Dee Shipyards of the Empire of Corrington

[Captain Dee]

Greetings from Corrington!

It is my pleasure to present to you my first creation for Brethren of the Brick Seas: the Dee Shipyards of the empire of Corrington.

The Dee Shipyard was built by Sir Jay Dee's great-grandfather, a visionary who foresaw a time when shipbuilding and the associated industries would grow to tremendous heights in Corrington. He built the first slipway when his sons were still boys, and as they grew into young men he had slowly added on. As they matured and started families of their own, each one left to start his own business - except one, Sir Dee's grandfather Ezra. He continued what his father had started and eventually took over the operations, gradually expanding the works even more as the years slowly rolled by. His five sons all followed in his footsteps, each taking prominent positions within the family business. Sir Dee's father Daniel was the youngest in the family and the last to join the enterprise, and Sir Dee and his younger brother Jesse likewise joined their many cousins in the labors of the shipyard as soon as they could safely handle the tools and climb the ladders and scaffolding of the slipways. They had both progressed through the ranks quickly, and Jesse had become head of one of the drafting departments. Sir Dee had eventually moved on to the family's iron works to oversee production of cannons, but he fondly remembered his experiences working in the shipyard.

The excitement of new-found lands had sparked ever more interest in shipping, and the shipyard worked at full capacity as the large workforce employed by Dee Enterprises strove to equip the mighty nation of Corrington. Shown above, the full-rigged ship My Fair Ladee is under construction by 100 of the able workers of Dee Shipyards.

UPDATE: More pics. I apologize for the poor image quality - these looked good at their native resolution on my PC while editing... until I downsized them, and now they look terrible. The lighting was a bit different than what I used on the top image and doesn't work well in these images I'm afraid. I probably should redo them...

1. Elevated port side full view. The drop to the water is managed by hanging it off the edge of the table and supporting it from a chair underneath. I'm pleased with how it turned out; however the water section was fragile and fell off a few times while I was building it. I advise you all to never try this particular technique, but if someone wants to give it a try, "Check the following list of expletives and be sure that you know how to use them."

2. The same arrangement as above, but viewed from a different angle. Most of the minifigs are visible from either side. The white wigs really stand out; I'm glad I used them. There are 50 men in wigs and 50 in black tricornes.

3. Starboard side full view. The scaffolding and stacks of lumber conceal much of the ship. Most of the white wigs are visible from this angle.

4. Starboard side front angle view. The three cranes were a late addition to the project and dominate most views. Besides the rotating turntables on the big platforms they are nonfunctional, but I think they look good.

5. Starboard bow view. Lots of action here. The upside-down construction of the prow and lower hull structure is easily visible.

6. Close-up view along the starboard bow. These two groups of men are busy constructing the ship's boats.

7. Moving just aft, these carpenters are busy turning wood into sawdust as a steady stream of boards is added to the ship. The layers of upside-down dark tan plates are supposed to represent stacked lumber but look more like modern plywood, a consequence of building this entire scene from a limited portion of my collection that happened to be readily at hand at the time.

8. "Aye, we've got this," the man on the lower left says to his fellow worker as they eye the massive piece of solid wood sitting atop the sawhorses. Above them the scaffold buzzes with activity.

9. Detailed view of the back half of the slipway.

10. Elevated starboard side full view.

11. Close-up elevated starboard stern view.

12. Elevated starboard stern view. The windows for the cabin are already built into a frame and the gallery windows are stacked by the ladder. Beside the windows are the 2 double ship's wheels (connected via round tile with center hole). Behind them are a pile of interior deck support braces. In the foreground are 2 wide sawhorses, currently being put to good use.

13. High elevated front view of the slipway. One of my favorite views which shows the ship well.

14. High elevated stern view of the slipway. Also one of my favorite views.

15. Elevated stern view of the slipway minus the ship and minifigs, intended to show the basic layout. The 2 rows of black CMF baseplates represent the slipway rails. The main base is almost completely unadorned due to being almost totally concealed when the ship, supports, and minifigs are in place. The cannons are barely visible in the other pics and remain in place for this view. The barrel trunnions are detached from the carriages; hence the muzzles resting on the ground.

16. Another view of the slipway sans ship and workers. Grey, brown, tan, and black - nothing fancy except the gold window lattices, red cannon carriages and the red & gold along the seaside edge of the slipway.

If you are one of the resident "Ship Experts" look away now or risk damaging your eyes.

17. View of the skeletal ship by itself. It will stand upright unsupported, and stayed put with very little movement while the full build was moved around for photography. The design is very basic because... I never intended to use it as a MOC!! It was built about 18 months ago as an experimental mockup or design study, which is why it includes both dark- and reddish brown (I built it while sorting parts... ) But I never tore it back down, and when BoBS started I thought I might as well use it... With the wide plates connecting each cross-section it's very sturdy, and the keel is more than thick enough to support it. I now realize the ribbed structures are too close (4 studs apart) which made it extremely difficult to pose the minifigs inside. I should have gone 6 or more studs between sections.

18. Careening to starboard for a look at the keel... no barnacles yet...

19. Upside-down view. The prow and bow look like an elephant; the rest look like a centipede.

I wanted to show that the keel is smooth, and that she does have some nice curves... but boy does it look weird from this angle...

20. Careening to port. The straight design bow-to-stern isn't realistic - see below for an explanation.

21. Cross-section of the ship. There are 12 of these based on upside-down full arches, plus 3 based on half-arches for the curvature of the bow and taper of the stern (2 in the bow, 1 in the stern). The technic pins are a not-so-elegant (or "legal") connection but they were a simple way to go back to studs-up construction. If I ever do another WIP MOC like this, I'll use the big half arches on the bottom to allow for a wider design and also to allow for some good curvature in the bow and taper in the stern by varying the width of each section.

22. Sir Dee says thanks for stopping by!

NOTES:

Build size is 50x120.

I've wanted to build a colonial-era Lego shipyard scene for a long time and overall I'm very happy with how this turned out.

Inspiration came from maydayartist's Anno 1701 and other sources.

The idea for the upside-down arch structure came from Enoch Badcock's Shipyard by Ye Olde Pirate.

The cranes were inspired by (but are not copies of) the massive crane visible in the painting posted by Commander Red Hat/Captain Green Hair in Daniel G's Puerto de la Cruz topic.

I picked up ideas from lots of other people and places as well. Eurobricks is good for that!

The huge number of pics I posted earlier in the day (February 29) was a joke (everyone wanted more so I did it!) and I've trimmed it down to something more reasonable. These are the best ones.

Comments and Questions are welcome!

Happy building and thanks for reading and viewing!

- Sir Captain Dee

Edited March 5, 2016 by Captain Dee

[BrickOn]

So good, can't wait to see more pics. Looks like My Fair Ladee is coming along nicely :-)

[Mike S]

Yeah! Corrington is on the roll! Really impressive!

[blackdeathgr]

Omg! This enterprise is stunning! Size does matter after all!! More pics plz!!

[Fuzzy MacFuzz]

Brilliant build! Go Corrington. This is a fantastic idea for a MOC and you've delivered it beautifully. But there is so much going on here we need more picture with close ups of the different vignettes. I look forward to seeing more...

P.S. I wonder if 100 minifigs is a new record for BoBS? Maybe you should get some kind of award?

Edited February 26, 2016 by Fuzzy MacFuzz

[blackdeathgr]

P.S. I wonder if 100 minifigs is a new record for BoBS? Maybe you should get some kind of award?

Hijacking!

Just.wait.till.September!! Muhahahaha!

[CelesAurivern]

Simply epic, captain! One picture to tell a story does not do it enough justice!

It would be great if this was located in Arlinsport *wink*

[Puvel]

Oh that’s epic!

Took me a minute before I realised those are cranes and not masts

Looks like there are lots of nice little scenes in the build, looking forward to more pics

[Kolonialbeamter]

YES! Love it! Here, take my approval (it's not needed, but you'll have it anyway)!

I love the business, cannot wait to see more pics. Will comment more then. Now, back to drooling

[Bregir]

Well well, sir, you definitely set a high standard from the start! I shall very much be looking forward to seeing more pictures of this, as the current is like but a taster for a great desert!

WE WANTZ MOAR!

In other news, I feel inclined to invest in this, if for no other reason than aestetics! I suppose it is located on Tiberia? Or maybe even the old world? (And can it then be licensed? I forgot)

Pwease sell me a share!

[Capt Wolf]

Stunning! Absolutely beautiful. There's so much going on. I can simply echo others' comments: we need more pictures!

[Elostirion]

Finally, the first amazing shipyard for BoBS, absolutely stunning, I love it.

Please give us more pics!

[Captain Dee]

Wow, lots of quick replies! Thanks!

My apologies for only having one photo to share right now. My standard lighting arrangement just wasn't adequate, and after several hours of frustration I was just ready to get this thing posted, so I Photoshopped this one preliminary pic (which I never intended to use...) I have never spent so much time editing a single pic in my life! (Mostly removing the background... mind-numbing but worth it in the end.) Unfortunately it was sagging in the middle, and I didn't know how to edit that out. I realize this is kind of a cruel teaser but after tinkering with my camera settings I think I have a solution to the photography issue.

The slipway is built on two big "48s" with the overhang at the bow end dropping to the water. It should just slope right in but I'm struggling to come up with a good sturdy way of accomplishing that. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I'll wait until after I've posted more pics to discuss any more details.

BrickOn - My Fair Ladee could indeed have external hull planking applied with some minor modifications to each cross-sectional piece. But I wanted it to be a WIP MOC, never to be completed. The name is just a play on "Dee." I'll be using that tactic again.

Mike S - Yep, Corrington is on a roll. Or perhaps I should say it soon will be!

blackdeathgr - Size always matters with shipyards. I had planned to include a lot more activity on the ground and ran out of room. I really should have gone 2 wide on the baseplates, at least with the smaller "32s." But overall I'm pleased with it.

Fuzzy MacFuzz - Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I need to take a bunch of close-up pics. That's at least as important as a few more overall shots.

I think big! I wanted to include a huge number of minifigs, and yes, 100 is the most posted in BoBS so far. But it's not a competition (for me anyway) and I'm sure someone will do more eventually.

CelesAurivern - As far as the location, I really wanted to do something for one of the settlements (Arlinsport or Port Raleigh) but since this is my first posted build here I wanted to build something with some backstory, so this is an old-world (nation of Corrington) build.

Puvel - The cranes were a late addition to this project, and I knew they'd be somewhat distracting. Yeah, I realized early on that they were closely aligned with the mast locations, but I needed room for them to swing and it just worked out that way.

Kolonialbeamter - Thanks. I was hoping you'd like it. (Hey, I'm a dues-paying member of The KB Fan Club! ) Yeah, more pics! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long.

Bregir - Thanks. I wanted to do something memorable for my first build, and since this is the Age of Sail it just had to be a shipyard (well, part of one anyway!)

I'm flattered that you want to invest; however since it's an old-world build it can't be licensed. If you still want to invest wait until I do a real shipyard... I very much want to build one for both of Corrington's settlements. Eventually.

Capt Wolf and Elostirion - You're too kind with your words of praise. More pics, more pics, somebody start chanting!

Thanks again to you all and I hope to have more pics up soon.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Captain Dee

[TitusV]

*slick* that's just the most impressive build I've seen over here since... December?

I'd like to write something more, as you always do, but this is just excellent, and I tot nothing to remark.

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Howdee, this is amazing, awesome and incredible.

Picture looks fine to me, I would not have assumed photographic issues (and I am struggling with them!!).

If that is the kind of output you're going to put forth for Corrington, then we can close down Eslandola & Co...

Well, in any case, brick on!

(and: approved, if necessary )

[Garmadon]

Very nice shipyard Captain Dee, and great way to start your BoBS building with a bang! I'm really liking all the activity and the ships parts lying around, and those cranes are excellent as well (once you figure out their not masts! ) Even if you don't need it!

[dr_spock]

Impressive, Captain D. The cranes look right for the era. Interesting use of clips for the water. I think you have enough to do KB's new cog hull building technique.

I look forward to seeing some close up shots.

[Captain Dee]

This forum has suddenly gotten active!

TitusV - Thanks. And no worries on the length of the reply - I probably have a tendency to say too much myself!

Howdee, this is amazing, awesome and incredible.

Picture looks fine to me, I would not have assumed photographic issues (and I am struggling with them!!).

If that is the kind of output you're going to put forth for Corrington, then we can close down Eslandola & Co...

Well, in any case, brick on!

Thanks for the lofty praise, even though I don't quite think I did enough to earn it.

Howdee? Two can play this game, aye?

I'm reasonably patient but I got aggravated trying to take the pics. I was tempted to go all Godzilla on it but I got over it...

Eslandola need not worry. My original thought, based on the old faction poll, was to do everything in my power to stomp Oleon into oblivion. But thus far the actual result is just about opposite the old poll, with Corrington being much more active than its hated rival and the scurvy Sea Rats also being slow to take off. So instead of trying to squash Oleon I think I should be lending a helping hand!

Garmadon - Thanks. I crammed all manner of shipbuilding parts into the scene, but it isn't realistic. There's no good reason for the cabin windows, lanterns, doors, anchors, etc to be lying there when the ship is in such an early stage of construction. But I wanted those items present anyway.

Dr_spock - Thanks. The cranes are just a generic design and non-functional except for the turntables. I was looking at a pile of Brick Bounty parts and thinking, "what will I ever do with all these ugly masts and shrouds?" I knew lots of people had used the upper masts for cranes, and I just went from there.

Ah... you noticed the clip water! I'm no fan of standard blue for water, but I had a bag full of those clips (don't ask) and I knew that's what I wanted to use them for. It ain't perfect but I kinda like the look - more so than just rounds, truth be told. Maybe I could mix some together.

Thanks to you all and happy sailing!

Edited March 2, 2016 by Captain Dee

[kaiju]

Gotta say, my first response to that isn't repeatable on Eurobricks. That is crazy awesome.

[SkaForHire]

OMG. Wow, very nice work! Proving once again that Corrington rules the waves!

[Kolonialbeamter]

Corrington rules the waves!

Slow there! So far, the dockyard that is. Your own dockyard. Great, kids Don't get cocky!

I'm a dues-paying member of The KB Fan Club!

A Fan Club... intriguing... I might send over 'The Tax Hog' to 'pay' you guys a visit

[Ayrlego]

Great work!! The sheer scale itself is impressive – like others have said I await more detailed shots! Hail Corrington, Corrington rules the waves!

[Captain Genaro]

Great build. It's really neat to see all the parts throughout the yard, and I like the amount of detail that you've put into the scaffolding and cranes.

Would you happen to have more pictures of this build?

[Captain Braunsfeld]

So, where did you get that bag of clips then?

[Kai NRG]

An excellent shipyard, Captain Dee, the bits and pieces scattered around are great and all the minifigures make it look really busy!