kurigan

Well if you're worried about brand loyalty... I mean it is essentially a MOC page and you have a load of inspiration there. Make your own, why not? For once I don't see a lot of proprietary parts in those sets, which usually is Mega Blok's wont. I think I might have to steal some ides, especially from the D-7.

Wow. Well I’d have to give you points for ambition at the very least; she’s huge. More than big she’s really rather well done, and again, detail inclusive. I’m liking the use of technic lift arms as pulley blocks. That stern is fascinating too. I like how you used inverted slopes to make the seam between the square transom and the tapering gunwale. This rig seems even more refined that Ranger, but I do see some curious things going on. Where you working from any reference material in particular? Whether it was by my advice or not, I see that your using 2 X 2 rounds for masts and have your spacing of shrouds, fighting tops and gaff sails figured out. As with Ranger I’d love to see you go back and further refine this MOC. It’s good, but has potential to be great.

Slick looking hull you have here. I rather like the green color scheme but can’t really make out any part of her rig but the two head sails. Certainly there’s a lot of detail worked in, but I wonder if we could get a beam or stern on view at all?

As a quick-and-dirty sot of solution i used strips of black tape to relative success.

I like her. Though as a man of war, clearly in the early 19th century American style she is rather Spartan, there is an obvious effort to include detail in this Moc. She reminds me very much of USS Enterprize and wouldn’t be surprised to find that was your inspiration. I would like to see further refinements. I like that your using string rigging but you’re still letting prefab masts determine the proportions or your sails and rigging. For instance the shrouds should be above both gaff sails and the fighting tops should not interfere with those same sails. She also seems a bit cramped on deck which could be alleviated by A taking her off prefab hulls or B building out CHG style with plates and/or slopes. I’m a late period enthusiast myself and really like her lines. Easily recognizable. Ranger’s a good choice of name too. Thanks for sharing her and if you do work on her further beyond the confines/needs of the game, I’d love to see her development illustrated over on the MOC forum.

I like your scene better actually. Somehow the mini-figs are more intimidating than the rabble of made-up actors. Proubally because yours actually look like a trained army, being in something more like formation. I'm far from an expert of rendering foliage in Lego, but IMHO I think you did rather well here.

This is very clever and well executed. Love the lighting as well as the expressions on both characters. It's an interesting plot as well. What futuristic chemicals might be leaking out? Perhaps it's radiation that's driving her mad? A suggestion, if I may: a reverse angle showing the poor astronaut's point of view through the ice would be neat.

More pics here as well as some other junk. http://s62.photobucket.com/user/Dave_Stasny/library/My%20Original%20Lego%20Creations/junk?sort=3&page=1 Be warned though; this isn't a tested system. I concreted it years ago when I though I'd build a frigate with it, but never actually applied it. Instead I adopted my current technique.

Sorry to bring this up after you already committed to string but you should put the masts back the way they were. Three sections is more realistic and IMHO looks better. The lowest section (the main) should be taller though and the upper two (top and topgallant respectively) should get progressively shorter as well as thinner. Also the shrouds should run to the top of the mast, rather than the edges of the fighting top. You could use the same brick and just put a set of them under the platform at the top the mast if you didn’t want to try and wrap the shrouds around the mast. The way you have it, the head rails wouldn’t really work. If you don’t know, or for that matter anyone reading, the horn shaped rails at the front of the ship are called “head rails”. Because the structure of a ship looks like an animal with a spine, ribs and even a tail the bow is also called the head. Those rails are actually the common seaman’s toilet seat. The way you have them running up to the bow sprit wouldn’t likely be very strong and may snap off as I’m sure your Legos in that configuration are prone to. Where they should terminate is at the top of the prow, just behind the figure head. Lastly, that #8 gun is just so distracting. I see why it is the way it is, the gray upper portion of the prefab being what it is. I just wish it didn’t have to be. OK so there it is, just remember, you asked for it . It is an amusing project and I’m intrigued to see how well it goes. So far, pretty good!

Neat MOC and a terrifying prospect. I do think your helmsman there is waiting a bit long to abandon ship though :)

Oh who's, now that's a nice one. You never seem to disappoint good sir. "Intricate" is the word which comes to mind. Though built with a somewhat straightforward block stacking type technique, all the half studs and what not really blend together so well. I note a rather complete rig and cloth sails, always a fan. I too prefer the color scheme you chose, it should be bold and bright. There isn't much to offer in terms of criticism. Maybe the waterline is a bit low but it's hard to tell if that's not just an optical illusion. Otherwise great job and thanks for sharing! It's sad that even though she was based not to far from my home, I never had the opportunity to see the replica in person before she was sold and sailed off. Still, I understand that the resources to take care of here just were not available to her caretakers on this side so hopefully she's better well maintained in their new home.

Not a whole lot of interest for this one it seems, so why not individualized replies? Captain Genaro: Thank you. Those rings and cleats are quite necessary as she’ll be getting the full rigging treatment, same as my previous ships. The SNOT deck makes the rather easy once you figure out where they’ll go. I too was skeptical about turret guns before the mid-19th century, but several sources and inspirations came to me in the last couple of years describing their use as such at least as early as the turn of that century. I first wanted to do one like this when I saw Friends Goodwill’s setup but really found inspiration when I looked in to the American Revenue Cutter Service. Though most of their cutters were large enough to support a full broad side battery many were just small as Blanid and swivels like this were a great way to give them some teeth. You’re not mistaken, the bow portion is flat, on purpose. For one it just made the construction, on what is still an experiment, much simpler. It also is meant to simulate the wind pressing her down under sail. Without her rig in place, it may look a bit odd, but there was method to the madness. I do see what you’re saying about the images. Perhaps I’ll have to drag her outside to some natural light for a better look. Captain Braunsfeld: Secrets? No, no secrets. What would be the point to sharing without full disclosure? I admit that i may not share what appears to be the common sentiment of purism, but I don’t which to dupe or trick anyone in to liking my work more for the lie. That’s the thing, it really isn’t. It takes a bit of trial and error but ultimately getting a predictable curve is actually rather simple. I’ve tried to make that point but few if any see interested. Captain Green Hair: Thanks. I do try for detail. The red bright work was at first a bit of a necessity without enough brown or black, but I fell in love with it against the blue hull and tan deck right away. Yeah, it’s just an aesthetic thing, the red tape. On previous builds I didn’t mind the inside color being the same as the outside so much but this time around it just didn’t seem to work. I had the idea to do something similar with tan masking tape on Nonesuch, but decided against it there. Glad it works so well, though I only wish I could take credit for the idea. Nag nothing, you haven’t hit on anything I’d find invalid any way. The bow sprit is just one of those things. It would be better if it were 1/3-3/4 the thickness and tapered at that, but the parts just don’t exist. I think once rigged it will blend well though. Seemed to work out on Nonesuch. As for the gap, yeah I knowingly left that wondering if it was all that noticeable. I just really wanted that octagon piece for the base and planned around it. Once it was in place I realized that to add tiles for a smoother look would raise its angle just too high. My theory, and check back to test it, is that the maze of rigging will distract from it if not outright hide the mess later. It’s very subtle on this one being such a low freeboard but it’s there. Doesn’t actually start till about mid ship. In fact she should be a bit flared at the bow but there is only so much I can pull off at once. Take a peek at where the gunwale meets the transom and it’s more evident. Thing about the stripe is, it’d be more colored tape. See I’m just not willing to have a gap where the transom meets the side for the sake of it. That being said, I probably will use some strips to serve the purpose later on. The green hatch, I should have mentioned this, is just a place holder. When I started down this red path I swore I had two red shutters like the one on the coach-top astern. When the time came to get her ready for picture I could not, for the life of me, find the other red shutter. The way it’s attached, or not, is just another one of those things. I used this for the same reason on my fishing sloop, deck space is just at a premium on such a small hull with so much to cram on board. Since there is no below decks, a working hatch isn’t really necessary. All that being said I’m not sure if I’m going to rework my hatch gun or not. At the very least the deck need to come up to accommodate ring bolts for the aiming tackle so if you or anyone has a better suggestion, I’d love to hear it. I like the look of the shutter, but I’m not too fond of the gap which forms at the top. Thank you for that.

To me she is His Majesty’s Sloop Blanid. Her name comes from old Irish, meaning “little flower” and references the floral decorations on her transom; which themselves are hold overs from her predecessor in my fleet. She’ll be rigged as a topsail schooner and is very much inspired by American revenue cutters of the 19th century. The configuration of her hatch gun was intended to resemble that of “Friends Goodwill” but I can’t seem to find any decent images of that system, not any longer, and had to go from memory. Historically she would most likely represent a converted merchant vessel, probably a captured prize. The building method is an attempt at a further evolution of my curved hulls. The intent is to add not only breadth curvature and tumblehome, but sheer as well. (That’s the curve along the water line which brings the focsle and quarterdeck above the waist.) There was also a lack of counter astern, of which I complained before, and ventured to better simulate by building the lower portion of the hull on two levels. (Counter is the underside curve of the hull which rises up above the water line near the rear of the ship, cause by the narrowing of the hull towards the stern post.) I’m utterly enamored with her myself so I find it hard to judge the level of my success in these efforts. I did ask for community feedback before expending so much effort on her but received little to no response. So, I forged ahead and here have a hull which is, in almost all respects, ready to be rigged. It should be noted that there are many “cheats” and “illegal connections”. None of this is of any concern to me. It’s not as though I am in a competition, and if you think we are, you should probably reconsider that sentiment, or at the very least, bring me into the fold. Yes the inner hull is colored with tape as well are the muttons on the skylight windows. The former is something I wanted to try for a while, seeing the only other alternative being a completely different building technique involving plates like on Bumblebee. The latter is something I did not innovate but have had used before to great success and critical approval before. The transom is held in place with “o” rings which replaced the original Lego rubber bands, they having been too weak. I tried every conceivable brick connection to no avail. As for the gun, if you’re in any way a purest, no you cannot recreate it as it requires Mega Bloks so old and out of date I wouldn’t even know where to tell you could acquire them. I’m not even sure they are Mega Blok brand, they are just the kind of junk you find mixed in with used lots of bricks from craigslist. It looks pretty neat though, doesn’t it? Comments, questions, concerns, it’s all good. Talk her up, please. If it’s not obvious I do enjoy talking about my works, so don’t be shy, save, perhaps where purism is concerned. What I’d most like to hear is how convincing the attempts at sheer and counter are. Really, have I pulled it off? I can’t tell after staring at her for so long, my eye sees what I want it to anymore and I just can’t trust it. Thanks for looking! More images available here.

That, sir, would make her a brigantine. It's the contradictory sails which bring to use the term "hermaphrodite". Since its very unlikely both the fore course and fore sail would be employed simultaneously at any given point the thing can appear to be either a brigantine (not using the main staysail) or a topsail schooner, depending. Case in point, though I'm first to tell anyone to just get out there and start "googling" images, the action in the Texan painting is very unlikely. The wind which effectively fills the courses, set athwart ship as they are, would not likely fill the gaff sails, set for and aft as they are. We-all just had this discussion about one of Kolonialamter's LDD works not much more than a month ago, if memory serves. Either or both sails would need to be laid over to catch the same wind and in that case one would most assuredly block at least half the wind from getting to the other. In much the same manner as the term applies to an animal, which can not function as both male and female at the same time, but can still be possessed of both organs, the hermaphrodite brig can be both but only one at a time. Where the confusion arises is from our post 20th c. attitude of needing to classify and categorize everything vs. a much more historic sense of dealing with individual things on a case by case basis. Add to that the common man's method of practical education, where the terms my have been laid down by verbal instruction, incorrectly or misinterpreted after the fact. It's not even considered entirely wrong in maritime culture to lump hermaphrodite brigs in with all schooners as being another type. It's as necessary of a distinction as "top sail" (which she would be if nothing hung below the lowest yard). Though it's more accurate, it's often unnecessary and omitted for conversation's sake. I only saw an opportunity to settle the matter for clarification's sake and have a Lego built model in the index, rather than just those wretched, and inaccurate blue thumbnails from wikipedia. Sorry to hijack your thread, SilentWolf. It's just one of those misinformation things which has bothered me for year and taken a long time to dig to the heart of and makes it do hard to let go.

Not sure how to express this, but I’m confused so I’m going to try. Your shrouds, for one, are tan/beige when wouldn’t they likely have been tarred against weather, so black? Also, you used bull’s eyes, where they would have been dead eyes. So much has been done towards accuracy and it shows but then this. If you’re going with such a thin shroud, why then use the less realistic bull’s eyes and not my “4624 dead eyes”? Then again, it seems they should be thicker any way… To be clear: if there are answers to these questions, reasons for these decisions, do tell. I’m not trying to be insulting or know-it-all but I fear I may come across that way, despite best efforts. I have to say, if you’re rushing or cutting corners, please stop. Too much has gone into this thus far to cheap out now.

You've got goid lines and a realistic rig ere. I espically like your color scheme. That there is not a schooner though. What you have here is a hermaphrodite brig. If that large for-and-aft sail on the fore mast were on the main stay rather than a gaff of its own, she would be a brigantine. Since you have the compeeting main sails, a course and gaff, on the fore sail in addition to the top and top gallant sails, she is a hermaphrodite. It would be wonderful if she could be index as to show case that peculiarity which makes the difference; perhaps to settle the matter around here once and for all. SilentWolf, sir, could you provide an image from larboard, where we might see the spars unobscured by their sails, to serve that purpose?

Follow up: Am I the first to notice "Jeff" ordering the penne arrabiata down in the canteen?

I like everything about this! I'm floored. Totally did not expect to see such an awesome MOC when I logged on tonight. Not only is it a great and wholly detailed external model of a star destroyer but the interior has every need of the crew taken into consideration. It could double as some sort of small cruiser which just happens to look a lot like a star destroyer. I love to see new characters and stories and you have so many distinct crewmen to boot. I always feel a little weird leaving a post amongst so many which boils down to "Great job, I like it!" and nothing more, but... Great job, I like it!

That is awsomely twisted in all the right ways. Eerily convincing to boot. Thanks!

Though it seems I’m one of the few who are more a fan of the Mark I than the Thunderbolt. I really like this! That mark I is pretty good as well, but in comparison your thunderbolt seems to do a better job of capturing the angular shape and aggressive stance. All you younkers who have no idea what we’re talking about would do your selves a favor by looking the series up and giving it a once through. This “old” guy thanks you for sharing!

i don't know if he has ever actually offered a break down as such, though he has started WIP topics for his myriad ships in the past. The method which Kable uses is also similar. I wouldn't be so sure. Though i can't speak for other sellers, it's not the case in my store. quality bricks at good prices

This went a while before I could chime in as I couldn't see your images (had to remember to log on with my office PC). My best advice it to deep link your images and if google won’t let you, sign up for a different service which will allow it. Now normally when I see a ship on this tack, that of emulating an official set, I go the other way, figuring that my particular brand of advice isn't what's being asked for. I am made curious though by your mention of "the glorious vessels built in the XVIII century." Are you trying to model an 18th c. ship, replicating the style and fashion of that era, or were you merely referencing the size of line-of-battle ships from that time? If it’s the latter I don’t think I can offer anything, certainly no more that what’s been said already. If it’s the former I wouldn’t advise not using the faceted method of the Imperial Flagship at all. Alright, before I go any farther and upset sensibilities needlessly I’ll leave off. Whichever your goal, keep at it, it’s a good start and best of luck.

My first advice would be to not even bother with pre-fab hull sections, but to brick-build your hull. That’s a concern more for realism, but with a bit of hard work really can make a better model. As for building techniques, the CGH is not as complicated as the images in the tutorial make it seem. I too goggled at them when I first looked at it. Once I clicked a few bricks together to figure it out it was clear as day. Basically all you do is make the pre-fabs wider by building them out with plates or inverted slopes. Then put hinges atop them and build the ships wall up from there so that it can lean back in the same distance (or farther) you built it out in the first place. Sebus developed a simplified method which I think everyone agrees is very appealing. It’s much the same concept but instead of different sections of wall down the length of the ship, the whole side is one construction. Whether you are working in fantasy, history or somewhere in between, reference material is invaluable. Have an image, at least, of what it is you wish to emulate. Knowing what you need to accomplish will make the process of getting to something satisfying all the less difficult and you’ll have fewer false starts. You can start as simply as “googling” images of ships. I’d advise staying away from the fanciful and starting from a base of realistic, even if your end goal falls somewhere towards fantastic. Better to add your own charm atop of what works than trying to adapt some one else’s to fit your own. I developed my own personal style to limit the need for costly parts. The sides are primarily built from 1X bricks and plates. I find this is much the same for Sebus’s style tough for most any method you’ll need at least a few hinges. The body of the ship doesn’t need to be all that complicated or intricate to look the part and color isn’t a bad thing. When I go to start a new hull I just figure which colors I have the most of to offer the project and go from there. I would say, don’t give up. Try again but be a little less ambitious. Just find an image of the kind of ship you want to emulate and start putting tighter elements to mimic its shape. Remember, they ae just Lego. If you miss the mark, tear it down and try again, and again if necessary. Don’t think that all the great build you’ve seen here happened on the first try.

Yes, they are called grates or gratings. They serve as hatch covers and skylights as you suggest. Typically, being made of oak or some other hardwood, they are very heave and therefore rarely fastened sown. They can be replaced with housings, skylights (of the window variety), or hinged door ways. It all depends on the preferences of the ships master and crew. Gratings are most common on men-of-war to maximize deck space. The gratings also serve the double purpose of a frame against men being flogged can be lashed upright. Most ships have three hatch ways. Focsle, waist and quarter deck. Larger ships can have more. I'm liking the new direction. Keep with it.

Well this is fairly well brilliant. Seems pointless to name particular features as stand out since the whole thing just well put together. It amazes me that people pay for MOCs. Are they even MOCs any more then? How about Someone Else's Origonal Creations, or SEOCs.? :D Either way they clearly got what they paid for.