBC has the most ugly colourscheme I have ever seen on an official Lego set. When I saw one on ebay, I didn't believe it to be a set at all! The double steering mechanism and the gun which cannot be moved to the other side (!) add to the impression that this in my opinion is the worst pirate set ever released. But that'ts just my opinion. Perfectionist

I tried it, imo the black line isn't thick enough for that. But the Achille will feature such a red line. White for all ornaments like on the Triomphant which can be seen in the Musée de la Marine in Paris: There'll be ornaments on the bow (white headrails), but mainly on the stern. I wish I would. Currently I'm spending much time working on the Achille. She's almost finished; there'll be a major update in a few hours. Unfortunately I'm having some trouble building the upper gundeck on this one Unfortunately not. I really like 3mm tubes, but they're too thick for that. Also I wouldn't know how to attach them there. Maybe I'll use them for the galleries. Any help on how to attach them into the slits is really appreciated 3 Reasons: -saving money (80% means roughly 60% of the parts you would need at 1:42) -reducing weight and dimensions for better handling: I still want to be able to transport this ship easily. It also needs to fit onto a shelf in my room where there is only 176cm space. At 1:42, the hull alone would measure 150cm, not even to mention the bowsprit. -using 2x2 gunports: 3x3 is way heavier to build and almost impossible to get decently smooth, stable and still functional, not even to mention the interior. My thoughts exactly. His comment alone almost made me rebuild the entire hull because of the colurscheme . I think his taste is a little bit different from mine. Thanks! Best Regards Perfectionist

This is stunning work again. I really like the shark chasing that poor guy in a chest The use of skeletons reminds me of PotC, although this is a common motive in horror storys. To their victims, plundering and pillaging pirates certainly were seen as such. Really impressive, I'm thinking about doing something landbased for PTVII now that my ship won't be finished in time and this MOC surely is a great inspiration Best Regards Perfectionist

Ahh I see you used the same technique for the headrails that I first introduced on the Achille They look quite good. The cholourscheme is a major improvement although I would have used the standard red, but regarding the discussion that came up about the scheme i use on the "Superbe", I really don't want to criticise yours. It does look good for sure.

Ok, here's my prototype showing what the broadside of this creation will look like.

Arr, you misspelled the ships name on the frontpage! It's "Superbe", not "Supurbe"! The hull is ultra-smooth; you can slide along it with your hand... To be honest I must say that I did have some doubts about the cholourscheme the past few weeks which is one reason why i made little progress. Initially it looked good when I built the prototype (I'll soon post a picture of it when I have time) and as I said already to Admiral M, all guys that I showed the prototype prefered this scheme to a black hull. But it's a hard decision to order bricks for 200 Euros or so and rebuild it all in black with red stripes. Dunno if making the curved slopes on the hull in white can look good there; they'll be 3 studs high snoted which might turn out too much. Following the comments of Admiral M and Captain Green Hair, I'm seriously thinking about changing the cholourscheme now. There's no bubble! One minifig is exactly 4 centimeters long; 4,2 centimeters with hair. According to my calculations it would be 176 cm high at 1:42; 1:52 is exactly 80% of that. If it were 1:42 I would have called it "true minifig scale", but 80% of that is still "minifig scale", isn't it? Btw, how do you get your 170cm at 1:39? I get 163,8cm All versions are possible: metal versions for the 24pdr and grey for the 36pdr, all metal, all grey or metal for the 36pdr and grey for the 24pdr. But I'll guess it'll be all metal.

BEWARE! :pir-skull:

Ok, let me reveal some more details about the beginnings of ths project: actual construction started on September 14, 2009; however planning the design and ordering parts took place from mid - July onwards. How the bow is constructed using SNOT round bricks and hinges. The gundeck lenght back then was 112cm. It is 116cm now. The maximum width is 29cm, giving a very fortunate length/width ratio of just about 4. Both the tumblehome and the ship's curve are minimal as typical for french warships designs of the late 18th century. Note that this isn't the first ship I build at this scale: This vessel was constructed 2004-2005; construction took 7months and only used parts from the local Lego store and from my collection since I didn't know about BL back then. It was taken apart on August 13, 2009 when I have started on the "Superbe". 80 guns. It sais so in the title. The historically inverted cholourscheme has been chosen as a result of prototype work where i compared all possible red/black cholourschemes. This one looked best and everyone i asked seconed that. 90% of the parts used have been ordered only for this ship, so it had nothing to do with a shortness of black parts. Too much black imo doesn't look all too good in Lego. Which version do you guys like best? 36pdr: 24pdr:

The deck will be tiled in reddish brown. Ah well if you mean the deck above the cabin I would agree, it is rather preliminary anyway. The rest of the deck however cannot be lowered in any way because of the interior. The deck is 2 plates higher than on CGH's frigate, considering my gunports are one plate lower than his. I hope these two plates aren't too much; the railing might be less otherwise

Very nice work indeed. I do miss the flag in the painting though, or did I not see it? Perfectionist

I originally planned to submit this to PTVII, but progress has been slow, also because of the time I spent building on the Achille. During the build of the Achille however I experienced how important constructive feedback can be as it pushed that vessel far above what it was initially supposed to be (a cheap platform to experiment with techniques for the Superbe). The figurehead; Neptune, god of the 7 seas: The configuration will be as followed: 32 x 36pdr long guns 32 x 24pdr long guns 16 x 12pdr long guns I still hope to submit this vessel as a ship "in ordinary" to PTVII, but it has become relatively unlikely regarding the time that's left. I have not made any significant progress here the last 2 weeks Feedback on the construction is more than welcome! Perfectionist

The way you placed the masts is accurate; the overall hull shape good A few suggestions: Hmm well basically I would replace pretty much everything that is red in your cholourscheme with black and tile the entire deck in either tan (plywood) or reddish brown (teak). But i don't know if you can/want afford to order that many bricks at BL. As mentioned already, your figurehead is a bit low, I suggest to lift it up by 1 brick at least, if not 2. Also your bowsprit should be closer to the bow so that it looks as if it would come out of the hull (which it, historically, did). Placing 4-6 guns on the topdeck would look good and realistic as well I think, preferably MOC cannons smaller than those at the gundeck (a typical RN 6th rate would have 12lb on the gundeck and 4 or 6lb on top; from 1770 onwards also carronades) The general shape of the stern looks quite good , but it definately lacks decoration. Maybe you can exchange the windows with lattice ones? (from the BSB for example) Perfectionist

The MOC itself is fantastic, no doubt there, but what I like even more than that is the story of coastal pirates forcing merchant ships onto cliffs. It is not only historically accurate but also something that has rarely been used as a story before. The use of the title is unique as well; i also like Metallica

Well, my forum name "Perfectionist" comes from my sometimes regrettable attitude to completely take something apart and rebuild it if it was good, but not perfect. Exactly that happened to the Achille: (in the background the old version taken apart; I am actually building two of these vessels; the plan is to make a photostory of them fighting each other at some point (of course the brave Bluecoats will win )) I couldn't reisist to design the ship's curve on my own instead of just following the manual again; essentially the gunports are one plate lower and 2 plates lower on the stern and bow as the curving is less now: That is how it looked previously, strictly following the instructions: I redesigned the galleries: I felt that 2 studs would be too wide, so i used this hinge technique, I didn't add headrails yet because i might change the inverted slopes with brown ones. Since a minifig can now quite comfortably stand on the gundeck, I decided to grant the Achille a full interior: Both the gun- and topdeck are going to be tiled in reddish brown (representing teak wood); the plates used for the topdeck will be white to add to a completely white interior. They are ordered already at BL. Still lacking a technique for the captain's cabin interior : I apologize for some pics being of poor quality

I originally designed it with a 3 x 3 dish, but reduced it to 2 x 2 for a ship as small as this one. It not a "perfect" solution but i think it is ok.

Wow. that is amazing, i mean perfect. Without your work I would never have thought such realism to be possible with Lego. Though I also have to state that the amount of historical accuracy and detail might tend to be "too much" for something that basically still is a toy. But that's just a opinion of me. Your work is stunning for sure.