SkaForHire

yep... i wrote a warning about that :P i like the way they look though .... they make more realistic looking rocks i think....

it was almost exactly the same as here... but as of late we are much more busy then they ever were... they averaged about 2-10 new posts a day, here i would guess the average is more like 20+

There is dark blue, not blue right here. so there is! aha.... didnt even remember that. i think i did that for lack of black or tan.... as for chilton.... only time will tell...

well of course official sets will be used! lol that would be a very bad idea not to include them LOL. Yeah i need to do more work... but i must watch stargate since they cancelled it and all.

Yeah i know, i am still looking for a ::looks around to make sure no one ovehears:: "free" version of certain programs so i can do that. paint sucks for resizing. I could monkey with the camera i suppose... dont know what the result will be....

Out of curiosity how much did you pay for these soldiers? Was it the US$160 after postage making them US$4 each? That sounds like a reasonable price to me for a lot of 40 because I don't often see that many in a single auction. If you bought them in lots of say 3 to 5 you'd pay a lot more on postage. What do you mean by 25 to 35 cents the whole way through? 25 to 35 cents for what? I think I've missed something here! I think the c means Celcius... yeah we were talking about temperature but yeah, 160ish american after everything was said and done. so 4 dollars a piece. I have stopped bidding for a bit though lol.... well until my refund check for school comes in haha

THat site had as much flow as this site did a couple months ago when it first moved away to its own forums. I heard that the guy couldn't afford to keep it up.... oh well, was a good site, but this site was the same thing, so there would not been much use for two sites like this. Hopefully they all found their way over here!

i remember seeing it sold

cool, i like it, i really liked the first one, and i really like this one. pretty sweet. I like that the fort seems to be built to be positioned at an angle so that two sides of the cliff are covered with guns. the small buildings, especially the garrison are awesome. I would agree, a barracks would be the next logical building.

THe small ship is excellent... everyone else has summed up the rest of the model. I would also run out and buy this model, excellent. if you take more pictures of the ship i would like to see it. Those hulls only come in so many colors.... i think white and blue made a really nice spanish ship.... anyway good work....

very piratey.... mmmmm I like it, even if unrealistic... other then the island on in front of the dock on the one port... now there is no way you could get that ship out to sea..... anyway fun

guns will be small... but that can be expected with the price you would have to pay to out fit it.... looks good so far.... the roundness of the stearn strikes me as odd i will go back and look are paintings though...

i see frank filz's name on this one... he is a huge man in the world of lego pirates (or used to be? i haven't seen much from him or updates on his sites for a while... maybe Mr. Dulin would know more since he is co-moderator over at lugnet pirates?) if i remember correctly he used to run ESPG at brickfest every year and other places... not to mention he had one of the largest fleets known to man lol...

Introduce them to Evil Stevie's Pirate Game http://www.io.com/~sj/PirateGame.html ESPG has many flaws, we played it a couple years back a few times, before my fleet was booming.... my freinds didn't like the rules sets because of holes and some over complications that were not nessesary, it turned them off from gaming with lego... i am tryingto put together a new system, with more variety hopefully....

Where did you get the snippit of history? americans did set sail, just very cautiously... but they were not out done , the war ended before they launched their two 100+ ships. The New Orleans (130) and the .... now i can't find the name again, its an obscure ship, and isnt talked about much because it was hauled off the stocks almost right after the war and broken up for timber... whereas the New Orleans sat at sackets harbor until 1880, then the foolish gov't sold her off, can you imagine that! that would be an awesome visit for any naval history fan if they would have kept her in a storehouse until the National historic register had been created... anyway.... crying for the loss of awesome history..... however at kingston the brits had two more ships similar to the St. Lawrence on the stocks, these were designed to cary more guns! a good book on ships of the great lakes is Robert Malcomson's Warships of the Great Lakes though it doesnt mention the second ship at sackets harbor (i found that in naval records though...) hes a little canadian in his flavor... but still an excellent read. I can't find the article right now... which is a shame, but it talks about how the New Orleans and the other american ship of the line were to be used.... they were to sit at the mouth of the st. lawrence and clog up the possibility of the Royal Navy coming down.... (aparently there were canals being dug in canada at the time, that would allow ships the size of the HMS Victory to get into the lakes) though i think if the brits would have gotten the other two ships of the line of the stocks by that time there would have been a pretty awesome battle betweeen the fleets eventually... (not that death and destruction are a good thing... but it can leave a nice "what if" taste in your mouth...) Sadly the HMS St Lawrence had a terrible ending too... she sold for 25 pounds... and became someone's dock across kingston bay... :( On the cover of the book i mentioned is a painting of the st lawrence, it is much different looking then the ones you have linked to i think... i will keep an eye out for anymore pictures. EDIT: found it, the second american ship was the Chippiwa... now how many ships on the great lakes bore that name LOL.... oh yeah and if you can build the three deck St Lawrence with all 112 guns I would be amazed, but i think you will need to do it with a brick built hull. i hope you can do it though... can't wait to see what you come up with...

wasn't the visible part of the ship rust red, because it was made of old railroad track..... so the colors may be closer then we think

I was just wondering what people do after they make a MOC, ship or otherwise.

it is blurry... that was the joke about it... its not supposed to be... but thats how my camera took it, so my mortar didn't get a look there... as for the comic, thats a good idea... I will be putting up my webpage soon so that they will load on that.... so it will be easier, then you guys can just click the one link to see it all. I don't have a decent resizer like photoshop right now (paint skews your image when you resize...) so i didnt want to make thumnails.... i will fix the format soon hopefully.... the website should fix the problem, and keep my story junk out of the way for all you guys that are sick of it lol... but the story is half the creation :) as for colors, i wish i had more tan, it was supposed to be tan and greens mostly... with a touch or red and brown. I dont think there is any blue in there... ill check again. The grey megablocks threw it off the most, but i was out of tan and options really. however i really like how the megablocks wall pieces look, with the curvs to look like stones... i think thats pretty cool. i through in the lighter grey blocks in that part to make it look more like a stone wall in contrast... The idea was, and probably should have wrote it more in the story.... that the building is built on the ruins of a islander temple. Redbeard came along and added to it, the brown guard house, the stone ramparts... doors, a second floor.... The top was supposed to look more like a ship, as i took the stern piece off of of the 4+ ship... i had the bow piece on the MOC at one point but when you looked at it it looked like the Thundercats base! lol so i took that off. anyway... i wasn't going for neat and tidy, its an improvision on Redbeards part... hope that clarifies some stuff... at least lets people know what i was going for :) i wish i had more tan though! all grey had been requisitioned by the govenor for his fort though, or i would have made it of grey i think.

One of my personal favorites too! lol. those poor imperials... batman is a formable enemy. You are speaking crazy speak with your celcius. but thats about what we get temperture wise here too. i believe we were up to 40 one day but thats just what my thermometer in my car says... who knows what 40 really is, and i can't figure out how to change it to Ferenheit again... lol. they should really put that in the manual, i already know how to put gas in my car, use that page for telling me how to work the thermometer. wasn't this Canuck...what is the market price for an imperial soldier nowadays? i have been picking them up from 2.50 - 4.00 american but then you have to add shipping of atleast 2 dollars sometimes 6.00 per lot... and they average around 3 or 4 figs a lot... so i figured i was saving money just bidding really high for 40 when shipping is 4 pounds... whatever that is... like 8 bucks i think lol. i see two broadsides in the lot which are worth alot more... so my total was like 160 after shipping I believe... that is 4 dollars per fig with two broadsides.... so it was an expensive aquisistion, but i probably would have spent that much over the next couple months anyway picking the same figs up... i want to do some war gaming and i am very short on imperials to man my ships. but this last purchase has really broken my bank... i think i am going to give my ebay pw to my fiance for safe keeping for a couple months... maybe... lol. Giving your pw to ebay to your fiance might not be a good idea if your fiance is like my wife. :) C'mon down to new brunswick canada and I'll destroy yer pathetic little army beneath my heel! (figuratively i'd never destroy a lego minifig, that would be....unthinkable!) Yeah you are probably right... women like spending money too much. LOL. Probably... but these 40 will put me over 100 imperials, so i finally have a company! hahaha.... Never been to NB, is it nice in the summer? i used to live in ontario for military school, so i suppose i am a shade canuck myself... Which makes me wonder... i wonder if we could ever have a "pirate fest" get together somewhere, i know alot of people are from all over the world so i supposed there is no real good destination to go to... but it would be cool to find a place where we could rent out a large conference room at a hotel, wargame, show off our pirate MOCs and drink! lol those of us that are of age in whatever country we do it in of course.... lol I know it sounds like brickfest, but i mean a smaller scale, plus i dont know how much wargaming happens at brick fest???

Ok, before i slam into a story, here is the link for just pictures of the outside of the building, if someone doesn't want to read through the whole thing. And here is a link for the battle pictures which show some of the inside of the building. First off, i don't like the "drawbridge" like entrance, but i could not for the life of me figure out something better with what i had. at one point i had just a couple of ladders, but it didn't seem right either. also there are some noticable mega blocks here, just a warning to you folks who may have heart attacks! :-D all my tan is used up now :( now the story: ____________________ The Backstory of the raid by Captain Chilton of His Majesty's Imperial Guard: The infamous Redbeard has been raiding the Legowind Straits now for the past four years, in that time he has surpassed any other pirate in infamy. He may not be as successful as Admiral Tolots, but he is much more feared by those merchants that travel the straits. It was recently rumored that Redbeard had taken an old Islander ruin on a remote island in the straits and converted it to a mannor / fortress. Rumors have it that the treasure in his basement is endless and filled with islander jewels and spanish gold. While on cruise, The HMS Wind (which would soon become the Inventive, due to Redbeard.) had spotted a ship in the distance. Thinking perhaps it could be a spanish ship and perhaps even an easy payload, Captain John Chilton advanced toward her. The HMS Wind had been the only ship in the Legowind Straits that flew the crown's flag to that point. However, the British Navy had just forced the Spanairds fleet from the area a few months before, and now only merchants used the waters, or atleast for the time being. merchants and pirates, actually. Chilton was suprised as he came in fiew of the ship, a little larger then his ship, however he was not intimidated. The HMS wind had the most capable gunners that he had ever worked with. He knew he could have this prize in no time. It was as he closed in on the ship that he realized who it was. He engaged Redbeards Bloody Mary in a most glorious fashion, but by the end of the battle both ships were taking on water. the Bloody Mary began to flee, down crew and out of shot, Redbeard did not take his chances. The HMS Wind was taking water on even more heavily. Chilton could not keep up with the Bloody Mary, and he put in at a small missionary that he knew of on a nearby island. The missionary had only a shallow portage, and Chilton was forced to watch his ship sink. Furious, Chilton bought a small sloop from the missionaries, just large enough to fit his nine imperial guard who were left after the battle. Redbeard could not have many more survivors, and they would be no match for elite troops of the crown. The rumor has it that Captain Chilton set out , and before sunset was tailing the lagging Bloody Mary. It is not certain if Redbeards crew noticed the sloop behind them, or if Redbeard invited the fight, but no action was made to lose the sloop or to engage it. The Bloody Mary soon made it to a shallow of a small island, where she beached. Chilton was suprised at this, if they had seen him, now they were sitting ducks... if the sloop had had any guns, which it didn't. He watched from a distance as Redbeard and his crew disapeared into the jungle. They left their ship, but probably figured that it would sink had anyone try to to steal it. THE RAID: Chilton landed his craft just after dark. He marched his Squad into the jungle. Image 1 Captain Chilton and his men Image 2 At dawn Chilton's men were in position, they emerged from the jungle in column and prepared to fire. Image 3 The first shots were aimed high, and killed the men arming the cannon on the top of the building. They also woke Redbeard from his drunken slumber. Image 4 he ducks for cover. Image 5 Redbeards men prepare for an assault on the ramp. Image 6 the mortar is of not use at such close ranges, neither is the artist who took this portrait. Image 7 Led by Sergeant Billings column 2 makes a daring attempt to scale the walls. Image 8 , Image 9. Image 10 men begin to fall on both sides. image 11, but finally the line is cut and the ramp is secured image 12 unfortunately, it comes at a price, 3 brave souls, including billings fell to the pirate warriors. Image 13 The doors are flung open on Redbeard's Dining and meeting room to reveal more pirates! Image 14 Pirates that were ready, and two more Imperials fall to the suprise volley they unleashed. Image 15 And they charge~! image 16 The pirates are cleared from the meeting room, but only three guardsmen and Chilton have survived the encounter. Image 17 Image 18 The pirates lay a trap beyond the next door for Chilton's men. Image 19. The unlucky Jimmy is run through as he proceeds through the door Image 20 Image 21 The stairs prove hard for Chilton's men, leaving him but only one other man, his son James, with him when the final Pirate has been cleared out. Image 22, image 23. Image 24, Redbeard suprises James, and shows no Mercy Image 25 Image 26, the duel begins, Image 27, through redbeards private quarters, Image 28, onto the railing, Image 29 The defeat of Chilton Image 30 Redbeard throws Chilton's body over the edge, and looks for survivors. Image 31 CHilton's body was never found. No one knows why. Image 32 The loss of so many British forces on that fateful day began a emergency panic by Governor Crane. He immediately commisione Lieutenant Arthur Garvy to become commodore and assemble a small fleet. the pirate menace was surely getting worse by the day. After Redbeard lost most of his men, he quickly came up with firm plans. He would build a pirate colony, one he ruled, he would establish an army, he would build a city around his chateau, and recruit many followers. The british would pay. He would bring them much grief in the new world, if he had to raid every merchant ship to pay for it! He accepted a letter of Marque from the Americans after careful negotiations. and secured supply lines from the new nation. Image 33, image 34,

first of all, cool mortar, would be neat to see a squad of these things... and when you find out the real range... try converting it into lego scale measurements and then studs! :P j/k though that would be cool lol. as for the obsessed with AOE guy....i wish he had a better camera... the battle was pretty cool though.

I am in the middle of trying to build a fort for my imperials myself, I don't have as much grey as you do... but i am using alot of the same pieces (ie: black falcons fortress right?) Your fort is alot like a hybrid between a blockhouse and a small fortress, and i think it looks good. I am all for continuing boring grey because its more realistic, i wish i had the pieces to do that! I think this is a very striking building, and placed with it's battery facing the sea, i think quite formable. If you bring the tower over to a side or corner it will make it more realistic and leave room to build small buildings inside. also i would agree with the arches statement, though you may be like me and not have many grey arches... i would put a small arch over each cannon in the battery. I would also try to get some guns on the walls with swivels, just incase the enemy comes from land. Though it is realistic that your battery only faces one side, because usually forts are built expecting the enemy to come from one or two directions, at least coastal fortifications that is. also if you dont like the square shape and want something more realistic to a major fort in the new world try this shape ... ok i cant find the shape i am looking for... but here is a link to a fort that guards the begining of Lake ontario (correct me if i am wrong canadians) Its a fun place to visit actually, but thats off topic. the shape i am looking for was a standard for forts built in the new world it was square but had squares on its corners... hard to explain through text... though this is not a coastal battery design it was pretty common... eww eww... heres a map of a huge fortress, if you look in the middle fortification, it is kinda what i am talking about only this one has five outer square thingies... lol anyway hope it helps a little. oh yea, stairs would be better then rigging! but i like your fort. This is just the kind of fort i wish i could build for my town....

What makes you think this? We must remember the more cannon, men and ammunition the ship carries the heavier it becomes and thus harder to manoeuvre. So whilst it may sail faster whilst unladen the same may not be true if it was fully armed because we must also remember for a ship to gain speed it must accelerate over distance. Based ont he ships i've seen most guyson here build this is one of the smallest and as such makes her faster due to her more than ample sails. IT is true the board has a tendency to build BIG ships, i would if i had enough of one color to do so lol... plus i am building buildings as of late it seems. I said it before and I will say it again, i like this design. how hard is mlcad to learn? if i could get aquainted at it maybe i could figure out what i had to buy to build my dream ship... lol.

i guess i was comparing it to the ship in the background, didn't look big enough for the Victory... but now that i look closer that stern is massive.... i would like to one day go see the Victory, that would be sweet.

I was just saying that your ships are much bigger then what we were looking at for the fighting system thats all... i will figure something out so that such a ship can take part... Also... what is the ship on your sig? It looks alot like the HMS St. Lawrence, and thats a canadian ship so wondering if that was it?