Ship building & Customisation

[Big Cam]

It's obviously been said but bricklink is your goldmind for any part you need.

I think you need to build the ship once before you start to customize it, that way you'll know what you want to change.

[SlyOwl]

Welcome to Eurobricks!

For extra inspiration or techniques, it's also worth checking out the Ships MOC Index (or the sorted by type version), the Pirate Accessories Index which has some ship-building techniques in it, the Sail Library, String Rigging tutorial and the Sail Making Tutorial. Also, the Advanced Building Techniques Index is worth a visit for more general stuff.

There are numerous good ship builders out there, who are willing to divulge their expertise on building custom ships. Just ask, and I'm sure they'll be willing to help, or point you in the right direction.

If you want to design first, and then order parts, MLCAD is a great program for designing stuff without owning any bricks. It is then possible to convert the file into a list of parts on Bricklink, whence you can buy them. It takes a bit of getting used to, though.

BTW, one topic is best

[mariahbre]

Yes I am new to the custom ship building process. I have the brick beard newer ship and just ordered the new imperial ship, and want to continue this hobby. I was wandering were I can buy ship parts. I would like to start this as a new hobby and need info for websites, or just lego.com, of were I can purchase ship hulls, mast's etc. I have seen pics on youtube etc. of what others have built. I realize that ebay may be the best option, but what if I want to build an entire custom ship, were can I locate parts, and can you buy them new? Again I have never done this, but want to pursue this hobby and need help locating parts. thanks again Mark It seems that building a ship I would need alot so are there options out there to order the all the parts and start the design process?

[Zorro]

Main sources are:

Bricklink (offline at the moment, will be up again soon I think)

eBay

[Commodore Hornbricker]

Bricklink is mostley used Lego and by far the easiest place to go to buy specific peieces in specific quantities. For new Lego you either have to purchase a new Lego set or you can visit their website and go to the pick a brick catalog and select new parts. The parts they offer are limited so you are not going to find everything you may want their.

I think before you start purchasing parts for your ship(s) you should probablly figure out what type of ship you want to build and what style building method you want to use...i.e. will you use the prefabricated hulls or would you rather have a brick built hull. Do you want a brig, junk, sloop, frigate ship of the line. Is it a soldiers ship or a pirate ship. What era of tall ships do you prefere.

The ship index has lots of great examples.

Best of luck

[Jack Bricker]

I would do a little collecting before you decide to build an expensive MOC. Now is the perfect time to collect since you can still get some of the 2009 sets for good prices and the Imperial Flagship just came out which is the best ship Lego has ever built. Then if the hobby sticks and you really like it you can build a MOC. If you start to build a MOC too early and decide you don't want to anymore you will invest a lot of money and have no way of getting it back. But, if you collect for a while and then decide that you don't want to do Lego anymore your sets will only hold and increase in value and you won't lose any money. Just a thought. Good luck building a good MOC and welcome to the Legoribbean.

[RichardD]

I'm obviously being a bit thick here.

I have a 6285 (well, 10040 actually), it was mint in the box until last week, when I decided that I had to build it! It goes rather well with my RBR, SES (which I got second-hand - it's tatty and faded, but all there), and BB (bought over Xmas).

Here's the problem - I've built it, and have four 2x2 corner bricks in black left over. Argh! I've looked over the instructions three times now and STILL can't see where they've been missed out. Plus nothing *looks* missing. I can see the need for two of them in step 13, but there were six in the box and six in the Peeron inventory, so in what steps *should* I have used them??

Nice ship. A little under-gunned, though (my RBR was modified to pack a 5-gun broadside - which was probably overkill). I'll probably re-jig the BSB to have three guns on each side (I have the spare cannons).

[gogobig]

Perhaps they are some extra parts mate ;)

[Rick]

Perhaps they are some extra parts mate ;)

Don't think so. I recently got one second hand and I remember ticking off the part list on Peeron or Bricklink (both list 6 by the way and not as 'extra pieces'). There were - as far as I remember - none of these left after the build. However, I've gone over the instructions online 5 times now and I also can't find them... who will help solve this 'mystery' (my 6285 is in storage)?

[RichardD]

Lego pack pieces by weighing them, and although they provide a few extras of the really tiny pieces (like 1x1 round plates), I have never, in 40 years, discovered so much as a single 1x1 brick extra in a box. I *know* the 4 corner pieces I have been left with belong *somewhere*, I just cannot for the life of me see where!

[SlyOwl]

Step 19, base of the mast

I used the Classic-Pirates Instructions Scan to find it - all the pics are on one page, so it was faster than waiting for each Peeron or Brickfactory page to load individually.

[Aquila D'oro]

just going through my copy of instructions (it is an original 6285 set though so there maybe some differences) using the peeron site this is where the first two appear (as youve seen)

http://peeron.com/scans/6285-1/15/

they're located at the back near the row of windows

and then another 4 show up here to make up the base of the mast (note they are placed beneith the mast itself as well as 4 grey clips plus a grey 2 x 4 plate and 1 x 4 plate

http://peeron.com/scans/6285-1/21/

this should fix your problem (note: they will show up on page 19 of your manual)

Step 19, base of the mast

lol you beat me to it

[Rick]

Hey that's weird. I was looking at the instructions of the 10040 re-release (downloaded from lego.com) and there it has 2 2x4 bricks used as the base! No wonder the topic starter nor I found it!

[SlyOwl]

Indeed, judging by the Bricklink inventory, they added in 2 2x4 bricks, but didn't remove the 4 corner bricks!

Time to submit a Bricklink Inventory Change Request (actual part to spare part)... and done!

[Mister Phes]

I have a 6285 (well, 10040 actually), it was mint in the box until last week

They're now worth over $300 in MISB condition

[Lorentzen]

They're now worth over $300 in MISB condition

- Shh...

[martinsuper]

There are a lot of good strategies. One I would HIGHLY reccomend is o buy old sets off of ebay that are missing a few parts. I don't know why, but if you buy a ship that is missing 10% of the parts, it is often 60% cheaper or more. This is a really good way to get the foundation of a custom ship. The other place to go is BrickLink!

-martinsuper

[RichardD]

I don't care how much someone *might* have paid me for it. Car, house, computer, toys - they are all worth precisely what I paid for them (or I wouldn't have bought them), and I paid the money because *I* wanted them. Not because they might be worth more in a few years' time, but because I want to drive/live in/use/play with them.

Actually, I didn't pay a *lot* for my BSB - I bought it in a Lego shop sale 8 or so years ago for £40.

And when you suggested the base of the mast, I thought "but that was two 2x4 bricks, wasn't it?" :D

Four spare corner bricks are never to be sniffed at, though. Thanks for the help, all.

[Captain Zuloo]

I don't know why, but if you buy a ship that is missing 10% of the parts, it is often 60% cheaper or more. This is a really good way to get the foundation of a custom ship.

Unless of course the missing parts include the prefab hulls, the masts and the helm.

[Mister Phes]

Actually, I didn't pay a *lot* for my BSB - I bought it in a Lego shop sale 8 or so years ago for £40.

Well that's the point, the BSB has increased in value nicely and is likely to continue doing so.

Anyway, ignore that deviation... It's not relevant to the topic.

SpringSmurf and Aquila D'oro seem to have provided a reason answer so lets all head down to the pub for some grog.

[martinsuper]

Unless of course the missing parts include the prefab hulls, the masts and the helm.

Zuloo, if I didn't look up to you so much I would possibily get mad, but you know what I meant!

You can get a ship that is missing some plates and other common items and still have the essesntials for CHEAP. They are REALLY cheap if they are dust covered and you dont mind doing some cleaning.

-martinsuper

[Zorro]

I really buy most of my sets/ships incomplete or 'unchecked' too, of course I take a very close look at the provided pictures or to what's in the box on flee markets.

And yes, one can really save a lot of money doing so, I fully support that statement.

I just bought a BSB on eBay incl. box and instructions and some nice extra's (like the small island baseplate). Sure some common bricks were missing (like two legs for the minifigs) but all mayor parts like the cannons, the sails, the hulls, steering wheel,... were there!

I paid a measily 61 Euro's for this BSB, incl. shipment! (remember, box and instructions were included!).

Once I also bought an Imperial flagship (redcoats) + a SES for a total of 65 Euro's. No boxes, but superb sails and instructions! They were also 98% complete, the reason why they sell for less!

[Legokilt]

Here is a question that I have had for a some time. Is it possible to build a non-brick-built 74 gun ship using the hulls provided by TLG? I have a very large project that I have begun and will eventually need to make several 74's . Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[Captain Zuloo]

I believe you may find Admiral Bejaune's Sang Royale useful. She is a 64 gunner, but it shows it is possible to build ships of that size on the prefab hulls. But remember that ships sich as this are illusion minifig scale. If you want to build something genuinely minifig scale, you will have to use a brick-built hull.

[SlyOwl]

The Ship MOC Index is always a good place for ideas.

There is also a sorted version - page 2 has some of the larger ships on it.