The USS Potempkin

[Asuka]

4c

Picture is link to BS folder

I'm deeply impressed with the USS Potempkin.

It's a very unusual ship and also a MOC with a lot of fine details! A very good work. *y*

A MOC from matthew1980.

[El Bucanero]

I have to agree with you this is a very unusual ship, a nice refreshment from all those other ships! The IF sails work fine. The only thing I'm not so fond of are the barrel-cannons:

Ah, It's so nice to have pictures that actually fit in threads!

[Mister Phes]

I'm deeply impressed with the USS Potempkin.

It's a very unusual ship and also a MOC with a lot of fine details! A very good work. *y*

And what deeply impresses you about the USS Potempkin, Mr Asuka? Is it because its unusual or because it has a lot of fine details? What do you mean its unusual anyway?

[Bonaparte]

This is indeed an extraordinary ship. One of my favorite MOC ships.

I would like to see some pictures with a crew on board.

[snefroe]

what strikes me the most is the name... "USS Potempkin"... first of all, that should be "Potemkin". It also does not make much sense to have an American ship with a Russian name in this historical time frame, especially as a reference to Grigori Potemkin... isn't it time that you pirate fans spend some more time in actual history books instead of the Star Trek database? 8-|

[Bonaparte]

what strikes me the most is the name... "USS Potempkin"... first of all, that should be "Potemkin". It also does not make much sense to have an American ship with a Russian name in this historical time frame, especially as a reference to Grigori Potemkin... isn't it time that you pirate fans spend some more time in actual history books instead of the Star Trek database? 8-|

I was guessing this was a Russian ship that was captured by the Americans. Afterwards, the Americans misspelled the name.

And since Prince Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin was born in 1739, why can't this ship be named after him?

[Asuka]

And what deeply impresses you about the USS Potempkin, Mr Asuka? Is it because its unusual or because it has a lot of fine details? What do you mean its unusual anyway?

I mean that MOCs of sailing vessels with steam engines are relatively rare and unusual compared to

the wide range of other sailboat types represented on this forum.

Those ships (the real ones) impresses me in a certain way because they

[Mister Phes]

Does anybody know if those barrels are supposed to represent cannons?

[Asuka]

Does anybody know if those barrels are supposed to represent cannons?

By Matthew (in his folder): "USS POTEMPKIN, 21 Gun Steam Sloop of War"

According to the pictures it

[Bonaparte]

My only negative remark is the color of the windows at the back of the ship.

Red would be a better choice (panes can remain white).

[Mister Phes]

what strikes me the most is the name... "USS Potempkin"... first of all, that should be "Potemkin". It also does not make much sense to have an American ship with a Russian name in this historical time frame, especially as a reference to Grigori Potemkin... isn't it time that you pirate fans spend some more time in actual history books instead of the Star Trek database? 8-|

Well Count Sneffy you should note that the creators (well most of them) who are using these names derived from Star Trek don't seem to be posting here. Personally, I prefer actual history opposed to Star Trek and I'd rather not combine Pirates and Star Trek whatsoever. Not that I have any problem with Star Trek the Original Series, the Animated series or the Next Generation - all quite entertaining, although its different story for those other 3 Star Trek series...

[Paladin]

Another of my models on here, thanks again for the heads up bonaparte!

I appreciate the interest and the kind words!

However LOL at the confusion...ok this model is really really based on what the 13 year old mind divises not so much one learned in history that's the first thing to say...

Way back in 1993 or so I had a group of four friends that used to play with Lego together. We alternated between space and castle/pirate themes for our playtime. When doing pirate stuff I built a ship of this style. Yes the name comes from Star Trek...I had a Star Trek Encyclopedia and I used it to find a name for a ship that I thought was cool. Therefore Potempkin has absolutely nothing to do with anything in Russian history. One of my friends suggested "Republic" as a name which in afterthought would have been much more fitting for an American ship but alas...it was not to be.

The ship didn't always have the side wheels. I read the story of the CSS Alabama round about 7th grade that was where that idea for a steam sloop came from. I found pictures of the side-wheel steam ships used early in the days of steam. That and it gave me an advantage it the naval role play with the friends...since my ship could move under power I could manuver better (well just faster...LOL)

The barrels...again LOL looking back. Back in the day this was a compromise. The four of us didn't have very many actual lego cannon. We would have wars with these ships and to make it fair you had to have actual cannons on your ship. Since we maybe had 20-30 TOTAL cannon between the four of us in our collections...we compromised to using barrels as Carronades (since barrels were somewhat rare but not so much as Cannon). This seemed appropriate because they wouldn't have the range of a cannon but would do more damage close in. That's why you see them mounted on this ship like that.

The red slopes down the side were supposed to be iron plates that deflected cannon balls, and help minimize destruction if ramming occured. Hardly practical or even realistic, again remember I was 13 when I came up with this.

Alas...Potempkin no longer exists. I dismantled it about a year ago and built this with the hull pieces.

I am moving my ship building towards not using standard ship hulls. I have distant plans to perhaps build a more realistic U.S. Civil War era side-wheel steam sloop-of-war similar to the image Asuka posted. It will still be called Potempkin though *sweet*, that and I'd also like to build the famous iron clads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (aka Merrimack)

[Asuka]

Alas...Potempkin no longer exists. I dismantled it about a year ago and built this with the hull pieces.

I am moving my ship building towards not using standard ship hulls. I have distant plans to perhaps build a more realistic U.S. Civil War era side-wheel steam sloop-of-war similar to the image Asuka posted. It will still be called Potempkin though *sweet*, that and I'd also like to build the famous iron clads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (aka Merrimack)

Hello and welcome! *y*

That

[Mister Phes]

Another of my models on here, thanks again for the heads up bonaparte!

You're quite a talented lad Mr Paladin!

However LOL at the confusion...ok this model is really really based on what the 13 year old mind divises not so much one learned in history that's the first thing to say...

How long ago did you build the USS Potempkin?

[Capn Frank]

...

However LOL at the confusion...ok this model is really really based on what the 13 year old mind divises not so much one learned in history that's the first thing to say...

Way back in 1993 or so ...

Wow! 8-o

I wish i could've made ships like that when i was 13!!

Wow.

I like the idea for a ship. There aren't that many vessels out there with the steam paddle-wheel and sail combo. Unless i'm mistaken, I think Kurt in this thread is the only other person to have an older steam ship on EB.

Phred

[Mister Phes]

Don't get too excited Mr Phred because Mr Paladin may not have been 13 when he began to build the USS Potempkin, that just might have been the age he thought it would make a good name for a ship.

So lets see what he says... If he ever comes back!

[Paladin]

Don't get too excited Mr Phred because Mr Paladin may not have been 13 when he began to build the USS Potempkin, that just might have been the age he thought it would make a good name for a ship.

So lets see what he says... If he ever comes back!

Well...let me see...

I moved in 1991 to a new subdivison and that's when I made friends with three other guys and we began to do space and pirate lego "role playing scenarios" (for lack of a better description). I would have been 11.

The first Potempkin model would have been built around 1992 in the summer because that's when I bought a Caribbean Clipper hull off of another guy in the neighborhood that didn't want his lego (if only bricklink had been available back in those days!!).

However the first "Potempkins" were sail powered only. The very first one was blue and grey, the second one I built was the first red and black one. It was late in 1993 when I was in 6th grade that I put the paddle wheels on it for the first time. So I was probably 13 or 14 years old. However the model you guys see in the picture was built after 2000, I rebuilt it numerous times over the years.

I know I have a picture somewhere of me holding one of the early Potempkin models as a little kid. I'll see if I can't dig that up and scan it in. *sweet*

[Mister Phes]

That would be awesome! That way we can see how much it evolved or how much your building skills improved over that 6-7 year period.