The USS Constellation

[SirSven7]

Hello everyone I have a question and I would be thrilled if someone could give me an answer, what is this?

Apparently it was a set released in 2003 but seeing as that was way into my dark age I was wondering if anyone knew anymore about it I have looked at the brickset page and there's just one review about how it was from the 70s.

I really never knew of its existence until today, he is the birckset page if you are also stunned by a ship you missed out on.

Brickset link

Cheers all

[NiceMarmot]

It's a re-release of set 398, which was released in 1978, as party of the Hobby line.

The Constellation was a 1797 frigate for the US Navy. I think it was one of the first official US Navy warships and had quite a distinguished career. It was scrapped in the 1850s and a new Constellation was built. That ship is still afloat in Baltimore harbor, and is now a museum. When I was a kid in the area, we took several field trips down to see it; it's pretty cool. One of my friends worked on a major rebuild/remodel of it in the 1990s; it's still in pretty good shape.

[SirSven7]

wow, you have just proved how much of a small world it is, thanks for the info, did you ever get the set?

[NiceMarmot]

No, I didn't. I think when it came out in '78, I was all into Space, and could have cared less about this kind of set!

[Skipper]

Ah yes, this set, I've been meaning to review it for a while. Unfortunately it's a bit dilapidated, and I'm too lazy to go scrounge up the pieces needed for the sails/rig it. Overall I never really liked the set, it looked way too pixellated--even though that gives it a bit of classic LEGO charm, I think it's just downright ugly in some places. In the absence of a better review, I'll post my pics anyways: (Pics of the real ship are not mine, but scrounged from around the internet.)

Prow:

Obviously, the colors do not match up--however, ship's colorschemes were in fact quite subject to change, so perhaps the designer was just trying to capture the Constellation from a different era. The thing that really bugs me is how fat and inelegant everything is compared to the sleekness of the real ship, but considering that this thing is almost twice as old as I am, it's not too bad.

Stern:

Again, the old-fashioned techniques don't really look that great. The LEGO version also doesn't capture the roundness of the real one. However if you look at it in a historical context the modern-day USS Constellation's hull may be much more rounded than it was at inception, if it was modified to keep with developments in shipbuilding that favored a more rounded bow/stern for structural stiffness. I have no idea though.

Cabin:

This angle looks quite nice. Though not accurate the curved bricks up top help the model look much smoother.

Bell and 'Hole':

Couldn't find any good comparison pics for this section. Why are the decks red? No idea.

Wheel and Capstan:

In this pic you can clearly see how the cannons are mounted. Too bad they aren't flick-fire. You might also be able to see how the masts are connected to the hull, but if not, it's shown in the next picture:

Mast Connection:

Edited May 18, 2012 by Skipper

[SirSven7]

Thank you for these pictures Skipper

I'm guessing your not the biggest fan, these close up shots are brilliant however (I love the ships bell)

could I impose on you to take a shot of this ship next to another (like the barracuda or flagship) so that I could get a sense of scale, is it at least fun to build?

sorry about so many questions I am a bit passionate as believed that I knew everything about LEGO pirates and then this pops up out of nowhere, again thanks so much for these shots and the info.

cheers

[kurigan]

The kit in question doesn't look like "the real" constellation, as the one in Baltimore harbor is not the one being modeled. As explained above, the set is a rendering of the original, 18th century frigate, which played a role in the American war for Independence. The ship you see in all those photos is an entirely different vessel; a whole new construction from the keel up, built during the 19th century.

[piratekingrd]

I have been to the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor in Maryland. She is a really Beautiful ship.