Author Topic: Megabloks Ships (Updated 2-1-10) (Read 20826 times)

Sinewgrab · « **on:** January 24, 2010, 11:56:38 PM »

In the Swashbuckling thread, a gentleman is doing a Megabloks Predator, and that reminded me that I should share the fact that I am working on 3 megabloks ships myself right now - the ones I built the colonial gunship in trade for.

We have, left to right, the Flying Dutchman, the Black Pearl, and the Dread Eye Phantom

2 of the 3 I have done before, for Warrenbruhn, but I was lazy and did not take photos of anything. Having done these before, these went a bit quicker, as I knew where I would want to make cuts, and add subdecking to hold up spots. I decided against any sort of entry into the hold, as the cages were a pain to build, and to me, add very little to the gaming experience for which they would be used. It just was more work (to me) then it was worth. I will probably add some form of grill to the deck, but I didn't feel a need to have them open to the hold.

The exception, of course, is the Dread Eye. it has holes in the sides where the massively oversized cannon fired through, and rather than close them off, I left the top grills in place, and will let them be openable.

I plan on doing closeups of the decks and such when I work on each one. For now, though, I am just finishing the prep work. Nubs have been cut off, decks have been installed, and now I am just waiting for my bank account to allow me to get either basswood or styrene decking to finish them off with before painting.

Cheeky Monkey · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2010, 06:19:10 PM »

Mega-Blocks? Wow - I like those.

Smokeyrone · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2010, 08:40:12 PM »

Nice. I always see those in stores, and think "Somebody could work one of them up into a great gaming ship".

Sinewgrab · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2010, 11:45:11 PM »

Take a look at this thread, then, and see someone doing far more than I will, as I am too lazy to go through that much effort.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=15285.0;topicseen

Sinewgrab · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2010, 12:46:23 AM »

And progress is made! Here, we have the subdecking built and all the nubs cut off.

And we add in all the decking...

And she is ready for paint! Well, okay, she will be once I get a ship's wheel to put on her. My local hobby store was out of them. Again.

Smokeyrone · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2010, 01:57:55 AM »

I am sure this will be an inspiration to many. Kudos!

(it looks really nice so far!)

warrenpeace · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2010, 02:12:20 AM »

I have two 16mm metal ships wheels, and one 14mm metal wheel stand. You could either buy them from me at the Sudan game this coming Saturday, or trade a little more work for them in the form of installing and painting a flat waist deck on the Black Pearl you previously completed for me. I've got a piece of plastic styrene and a bit of foam core that would make that work. Not sure it would be worth it to you just for those ship's wheels, though, as all three metal bits only cost $5.50 total. That's not even an hour's minimum wage in our state anymore. But $5.50 would buy lunch...

Do you still have the three photos of the completed Flying Dutchman that you took on your back porch in the summer sunlight? You could post those. If you don't have them anymore, I'll email you the copies of the photos that you previously sent to me, so that you can post them here.

Really looking forward to seeing that Dread Eye's Phantom up close. That is the ship that was the original inspiration for me to collect Mega Bloks ships. I saw that one assembled in a display case at Toys-R-Us a few years ago around Christmas time. Should have bought it then, because I've never seen another one since. The Moonlight Miniatures skeletal ship wheel with skeletal helmsman would be perfect for the Dread Eye's Phantom.

Sinewgrab · « **Reply #7 on:** January 26, 2010, 02:29:40 AM »

I may have the ships done by the end of the week, so I'll bring them with me if I do. I may take you up that - the only wheels at Tammies were the much larger scale ones...

Astor · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2010, 02:29:48 PM »

Wow, they look really great! and thanks for the extra publicity for my own conversion.

I never realised how big the Dread Eye was until seeing it compared to those other two - it's HUGE! Although, it's a little too much fantasy for my own tastes - Although the Black Pearl is certainly a beautiful ship, especially with those figures and lanterns on the stern, and it certainly looks bigger than Mega Bloks' generic 'Pyrates' range (so maybe it's a good thing I didn't get the Pearl after all).

I can't wait to see the next steps!

Sinewgrab · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2010, 06:37:07 PM »

Quote from: Astor on January 26, 2010, 02:29:48 PM

I never realised how big the Dread Eye was until seeing it compared to those other two - it's HUGE! Although, it's a little too much fantasy for my own tastes - Although the Black Pearl is certainly a beautiful ship, especially with those figures and lanterns on the stern, and it certainly looks bigger than Mega Bloks' generic 'Pyrates' range (so maybe it's a good thing I didn't get the Pearl after all).

I can't wait to see the next steps!

Actually, I can tell you that the Pearl is somewhat shorter than the Stormstalker, which is the same base ship as the Predator, with a different paint scheme and figurehead, but also a bit taller. The Dread Eye is huge in comparison, and will hold many many undead or demonic pirates.

And I linked to your thread because you are doing things with the ship that I frankly will not, because I tend to look at things like these as terrain, and I have always had an attitude of gameplay before realism. I dropped the Pearl and the Dutchman to two masts each, because otherwise the damned things are in the way when you are playing...and that's just how I roll.

Astor · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2010, 08:26:38 PM »

Quote from: Sinewgrab on January 26, 2010, 06:37:07 PM

Actually, I can tell you that the Pearl is somewhat shorter than the Stormstalker

It must be the height of the Pearl that makes it looks so large, then, as it certainly looks a little taller than the Pyrates range of ships.

Quote

And I linked to your thread because you are doing things with the ship that I frankly will not, because I tend to look at things like these as terrain, and I have always had an attitude of gameplay before realism. I dropped the Pearl and the Dutchman to two masts each, because otherwise the damned things are in the way when you are playing...and that's just how I roll.

I imagine that I wouldn't have done as much to my one ship if i'd been working on three at the same time (and I almost ended up with three for the price they were going for). I'm with you on the gameplay before realism thing - I think i've managed a fair balance with my own - although some of the choices I made were to cover up the more problematic areas of the ship (like the large barrel at the front). And I fully agree with you regarding the masts - three would not only hinder gamplay, as you say, and I think it'd look far too crowded once there miniatures and guns aboard.