Mr. Townsend Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) [pid][/pid] 160D After one and a half years of effort I would like to present the 14 gun brig-of-war, Pinnacle. Pinnacle is made up of about 3200 LEGO bits. I've used yards and yards of five different types of string to simulate the vast array of rigging you would find on a sailing man-of-war. To make the sails I've used painting canvas dyed with tea, and with a sewing machine I've added the reefing lines. She was originally built on prefab hulls utilizing Imperial Shipyard's next-gen design, but evolved into a waterline model after seeing DPW's Ship-of-the-Line. She now has a technic brick frame to keep her from hogging, or falling to bits. Many pictures of the build can be found in the WIP thread. Credit goes out to many builders who's techniques have been included in this model, and to the community for the feedback given to bring this ship to its fullest potential. I'm quite happy with the stern in the end. I carved up and pieced together the lattices from the larger window latices. They really make the stern pop! I've used wheels to create the various blocks and tackle found throughout the standing and running rigging. The "chains' are made of a wire that holds each block to the hull passed through a technic flex tube. Building them in this way has made the masts extremely stable. Here you can see a few of the 14 brick built cannon purchased direct from the D.P. Wesley Foundry in Bricksburg. I've tried to include as much detail on the deck as I could. The capstan is shown though at the moment it doesn't function. The captain's cozy cabin. Captain Townsend inspecting the newest addition to his expanding fleet. Edited May 22, 2014 by Mr. Townsend Quote
PlzStopImScared Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 What a great looking ship! It seems like you worked really hard on the rigging, well it turned out perfect! The netting design at the ship is very nice as well! Quote
-DoNe- Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 Excellent work all around! The cabin and rigging are especially nice! Quote
mrsniady1 Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 Huh. I loved it on a prefab hull and I love it as a waterline model. And the flag is really nice. I see you becoming master-of-a-sewing-machine . Are those cannons printed or hand-painted? Great job. Outstanding. Quote
Admiral Croissant Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 What a masterpiece! The sails and rigging are superb! And it even has a beautiful custom-made flag! This is truely a state-of-the-art MOC with only the best of techniques. It will be very hard to improve this -if possible at all. Let's have a look at this ship afloat: Quote
Kolonialbeamter Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 What a masterpiece! Most excellent work, I don't even know what to like best... I'm torn between your excellent rigging, sail plan and flags, your excellent eye for detail (just to mention the attachments for the cannons), and the excellent new hull (which adds so much more to the ship than your very good use of Perfectionist's NextGen technique)... Truly state-of-the-art and setting the bar for realistic ship construction at least one step higher. Châpeau! One last thing, can you please convince me to be less purist and make use of your technique for the stern windows! I find them... wait for it... excellent! Keep it up! (which you surely will) Regards Quote
Captain Becker Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 I agree whit Kolonial about the stern windows.... And thats just the stern windows, the rest of this... Of this piece of art is just pure love. Custom made flag an the rigging and the sails are just excellent and really makes this whole thing feel so... Alive, if you know what I mean. Captain Becker Quote
Sebeus I Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 This has to be the most beautiful brig I've seen and I've seen hundreds, seriously, the lever of detail on the rigging is astonishing, great work! Quote
Swan Dutchman Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 Well Mr. Townsend, what can I say!? That's just outstanding! I love every bit of it: the details, the rigging, the sails and the flags. Awesome job Quote
yys4u Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 I love custom sails! And these look like they took a lot of work! Excellent work! [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] Quote
Frank Brick Wright Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 She turned WAY better than I had expected I know it required a lot of courage to dismantle the prefab structure but I'm glad you did it: she looks just perfect. I'm not sure what I like the most. The clean deck, the bright colours, the sails, the detailed cabin and the shape, mostly at the stern, and obviously all the custom ingredients make it for me. Looking to her again my only suggestion would be to exchange the black hoses you used under the platforms for the shrouds with string. I know it would require some sort of glue in the final spot but I think just a drop would do and you went so far from a purist perspective that I think that gluing string to bricks isn't forbidden It's actually my only suggestion, as everything looks stunning to me!! Quote
kabel Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 Bricks are actually my favourtite kind of sail ships, so obviously I really like this. Great shape, great colors, great techniques. And I you hadn't admitted the butchering of those lattice windows, I would never have though that these pieces aren't official as the look just perfect! Quote
Captain Edward Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) This is a truly, masterpiece. This brig is so detailed, and you made your own hull except using the basic ones from Lego. Nicely done! The Brig reminds me of this one from the Redbeard Series (a French strip story). This ship is called the Black Hawk (Zwarte Valk in Dutch), and when I saw your ship this was my first thought. Well done! Keep going! Edited April 3, 2014 by Captain Edward Quote
Captain Braunsfeld Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 What a beauty! I am impressed (and envious ) The rigging is truely fantastic! Quote
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted April 3, 2014 Posted April 3, 2014 I can't handle such a beauty! Gorgeous work! Quote
Mr. Townsend Posted April 4, 2014 Author Posted April 4, 2014 Thank you all very much for all the kind feedback Huh. I loved it on a prefab hull and I love it as a waterline model. And the flag is really nice. I see you becoming master-of-a-sewing-machine . Are those cannons printed or hand-painted? Great job. Outstanding. Haha! I've definitely clocked in some overtime on that machine. The flag's emblem is printed. I got the emblem's template from this flag used in a TOR : . I've photo-shopped it to represent my Revolutionary America faction which I hope to expand on. Maybe Pirates of the Brick Seas would work well for this. What a masterpiece! The sails and rigging are superb! And it even has a beautiful custom-made flag! This is truely a state-of-the-art MOC with only the best of techniques. It will be very hard to improve this -if possible at all. Let's have a look at this ship afloat: Thank you Admiral! That picture is awesome. I plan on photo shopping a few myself and its impressive how quickly you do it! This has become my screensaver. I love custom sails! And these look like they took a lot of work! Excellent work! [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] Thank you for the blog Yys4u! It is very exciting to be blogged on classic-pirates. She turned WAY better than I had expected I know it required a lot of courage to dismantle the prefab structure but I'm glad you did it: she looks just perfect. I'm not sure what I like the most. The clean deck, the bright colours, the sails, the detailed cabin and the shape, mostly at the stern, and obviously all the custom ingredients make it for me. Looking to her again my only suggestion would be to exchange the black hoses you used under the platforms for the shrouds with string. I know it would require some sort of glue in the final spot but I think just a drop would do and you went so far from a purist perspective that I think that gluing string to bricks isn't forbidden It's actually my only suggestion, as everything looks stunning to me!! I was crossing my fingers the whole procedure of removing the prefabs. For the chains there is already a wire that goes inside the flex tube. I put the tubes on to make the clips less obtrusive. Thanks Frank! Quote
kurigan Posted April 6, 2014 Posted April 6, 2014 I’ve been awaiting this and though I’m not surprised that once complete, she looks great, I do find that the cumulative effect is even greater than the sum of her parts. Immediately my eye is drawn to the custom ensign and pennant. That’s a nice detail most wouldn’t bother with. Some purists might scoff at modifying the window panes, but I love it. It’s very well done and lends her a unique and interesting profile. It looks great and is immediately recognizable. Of course I appreciate the rigging and the research that must have gone into such a complete, detailed and accurate plan. Don’t know that many noticed but I rather enjoy that you made her a snow as well. The netting on the bow sprit is another interesting detail, which caught my eye. On that same note I also like the two “seats of ease” at the head and the way the head rails attach to the hull. I do find the coloring of the figure head a bit curious though. Pinnacle’s proportions, over all are pretty spot on. I like her so much better off the pre-fab hulls. I find brick hulls like this look more like they are afloat in the water rather than perched atop it. The Admiral’s picture conjures up thoughts of Steven lamenting the all too abrupt passing by of so many classic sites as Sophie sped across the Med. I’m curious about the name change, and if I’m not mistaken it hasn’t yet been addressed. I do like the new name, but isn’t it bad luck? On what frank said. If you’re looking to make a change, try out what I’ve done on Ram Cat. I used 1 X 1 rounds built into the hull with the “chains” lark’s headed or cow hitched around them. It’s remarkably strong and stable. I can tighten her shrouds like a violin. I would rather enjoy seeing these two next to each other if the opportunity ever arises. Thanks for sharing and keeping us in on the process. Quote
Mr. Townsend Posted April 7, 2014 Author Posted April 7, 2014 (edited) What a masterpiece! Most excellent work, I don't even know what to like best... I'm torn between your excellent rigging, sail plan and flags, your excellent eye for detail (just to mention the attachments for the cannons), and the excellent new hull (which adds so much more to the ship than your very good use of Perfectionist's NextGen technique)... Truly state-of-the-art and setting the bar for realistic ship construction at least one step higher. Châpeau! One last thing, can you please convince me to be less purist and make use of your technique for the stern windows! I find them... wait for it... excellent! Keep it up! (which you surely will) Regards Thanks Kolonialbeamter. I really think Perfectionist nailed it with his NextGen but after I saw DPW's ships I couldn't resist my desire for waterline ships and NextGen transferred so well to fit my new goal. I'm excited to expand into a fleet of waterline ships that hopefully will all get combined into a large layout.(I have grand schemes in mind ) I had originally gone for the trans clear window panes on the stern and had to file down only one pane. With this small lack in purity, stepping up to butchering 11 lattices didn't seem that big of a deal. I think if its just something purely aesthetic its forgivable. But now I'm morally compromised. My poor bricks... I agree whit Kolonial about the stern windows.... And thats just the stern windows, the rest of this... Of this piece of art is just pure love. Custom made flag an the rigging and the sails are just excellent and really makes this whole thing feel so... Alive, if you know what I mean. Captain Becker I'm glad you like it Captain Becker. I did the photo shoot outside for this after having difficulty getting even lighting in my makeshift light box. It happened to be a cloudy windy day, and I was very excited when the wind started to blow the flag and streamer! Bricks are actually my favourtite kind of sail ships, so obviously I really like this. Great shape, great colors, great techniques. And I you hadn't admitted the butchering of those lattice windows, I would never have though that these pieces aren't official as the look just perfect! I too am a big fan of a good brig. When I saw the model of Duke of Bedford it had everything I was looking for in my next project. I really liked the raised quarterdeck and the tiller rather then a wheel. The windows were a "pane" to get right. Each side of the frame had to be shaved down to fit the dimensions and then part had to be chopped out and the framing bit glued back on. They took a few hours but I think that is the fun part of going into so much detail. I had hours of fun for the price of a few latices. Well Mr. Townsend, what can I say!? That's just outstanding! I love every bit of it: the details, the rigging, the sails and the flags. Awesome job Thanks Swan Dutchman. I used a stiffening spray to get the shape I wanted out of the sails and flags. It worked well to make them look like they are catching wind, but it makes the ship a static model. On my next large ship I'm excited to experiment with the wires through the sails as your doing. I’ve been awaiting this and though I’m not surprised that once complete, she looks great, I do find that the cumulative effect is even greater than the sum of her parts. Immediately my eye is drawn to the custom ensign and pennant. That’s a nice detail most wouldn’t bother with. Some purists might scoff at modifying the window panes, but I love it. It’s very well done and lends her a unique and interesting profile. It looks great and is immediately recognizable. Of course I appreciate the rigging and the research that must have gone into such a complete, detailed and accurate plan. Don’t know that many noticed but I rather enjoy that you made her a snow as well. The netting on the bow sprit is another interesting detail, which caught my eye. On that same note I also like the two “seats of ease” at the head and the way the head rails attach to the hull. I do find the coloring of the figure head a bit curious though. Pinnacle’s proportions, over all are pretty spot on. I like her so much better off the pre-fab hulls. I find brick hulls like this look more like they are afloat in the water rather than perched atop it. The Admiral’s picture conjures up thoughts of Steven lamenting the all too abrupt passing by of so many classic sites as Sophie sped across the Med. I’m curious about the name change, and if I’m not mistaken it hasn’t yet been addressed. I do like the new name, but isn’t it bad luck? On what frank said. If you’re looking to make a change, try out what I’ve done on Ram Cat. I used 1 X 1 rounds built into the hull with the “chains” lark’s headed or cow hitched around them. It’s remarkably strong and stable. I can tighten her shrouds like a violin. I would rather enjoy seeing these two next to each other if the opportunity ever arises. Thanks for sharing and keeping us in on the process. I hadn't heard of the superstition over the name change but I'm not sure it would have stopped me. Pinnacle seemed to fit so well after so many countless hours of correcting each flaw I could find. It also still fit into my theme of mountains for names. The figurehead I had decided to be white long before I had a color scheme for the ship. The Matterhorn was white to match her angel of a figurehead. This figurehead is the ships guardian angel as well, and angels are always white. Its funny that you recognize she is a snow, as it was something of an afterthought. I hadn't planned to add that small mast until I realized I couldn't attach the driver with the booms set as they are. The way you did the chains on the Ram Cat didn't escape my when first I saw your pictures. It really is a clever way to do it, and though its too late to work through here I will keep it in mind in the future. That capstan too... Edited April 7, 2014 by Mr. Townsend Quote
ummester Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Excellent sails and rigging - I was going to try thin cardboard/stiff paper so that the sails bowed but this could inspire me to use material. Quote
Kolonialbeamter Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Morally compromised, maybe, but some things are just worth it... for the greater good! OK, you've convinced me, I shall add the sacrificing of lattices into my repertoire! Or even better: @TLC, I want these latticed windows as an official part! Again, great work, and the best of success with even more of the kind! Regards Quote
bluenote07 Posted April 9, 2014 Posted April 9, 2014 This is just gorgeous. The rigging is spectacular and I love the creative modification of the windows. Thank you for sharing this inspirational work of art! Quote
Eurobricks Emperor Bonaparte Posted April 13, 2014 Eurobricks Emperor Posted April 13, 2014 I love this ship, it looks simply amazing! I can't think of any improvements, it is perfect. I really like how you didn't overdo the ornaments and kept it's looks pretty 'basic'. I also especially like the looks of the outside of the cabin. And a perfect job with the rigging and the stunning weary looking sails. (frontpaged on EB) Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted April 13, 2014 Governor Posted April 13, 2014 This MOC certainly does have some rigorous rigging! To make the sails I've used painting canvas dyed with tea, and with a sewing machine I've added the reefing lines. I'm going to jump on board the "I love the sails" boat - you've used a very effective technique. But how water proof is it? Quote
Jody Meyer Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Have to agree with the rest, this an awesome MOC, love the rigging and sails, ton of thought went behind this. Quote
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