HMS Expedition

[Dukesc]

The HMS Expedition will be my first WIP thread of mine using my own Legos.

I was inspired to build this ship when I saw Bonaparte

[Mister Phes]

The first thing that I notice about this ship is it looks waaaaay too big to be a sloop.

Is there any particular reason you've called it a sloop?

[Dukesc]

The first thing that I notice about this ship is it looks waaaaay too big to be a sloop.

Is there any particular reason you've called it a sloop?

Mister Phes

The reason I am calling it a sloop is because in my book The World of Jack Aubrey, a 16 gun ship is considered a sloop. There are sloops larger and smaller than this one.

Duke

[Mister Phes]

Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm used to Sloop being used in reference to yachting.

But thinking about big sloops...

A Sloop of War

Or something similiar... A Covertte

Ths is one maybe a bit too modern for pirates

[Capn Frank]

Hmm lets see.

Here's the BSB:

Here's the Hotspur:

and here's the expedition:

Yeah i guess there is a resemblance :-D

Nice ship so far bro *y*

I love the BSB *wub* so i really like ships that're based off of them too :)

Can't wait to check it out at your house and have a closer look.

I think you used Z's method of extending your mast on the main mast.

With less cargo on the gun deck, i guess one could easily consider there being another deck below the waterline and gun deck :-$

Just a not about the glare: If you don't have the camera pointed perpindicular to the large fish tank, but at more of an angle, there won't be any glare :)

P

[Mister Phes]

I was wondering with the fish tank in the background is the ship supposed to be sunken? :-D

[Bonaparte]

This is clearly a sloop of war according to the wikipedia article on sloop of war: "In the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a small sailing warship with a single gun deck that carried between ten and eighteen cannons. A brig sloop had two masts and a ship sloop had three".

Some of my plans include replacing all the white and gray with yellow, add some railing and add details to the inside.

That seems like a good idea. I will wait for your results to decide if I do this on the Hotspur.

The extra hull section (compared to the HMS Hotspur) and mast certainly make the ship more mature.

And it still has the BSB-look *y*

[Mister Phes]

Ok! I've had some sleep since I wrote my previous posts, and at the time I was very tired so disregard anything dopey I may have written.

Anyway... I'm wondering dear Duke, why you've decided to retain the look of the Black Seas Barracuda opposed to build you own ship from scratch with the pieces?

[Dukesc]

I think you used Z's method of extending your mast on the main mast.

Right you are Phred. In fact that is your piece I used to use ZCerberus's method.

I was wondering with the fish tank in the background is the ship supposed to be sunken? :-D

I was wondering if anyone was going to say something along those lines.

Anyway... I'm wondering dear Duke, why you've decided to retain the look of the Black Seas Barracuda opposed to build you own ship from scratch with the pieces?

Mister Phes,

There are two reasons I am keeping the BSB basic design. One reason is because I really like the BSB

[El Bucanero]

Looking good Duke!

I like it, despite the fact I usually don't like these modified taller BSBs (because sometimes they don't look original and sometimes thrown together), but this one escapes that look. It's just as tall as the HMS Unclaimable!

Do you think 30-50 minifigs will fit on the ship though??

BTW, is this in the index yet Bonaparte? I believe not.

Mr Tiber

[Mister Phes]

If I redesigned it I would be basically using the same pieces and it would still look nearly identical.

I'm yet to make a MOC ship and sadly since I don't have enough space I haven't even built a Black Seas Barracuda, despite having one for about 5 years. :'-(

But it would be an interesting challenge for someone to build a ship from a Black Sea Barracuda (not implying that's what you should do) and make it look completely different.

I am also building three other ships dipping into the same resources as this one. They will have threads in the future and I will work on them when this one is done.

What are the other three ships? Do you have WIP threads for them (that I've forgotten about) or haven't you posted them all yet? Me forget!

[Dukesc]

Looking good Duke!

I like it, despite the fact I usually don't like these modified taller BSBs (because sometimes they don't look original and sometimes thrown together), but this one escapes that look. It's just as tall as the HMS Unclaimable!

Do you think 30-50 minifigs will fit on the ship though??

BTW, is this in the index yet Bonaparte? I believe not.

Mr Tiber

Mr. Tiber

Thanks for the compliments.

As for your crew inquiry, I may have as many as 42 men manning the cannons and carronades. I have some space between the 14 cannons below deck. I am hoping to man each of those with two men to make her rate of fire more rapid should I have it in a war-game. Also I may have up to 12 carronades and two small MOC cannons on the above deck requiring 14 more men. Plus I

[Mister Phes]

Mr. Phez

That is sad that you haven

[ZCerberus]

Building a Black Seas Barracuda would no doubt be a great help in determining different ways of buidling, so until I get that experience I wouldn't know what I was talking about.

nothing beats building to gain experience!

Right you are Phred. In fact that is your piece I used to use ZCerberus's method.

Yes! I have begun to influence people! Sweet!

But seriously, if you have any questions or would like to know about any of the building techniques on the Arbiter II let me know!

[Mister Phes]

nothing beats building to gain experience!

Lack of space seems to be beating my gain of building experience to a pulp X-D

[Dukesc]

I thought about it for a while and decided to totally remake the HMS Expedition. I have been experimenting with some ideas and will use them on the ship.

I took off the rear BSB section and am creating my own. It will have 6 windows in the rear and a bowed curve to it (10 windows total). Obviously the green windows will be replaced with yellow and white ones. I am going to basically use the same black and yellow color shceme as the BSB.

I am also going to take all the sides off to finish the tumblehome effect I started. I saw something like this on Bonaparte

[Mister Phes]

This does seem quite interesting and it completely removed the Black Seas Barracuda aesthetic. Green and red tend to look quite spicy together, dare I mention that colour scene was used in the Cross Bone Clipper? X-D

[Capn Frank]

Hey Duke,

Those yellow framed windows look familiar X-O Did you take mine? I can't seem to find them anywhere X-D

Nice look so far *y*. I hope you can tie everything together smoothly.

It'll look suppurb then.

You'll have to let me come over again and see it again.

P

[Bonaparte]

This looks promising Mr. Duke.

I don't think I have seen a Lego ship before with the windows in a bowed curve.

The pictures are a bit dark (or is it my screen?), so it's hard to tell how you made the curved shape.

[Mister Phes]

I don't think I have seen a Lego ship before with the windows in a bowed curve.

Is that what this is?

I thought the windows were on some kind of angle but the curve just isn't coming across on my monitor - or maybe its my head. Hmmm....

[Dukesc]

This does seem quite interesting and it completely removed the Black Seas Barracuda aesthetic. Green and red tend to look quite spicy together, dare I mention that colour scene was used in the Cross Bone Clipper? X-D

Mister Phez

Yeah, I am pretty much going away from my original plans of a modified BSB, but I still give credit to Bonaparte

[Bonaparte]

As I said before, very original idea to make the cabin like this.

Its a challenge to make this look right. I'm looking forward to see the end result!

[Capn Frank]

Hey Duke,

Since you're in class right now and i have class when you're done, I'll post these suggestions.

The ship looks pretty cool so far *y*.

Some suggestions to streamline it maybe; that is if you're going for a more 18th and early 19th century look.

Number 1: Try having an odd amount of windows in the back, so that all the windows have 1 stud between them.

Number 2: Try moving the 2 windows on each side back as far as you can and have only 1 stud between them.

Number 3: Try lowering the windows as low as you can and have the captain's room with a 6 brick height at the most.

See ya later,

P

[Dukesc]

Hey Duke,

Since you're in class right now and i have class when you're done, I'll post these suggestions.

The ship looks pretty cool so far *y*.

Some suggestions to streamline it maybe; that is if you're going for a more 18th and early 19th century look.

Number 1: Try having an odd amount of windows in the back, so that all the windows have 1 stud between them.

Number 2: Try moving the 2 windows on each side back as far as you can and have only 1 stud between them.

Number 3: Try lowering the windows as low as you can and have the captain's room with a 6 brick height at the most.

See ya later,

P

Phred

After you came over and showed me what you meant, I think I will have the 7 windows in the back as you suggested. There will now be very close to the one stud gap you were talking about. I think it will be very difficult to lower the windows, but I will be able to lower the floor in the captain

[Dukesc]

Hello All,

I've still got to make a bricklink order to finish my ship, but here is what I have so far.

I reworked where the cannon ports will be and will now have 16 nonMOC cannons on the gun deck. There will also be a total of 4 smaller cannons to serve as chasers; two in the front and two in the back.

I haven