kurigan

There is a lot to put me on the defensive here so before I begin I just want to say this: I’ve never put so much concentration and effort in to a build at any one moment. I’ve poured my heart into this project and I know it shows. Earlier in the thread I put Master Work in quotes but as progress continues, I grow ever more impressed and satisfied with Reckless and find I have no shame in using that term in earnest. If my memory serves me well, I’ve put my time in, nearly a decade of development and study to get to this point. So, if I say something like “it’s just a limitation of the medium” or “it just wasn’t going to happen with what’s available” take me at my word. I’ve tried it every way around and still came to these solutions as best for my purposes. Truth be told, this may be my last ship. Though I have a new brig hull mocked up for yet another version of Scorpion, I don’t know if my heart is in it any more. It’s been a lot of work and a lot frustration. However, if I finished Reckless for the exhibit and died, this part of my life would be satisfied. I did it. I successfully built a supremely realistic, accurate and convincing ship with Lego which remains stable and playable. Heck my ships are even quite “swooshable”. Though it may seem like a contradiction of my earlier claim of “I love to talk about this stuff” I’m also not super interested in making a series of excuses for what I know is pretty dammed good. Call that arrogant if you must, but if by this point I didn’t recognize the quality, or lack thereof, in my work I’d be a fool who’s wasted nearly a third of his life in the pursuit. Now, that being said: Cap’n We’ve had this out before I know, but I doubt most readers are as up on the comings and goings of us “old-timers”. I know your contention on my older ships was that the bowsprits were too thick. At the time I agreed that thinned would be better, but not as thin as 1 X 1. I think we agreed that something like 1 ½ round would be better, especially with taper like the old pre-fab masts, but save for the aforementioned and damned inconvenient piece, the brick does not exist (Yeah there are mini-fig head but that would just look silly.) I compromised by going up to 2 X 2 on those builds to then accommodate a jib boom, spreaders and dolphin striker. Cutters like Reckless here though did not have such involved construction on their sprits which were essentially like really long top masts. So my solution this time around was to use the same 1 X 1 rounds for the top mast on the bow sprit. I agree it looks just right and I’m pleased. I'll tell you all this about it though; the simpler rig generates a lot less leverage and it's harder to pull things straight than on my schooners. I totally get why the technology developed in that direction, from this scale experience. I know the tape thing on Blanid bothers a lot of people, but meh. It is what it is; it looks great, it’s not something that can’t be emulated and even Lego uses stickers from time to time. It solved a problem, and I refused to be ashamed of it. Thing is, there is tape on Reckless, you just haven't noticed. You don’t think the embroidery thread halyards cooperated well enough to be so well flemished down by gravity alone, do you? I admit that outside of insuring knots in the rigging, I have used glue on two separate occasions. One was to hold the companion way hatch in place on the Fishing Sloop. Structurally it’s not necessary, it just got really annoying when it would slide off at the slightest bump. The other was on the long since broken up Raven, where the cabin deadlights were adhered right to the transom with Elmer’s. It seemed a clever solution at the time, though you'd not see me employ it again. Cb4: Thank you. Thing is, there is sheer. It’s much less pronounced than you’ll see on other models of Alert, but it’s there and Reckless isn’t a faithful model of that ship either. I started by trying to copy Blanid, which displays a rather successful sheer curve technique, but differences in the hull types made it impractical. What I find happened though is that the leaning of the bricks to emulate tumblehome caused a subtle curve as the corners stuck up. The same thing happened at the water line, evidenced to me that the central member of the frame doesn’t touch the table top at the stern when it’s all level up forward. I don’t know if it can be made out in the shots provided, but the gun carriages give it away. On the foc'sle the carriages are level with the cap rail. Follow the level of that plate to the quarter deck guns and you can see it’s a little more than half a plate higher. Again, not a dramatic curve, but present, and completely by accident. Here’s a graphic: Is she perfect? No, she’s not even done yet, and by no means perfect. Will anyone ever perfectly simulate a wooden sailing ship in Lego? It’s highly unlikely. Lego shipbuilding is such a singular pursuit in that it attempts to force a rigidly digital medium to conform to complexly contoured designs. It, like all modeling, requires compromise. Lest you drive yourself insane, you must decide on what points and to what degree you are willing to make exception. That’s why Reckless does not stand alone but is part of a fleet, each member of which is designed to showcase different key aspects. If you’ve taken an interest, check back in a few days for updated images. Reckless awaits delivery of her suit from the sail makers loft (mom’s basement ) in preparation for her mission.

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Ripoff or not, it's well executed. Who's that guy fishing down there! He looks familiar.

My apologies upfront if this gets a bit long winded or overly informative. I find with such nautical matters, understanding one ship's system requires knowledge of three more with which it must work in concert. That's a very good question, and I'm mortally certain you're not the first to wonder. Those lines out in front are infact "stays". They are a member of the ship's standing rig which pretty much ties everything down. You see, masts do go all the way down to the keel where large blocks of wood pin it in place. There is nothing down there keeping it in the hull though. That's the job of shrouds and stays. Shrouds are the "A" frame shaped lines on the side of the mast, with the rope ladders, called "ratlines" between them. They do most of the holding down of the mast and fight the forces of the ship rolling side to side or pitching for and aft. Particularly when the pressure of the wind is added to the weight of the mast though a bit more insurance is needed, lest the mast spring free or break leaving the ship utterly crippled. This is where the stays come in, running for and aft to distribute that force back down to the hull. There are "backstays" which anchor to the hull somewhere aft of the mast they support and "forestay" which conversely, connect forward of their mast. They are a permanent part of a ship's rig, though they do sometimes require adjustment. Now those triangular sails out in front are called "head sails" because they are at the head of the ship. There are "staysails" and "jibs" both, out there. Staysails are attached to the stay they follow to keep the sail stiff along the luff. Though this would change later in history, part of what draws a distinction between a staysail and a jib, is that a jib is not attached to a stay, but is simply strung tight between the halyard and downhaul. You've also, perhaps heard the phrase "I like the cut of your jib"? This references the other key difference. Again it depends where in the world and when in history, how distinct the difference actually is. A jib is a different shape and it sewn together in a different pattern than a staysail. Because a jib is not employed like other sails of the time, it has to be made differently. More like a modern kite sail or spinnaker, a jib, is really more like a windsock than a sail. So the clue is placed more centrally and the stitching will run perpendicular to the luff, rather than following the leech. So, the different shape and stitching pattern is the "cut" of a jib you've hears do much about. Ok that's getting really technical and heavy. Let's leave off with the lesson for now, and let everyone digest it. If you come across a term you don’t know you can come ask me, but I also make sure to use terms you can Google to get a clear answer, so go ahead and copy and paste. On Fog Breaker, it's not necessarily likely they she'd be sailing without at least something set ahead of the mast. Yeah it would work, and ships got along for a very long time without them, but head sails help a ship handle by putting pressure on the rudder. With more force applied against the faces of the rudder the pressure differential by which the thing functions will be greater, thus a more responsive helm. However, it really doesn't matter. There are myriad excuses as to why this ship's master doesn't have any canvas out there (yet?) and it's just a model. They don’t all have to be 100% accurate all the way to completion. Sometimes you just don’t get to it before you move on, or the spirit never moves you to finish/add that element. We've all been there. As for the extra stay, it's funny that I bothered to point it out as I'm guilty of the same thing over on Reckless. According to a lot of the materials I was able to find, Alert only has one staysail up forward, but I needed the one more stay where the inner jib would be, just to keep the mast from leaning back to far. So, she'll have two staysails and one jib, much like I imagine your Fog Breaker would.

This is actually a pretty spectacular little build. Though it's full of amusing and interesting detail, I think the best part is how understated it is. The below deck and removable weather deck is very well done. Your rig is very convincing and rather complete, so complete that it seems you may have a few extra lines up forrud that aren’t doing anything (yet?). Your quality photography and photoshop work lend a lot to the overall effect. Thanks for sharing! Apologies as I seem to be covering some old ground here. I had to step away after I started composing my reply and took my rime getting back.

Thanks, but to which changes do you refer? make it a conversation, why not? ( Although i'm sure we've had it before let's do it again for everyone else's sake.) I hope to be able to determine tomorrow after hearing back from the museum, weather she's waiting for her return in February for sails or if there is still time to get them sewn up and bent on before departure. Otherwise, besides minutiae, she really is about finished.

No sets. Everything is custom. The hat is paper: look here. The ship is a completely original and brick built construction.

Just a note on an otherwise thorough presentation:. Minifigs do share proportions with humans, just human infants instead of human adults. It’s nice to see someone else considering the "fat or short" paradox thought.

My first impression: "so what?"… sorry. Then, on a second look... wow. I've worked in a warehouse, more than once and this is bringing back memories (good and bad, mostly bad). You did a really good job capturing the ambiance; I can almost smell the propane fumes from that forklift. Kudos and thanks for sharing!

Am I crazy or there an idea bringing these things together here?

The mech is impressive to be sure, but I'm distracted by the use of binoculars in place of a head to look like goggles. So simple yet brilliant.

First off I'm gonna tell you that this looks great. The figures really are very well done. Next, I'm gonna jump on the purism bandwagon for a moment. If you're familiar with me and my work, you'll understand the significance of this move and hopefully respect my criticisms hereafter in that light. There is a time to give up on purism and introduce other elements in order to take the system to places it wasn't intended to go in ways it was never meant to go. When the center point of a creation, however, isn't Lego, it seems to fail to be a Lego MOC. I know myself, and I imagine many others, clicked on the link hoping to see what, and be impressed by, the method you used to construct the seven pointed star only to find it a completely custom or otherwise non-Lego element. I have to say it was disappointing. It looks great, and if it is custom you did a fine job, don't get me wrong. By contrast, whatever those swords hanging horizontal one the wall are, I think, really add something positive to the display. The effort put forth on the throne itself shows. The lion/Lannister banners really don't bother me, clearly they are well made customs, but perhaps it would have been more Lego-y (?) to use something like this: http://www.classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7813&start=15 Over all I think it’s a neat scene, and don't begrudge you for sharing it. Perhaps I just felt like climbing on my soapbox and playing at "the voice of reason". Don't let a curmudgeon like me ruin your spirit. Keep bricking and customizing! Thanks for sharing.

Is it lame to come to the discussion this late and call this simply "epic"? It truly is though. I don't normally go in for builds that rely on scale to impress but this is so much more than that. The attention to detail I daunting. If you can immediately identify the event a diorama pictures without an explanation, than it's a success. This does exactly that. There is little chance to mistake the scene. As an avid ship builder I also give your long boats a heart "thumbs up".

Ballistas on elephants, huh? I like it!

I mean to pose a simple question. Is there any possibility of ever getting part # 11010, the rings from The Lord of The Rings theme in any color other than gold. For my preference black would be best but any of the drab colors (black, gray, etc. ) would be ridiculously useful. It just seems like the kind of part Lego's master builders would have found more uses for it to have been included in sets in other colors by now. Of course I could go after-market, even have a reasonable facsimile 3D printed myself, but it would be a poor substitute for having an actual Lego in matching colors and materials. (Yes even I care about that from time to time.)

Bregir: Good point. On closer inspection I really don’t know other than the main battery seems so high above the waterline and it came up in a search for ships of the line. Both faulty basis for consideration. Oops Thanks, she’s been broken up as well, that having been about the 6th rejected version of Scorpion. She’s loosely based on Rattlesnake, but was just a mock-up. Ultimately I can’t foresee having the bricks to complete a three master any time soon. She’s once again been reduced to a brig, but time will tell how far that project goes. I can’t reference this, I lost where I had read it, perhaps in a novel, but to my understanding Fregata Grossa is explained something like this: It means Big Frigate, the Venetians classically not having had such large men of war as ships of the line. When demands of a world at war convinced them to build up their navy as a global force, they approached it from the stand point of developing on what they already had, the largest ships in their arsenal being European built frigates, so that’s where from they proceeded. Thus, to the Venetian system what we call a small ship of the line is a larger frigate. It think it comes from a lack of direct translation too. It’s like us calling everything that’s big and floats a ship, but most things aren’t and would be better referred to as something more specific that might be from another language where it simple means “ship”. There that was a fun bit of speculation. I could be entirely wrong A doubled mast? I don’t think I’ve seen that before. Was that a thing, or is it just for the game? I’m honestly asking. Legostone: That is looking quite slick. The figure head is fun, but undoubtedly going to be in the way of the bowsprit. The head rails are a nice technique and give a sense of the scale of the thing. I’ll be watching this one to be sure. So few ships of the line get finished. Perhaps you’d find the gun ports useful here?

Just a few quick update shots. Much of her rigging is finished and we are well on our way to meeting our deadline. She'll still need her Topsail yards and accompanying control lines, and there a lot of, literal, loose ends to deal with, but Commander Haldon seems pleased with his new charge so far. As for the deck studs: The deck is made in two halves which face studs out to either beam. Where as I used tiles to great effect on Blanid to hide the studs from all angles with the same technique, I simply don't have the parts available for Reckless. With a deadline fast approaching, I figured I wouldn't likely be able to acquire them in time either, so I just went ahead with construction. With all the deck acoutrouments, rigging and crew members in place, I figure there's likely to be plenty to distract the eye anyway. If in the future, once she's back from her cruise, I decide to tear up her decks and remedy the problem, it won't be any trouble. That bent ski pole for the tiller, I had forgotten it was custom. You see, that came to me in a lot of used bricks for my bricklink store. It was already bent one way and not suitable for sale. Seeking a more realistic tiller, than just a bar, I decided that bending it the other way would do no more harm than had already been done. It wasn't going to ever be straight again. I had it installed on two previous canceled ships and just got used to seeing it. Had it not been damaged for me, I'd never have sacrificed a good brick as such, so I'll grant, that it’s a bit grating to see out of context. Thanks for the support and keep checking back. More images here.

OK, now that does seem just a might bit more legitimate. Now I don’t have to be the bad guy telling everyone it never existed Thanks! Also, that’s a nice looking ship. So… moving along: here’s a couple images of those gun ports I described.

Almost had me! It looks like an authentic Admiralty print, because it is. It's been edited though. See the lace of a heavy boarder on top of the quarter gallery and how the quarter deck gunwale just ends abruptly? That doesn't mean they didn't exist though. My limited experience is by no means the entirety of maritime culture. Now I really want someone to come out with a real example Here's a curious thing but i can't authenticate it as the scan is to low-rez to make out the writing. https://goo.gl/images/2x1dFJ It looks Like a SoL at first glance, but then why are the lower ports so small? It's possible these are plans for razee in to which they planned to cut ports for sweeps.

The new bow is certainly and improvement. In particular I appreciate how you continued the sheer curve from stem to stern. Too often we see a leveling out fore and aft lending an awkwardness to a MOC's appearance. It does seem to be about a plate to high though. The black inverted arches really help, but without any other black accents (I assume they are forthcoming) they stand out and bit much. The stern gallery looks neat. Don't think I've ever known an example of a SoL with only a single deck gallery, though I could be wrong. For BoBS though, it wouldn't really matter. What's really slick is the way you used arches to mimic counter. Stern on, my first impression wasn't exactly convinced but the forward quarter shot really sells it, with the gallery looking like I hangs out ever so far. How do you feel about "gravity connections"? My thinking is that the conventional gunflaps look a bit cumbersome on such a small scale and bright color scheme. I've had some luck using 2 X 2 tiles, resting in the gun port for closed and held on with a 2 X 3 plate for open. If you're curious I can share an image later. They come out flush, instead of bumps along the hull.

Very nice ship there. A great example of the CGH style. She's very well shaped and proportioned. I find the understated embellishments very no-nonsense and war like; it’s a good thing. Is that dark red? Always thought that's be a good color for a ship but it's an expensive color. Your rig is fairly complete and convincing as well With so many strong builders behind you, it'd be hard to find anything to be truly critical on. If I try real hard I can point out that she's more of a corvette/ship-sloop than frigate with only 16 guns, but I suppose that's just nitpicking. All around she's a great build. Thanks for sharing her! Oh one thing: how did you do the name plate?

I received no such notice. Perhaps it was delivered to this coffee shop of which you speak. It looks great on it's own but with a figure on deck, she seems really small. I like the curved sides, but it just looks like a lot of extra bow; perhaps the focsle needs to extend further out. I do like the color scheme, but tend to agree with Legostone on this one. As the build progresses, consider adding some accent colors like Beatrix, perhaps. It's not only likely to help the design pop, but always helps me stretch my brick supply. Legostone: that SoL looks like a real head ache. No really, those decks seem super low. Though I'd expect to bang my head on the deck beams at every turn, it is a slick looking design. I have no doubt you'll manage to make her as pretty in Lego. There ya go, and you thought I was gonna get all technical and boring. Shame on you!

Presenting my latest “master work” His Majesty’s Sloop Reckless. She has been built and commissioned to replace the aging Ramcat. The new design takes inspiration for HMS Alert and other such cutters. She remains a 10 gun sloop but is now in a more appropriate fashion for a commissioned man-of-war shedding her stern gallery and overly large bowsprit. Her scale has also increased to something much more like Mini-fig scale. This renewed effort was brought on when an opportunity to participate in an exhibit of “Toys as Art” at the Morris County Museum, NJ came along. Before committing, I made a thorough inspection of my fleet to determine readiness and completion. After careful consideration I simply found Ramcat wanting. She was a prototype that just kept going and was never intended to be finished. What started as an attempt to correct a few issues, quickly turned in to a complete tear down and rebuild. The second version was about as hapless as the original though and that too wound up scrapped. For this latest iteration I went back to concept and found new inspiration. Models of Alert captured my interest and I found a lot of useful and free information to help me make a most accurate interpretation. Alas, limitations of the scale and medium have caused me to deviate from an exact replica, as is quite typical. The wealth of information on Alert and sloops of her type though made finding reasonable alternatives simple and easy. At the time of this posting, we are about two weeks from our deadline and thus two weeks from completion. She is as brick built as all considerations can make her until her rig is in place and any subsequent needs become apparent. Because she is a replacement for Old Ramcat, Nick and crew will be shifting into Reckless to resume their normal duties. Her construction technique is the same I’ve been touting for some time. This time around, however, I was able to further refine my method and take into account needs and limitations previous versions did not. Though I did try to keep the “illegal” stuff to a minimum there are still a few element which may make purists cringe. Sometimes that’s just what it takes when you’re trying to force the system to do things it was never intended to do. Thanks for taking an interest. Do check back as updates with greater detail, better images, and perhaps a bit of story worked in, are forthcoming. Go ahead and talk her up, share her around and ask me anything. If it’s not obvious I’ll tell you, I love to talk about this stuff. For more images check out Reckless here. To take a look back at her predecessor, Ramcat, click here.

Well there you have it folks. Sadly, the dashing old Ramcat is no more. Our dedicated shipwrights tried their best to bring her up to spec, but the old girl just wasn’t built for it. Instead we’ve gone for a complete reconstruction. I could have kept the name going, since so much of her is built in to her replacement, but there are quite a few significant differences in style and design. For one the scale has been increased to something a lot more like Mini-fig scale. In the end Ramcat was a prototype and never intended to have been finished and that just kept holding her up from being something truly great. I’ll miss the old girl to be sure, but I’ve poured my heart in to Reckless all the same. Let’s all raise our glasses to good old Ramcat and her crew who served our little fleet so valiantly. Bumpers all round and no heel-taps! Let’s now raise them again for our newest addition, Reckless. May she live up to her legacy and her crew enjoy a doubly successful commission as Recklesses as they ever were Ramcats. To glory may they steer! Follow the progress over on Reckless’s own thread found here.