I present to you my third creation in the Tribute to America series depicting the battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.
About this creation
O say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner, O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
-Francis Scott Key
The Battle
When the Americans won their freedom in the Revolutionary war, the British were a little peeved to say the least. It wasn't until decades later that they tried to win it back. There had been much tension between the two nations since 1776. Merchants were oppressed by the other's NAVY and the seas were not safe for anyone because of the privateers. Though it is called the war of 1812 the war went on until 1815. The British marched into America in 1814 and burnt down the white house and the capitol building. Their next objective inland was Philadelphia but to get there they had to pass the Fort McHenry. Thus the bombardment began. On September 12th the British began assault with the smaller rounds but retreated because of the Americans range. Finally the British wheeled out the mortars(2mi range) and rockets(1.75mi range) which had a much greater range than the American's 11, 24, 38(1.5mi range) pounders pounders. The British kept up the barrage for 25 hours. In that time the American's lowered the original flag. Then they raised the 42'x30' flag in insubordinate defiance to the British. The American commander Samuel Smith resolved to not let the British into the weakened Philadelphia even if it means the destruction of the fort and the lives of his men. The British Admiral Cochrane seeing the unwielding courage of the oppressed Americans tried one last desperate ploy. He tried to slip a landing party past the Fort and so draw out the militia from inside the fort. However the Fort's guns spotted the landing party and they with drew. Cochrane, seeing the battle would be a stale mate withdrew his ships and retreated to New Orleans.
Casualties of the fight were recorded as folllows.
Americans-4 Dead(including one woman)-24 wounded
English-1 wounded
Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key was on one of the British warships for a prisoner bartering mission when the battle began. Francis recorded the poem Star Spangled Banner(the poem above) from what he saw that day. The poem was later given a tune then was soon recognized as the National Anthem.
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry was designed by a Frenchman Jean Foncin in 1798. The star fort was named after James McHenry who was the first secretary of war under George Washington. The fort served as a prison and a defense shelter for the locals. It wasn't until 1812 that the fort was tested for the first time.
Alright fellas class is over. You obviously didn't come to this page to get a lesson on History but that's all right thanks for sticking though it. Note: to get the full effect from this MOC I suggest you read the poem at the top of the page. Anyhoo here is the Battle of Fort McHenry!
The Bird's eye view was mainly so you buggers could see the hardcore angle which I was working with. This was my second attempt at angling other than Hobbitton so I think it turned out rather well.
Faded Glory made by Mary Young Pickerell was 30'x 42'. This tattered flag has become a symbol for freedom and courage.
The brickwork around the cannon hole was inspired by the Fire Brigade. The angled tiles at the top sort of add an organic flair to the architecture. In the background you can see the American General George Armistead.
The Rocket smashing into the wall was a rather last minute detail before Brickfair.
I couldn't resist throwing in the Fire Brigade flag in the background.
For this angle with the wall I was fortunate enough to align the scaffolding as such that the jumpers were actually snug up against the wall!
A close up of the beautiful bomb whose concept I accredit to Jack Bittner. Thanks for the idea Jack!
This picture really accents the tiling on the ground. Also I would like to thank Nate for the loaning of a cannon to me at Brickfair. So to Nate I say thank you.
That little door is aesthetically pleasing just because it is symmetrical with both of the scaffoldings.
Couldn't resist putting the corpse in there. Adds to the authenticity of the battle scene.
The scaffolding was rather fun to build.
I had a barrel of laughs with this one. I had that unbuttoned coat then I took the rubber bands as bandoleers and I gave him the most drunken face I could.
1st story (or 2nd story) is the dormitories for the militia.
Ground level floor serves as an officers "lounge".
This bottom cellar serves as a kitchen/mess hall/pantry/anything I want it to.
To the left you can see a little powder arsenal.
My brother said something about how I needed to take pictures with a larger survey so people could then place the detail in their proper places. So he is welcome! The inside of the fort is probably one of my favorite parts of the MOC. Just the look of the scaffolding up against the brick wall just appeals to me. You'll be seeing more of this in the future!
 A shot of the rockwork. This is one spot that is historically INaccurate. At Fort McHenry there was actually a bit of a trench there to prevent ground assaults. I had already built this though before I learned about the trench:)
I rebuilt this water 4 times. I was really picky with the placement with the bricks and colors. I am still not sure the v.1 wasn't best but here is the version now.
I purposely took 2 pictures of pretty much the same concept. I just wanted to illuminate my uses of the UV-ray colored pieces. Finally I figured out a use for those poor blue bricks that have been caught by those nasty UVs. I used them as the next step up from the maersk blue stepping into the regular blue. It also adds a bit of depth to the water instead of just regular blue bricks.
I tried to make this as complete a cutaway as I could without taking a chainsaw to it. You can see how I cleverly used a trans rod and a flag to hold the string in place. Steal away oh my peers! Steal away!
Here is the shot of the entire warship. You can see I had mortars on the top deck and then 18 pounders on the 2nd level. This ship was probably the most fun, the most frustrating and probably the most education LEGO experience that I have had in a long time. It is SNOT work all around. The bottom deck was very solid but then It got wobblier as It went up. And then I cantilevered the decks because I wanted to make it a complete cutaway. But unfortunately the grounding for the cantilever was only 2 studs supported by a few pins. Wow. I had a couple chunks of the ship that were more solid than others. I just used jumpers to help support the more wobbly parts. It came out fine but every half an hour I had to adjust it because it kept sliding. Then the sails were a royal pain as well but hey! The pics are taken so what am I mumbling about.
Francis Scott Key recording his feelings and emotions in pen to become one of the most monumental pieces of music that has graced the earth. His words have impacted many people and even countries. The more I learn about Francis the more I love him! Once again I use literary licence. In all actuality he was much farther away from the fort but because of my limited bricks and patience I just built 1 ship.
I had originally planned on using actual paper for the sails but it couldn't really get the rippling effect that I wanted with the Bricks.
The stern shot. As I said earlier I tried to make it a complete cutaway. I did my very very best but because I had a 1/3 of a stud offset (yes a 1/3 of a stud. That's how hardcore this dio was for me.)it didn't get the cleanest cutoff.
One of the British officers, Admiral Alexander Cochrane views the bombarding from the deck of his lovely warship.
The SNOT work along the bottom really gave the ship a solid base with these turned upside down but then the Bb-elements(named after myself mainly due to the fact that they are my favorite elements) really weaken everything.
You can see the layering better in this picture here.
The smaller 18 pounders line the second level decks. On the bottom of the pic you can see a little cage. That was originally supposed to hold Francis but because it would be kind of hard to see the "Bombs bursting in air" from there...
You can see a hammock there in the lower left. It felt empty without it.
!!!!!Bonus Pics: Brickfair 2010!!!!!
This is my one and only creation for the War of 1812. I just didn't consider it important enough except for this battle. Well thank you for viewing. I hope you enjoyed my diorama. Be sure to check in soon because the Civil War is next...
My Previous Tribute to America works.
-Lexington
-Bunker Hill
God Bless America!
~Blake
Comments
|
|
 |
I like it |
|
October 3, 2012 |
it's so cool i'm studying the war of 1812 right now and i watched a show on fort mchenry and your moc is AWESOME!!!!!
|
|
|
|
I like it |
|
July 9, 2012 |
Hey, I am a Lego Master Builder Academy subscriber, and on their website I read your nature tips and this was in it! Its a great MOC and thanks for sharing advice with fellow builders! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
June 16, 2012 |
Superb Blake! I love how you did it! The ship is awesome, the fort is mega awesome, and I love the water! Your bombs are spectacular! Great job! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
May 22, 2012 |
Beautiful! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
December 23, 2011 |
As usual, your attention to the details gives the whole MOC a particular beauty! One of my favourite MOCs among yours! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
December 23, 2011 |
As usual, your attention to the details gives the whole MOC a particular beauty! One of my favourite MOCs among yours! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
November 24, 2011 |
WOW...just....WOW |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
November 8, 2011 |
We are studying the war of 1812 this week in our homeschool group, and I sent this to my teacher. She loves it and sent the link to everyone in our class. Just thought I'd tell you. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
November 8, 2011 |
WOW!!! This is amazing, I just finished reading about this battle in history. So this was awesome to see. I considered building it, but I decided I didn't have enough bricks to build it to the size I wanted. Anyway, great job, the tattered flag is superb. and the whole build is just completely AWESOME!!!!! Looking forward to more... |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
November 8, 2011 |
Nice flag, snotwork, explosions,and-um-Everything else. Love the historical theme. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
October 26, 2011 |
Amazing! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
May 27, 2011 |
How awesome.How did you make it? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
February 6, 2011 |
Nice job on this build! I like the "stud" spangled banner, (as it were)! I use the feather technique for writing quills too! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
February 6, 2011 |
Holy cow! Absolutely fabulous! I could only dream of making something that good (and historically accurate to boot)! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
November 7, 2010 |
Wow. Epic creation! The best diorama i've seen in a long time!
Outstanding Job
~Marshal |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
October 29, 2010 |
This is really impressive. I love the fort's angles. Nice work! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
October 15, 2010 |
Epic work! This is very good, my only worry though is the fact that you don't use the union flag. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
October 12, 2010 |
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back. The only scenes that I was going to suggest were Jackson being shot by his own troops (quite sad really. I wish he hadn't died. He was one of the best generals in the war), Cold Harbor, and part of Gettysburg. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 26, 2010 |
Excellent work! I love the detail |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 26, 2010 |
how do you get to be in Brickworld? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
Captain Connor Patterson September 25, 2010 |
The water effect turned out great! Were did you get the font? Oh, and great gun fight! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 25, 2010 |
very cool nicely built |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 25, 2010 |
very nice creation, like the flags, the fort and every thing else very good job 100/5.
Please check out my congreve rocket.
link: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/220997 |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
Chris Blizard September 24, 2010 |
Dude,
I LOVE this Moc, not only because I am a history freak but because I live within 50 miles of Baltimore. I have vivisted Fort McHenry a few times and this is relativly close to the real fort! I am also a Civil War nut. Did you know the fort was used to house Confederate prisoners of war? You should do a moc with the fort (War of 1812 stuff out) and add some Union guards and Confederate prisoners.
~Chris Blizard~ |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 24, 2010 |
What a great work of art! so many details. thats what I love. keep it up. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 24, 2010 |
Amazing! those details! great! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 24, 2010 |
Awesome work! Simply stunning... |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 23, 2010 |
As always a you did a great job on the fort, ship, buildings, minifigs and all the other accessories. Continue your great creations on Mocpages. |
|
|
Awesome! This is a very realistic and authentic model of Fort McHenry. It captures the battle very well. Is Francis Scott Key's hair the Qui-Gon hair? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 20, 2010 |
dude you have to do shiloh |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
I remember seeing this and thinking it was just fantastic. |
|
|
 |
I made it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
Quoting Daniel Church
This is awesome but this is from the Revolutionary War not the War of 1812.
Yeah good try, guess again. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
This is awesome but this is from the Revolutionary War not the War of 1812. |
|
|
|
I made it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
Quoting Jeffrey Donlon
I saw this live! I have pictures to prove it! Great build! Really like all the explosions and such. By the way, as you mentioned the Civil War, might I request one or two scenes?
You can but I already have a couple scenes in my head already. Feel free to post your thoughts though. Always good getting suggestions. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
Very detailed and perfect presented. Like all the action and small ideas like the fire explosion. But how did you get the classic font? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
This has got to be the MOST AWESOME historical MOC i have EVER SEEN! The entire battle was amazing, and there wasn't one part that was under-detailed. I loved every moment of looking at this! |
|
|
I saw this live! I have pictures to prove it! Great build! Really like all the explosions and such. By the way, as you mentioned the Civil War, might I request one or two scenes? |
|
|
|
I made it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
Quoting Matthew Hocker
I saw this at BrickFair, and I want you to know how much I enjoyed seeing it. Your attention to detail is incredible. You obviously put a lot of thought and planning into your diorama, and it really paid off.
I really look forward to seeing what you have in store for the Civil War because that's my area of interest (in history and building in Lego form). I'm curious as to what part of the Civil War you will model, and I'm assuming you're going to keep quiet on it for now. ;-) Good luck.
Thanks Mat! Yeah I prefer to not reveal my intentions at this point in time but I'll just say I will probably do a max of 4 battles, min of 2. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 19, 2010 |
I saw this at BrickFair, and I want you to know how much I enjoyed seeing it. Your attention to detail is incredible. You obviously put a lot of thought and planning into your diorama, and it really paid off.
I really look forward to seeing what you have in store for the Civil War because that's my area of interest (in history and building in Lego form). I'm curious as to what part of the Civil War you will model, and I'm assuming you're going to keep quiet on it for now. ;-) Good luck. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 18, 2010 |
Umm...somehow "wow" just doesn't seem to cut it. |
|
|
|
I made it |
|
September 18, 2010 |
Quoting Mike Cook
I was wondering why you chose the gray stone color for the walls. Ft. McHenry is all brick. Any reason you didn't try and duplicate the red brick look? Yeah Mike I did actually. I wasn't really confident in my abilities(or my supply) with red just because I function much more off of Castle. Also I didn't think red would look NEAR as good as this grey does and it might look almost too colorful with the red next to the blue water. Good question though. It was considered. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 18, 2010 |
Incredible, really big and very accurate |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 18, 2010 |
I'm speechless! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
cam m September 17, 2010 |
When I saw this at Brickfair, I was amazed. That hasn't changed a bit. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
Umk, you are awesome. I just gotta make you a favorite builder. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
Wow! Very nice! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
Wow! and double WOW! There is so much to love and so much blitheringly awesome detail about this bignette; my personal faves are that cannon ball chunking into the wall, and the splash in the water. I like the scaffolding, and all of the rock/wood work of the fort, but those spilt seconds captured in time of the water, the explosion, and the cannon firing were sooooo well done. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
this looks great! the boat would have been better complete,and for the buildings as well!
but,it does nt take away from this marvel!
the playability and pics opportunities for mocs
compensates,a lot!
|
|
|
I love the angles on this. I live just down the street from Ft. McHenry, so thanks for giving Baltimore's little bit of history some attention.
I was wondering why you chose the gray stone color for the walls. Ft. McHenry is all brick. Any reason you didn't try and duplicate the red brick look? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
This is one of those stand-out MOCs. Such the attention to detail here. The rockwork on the shore is awesome. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 17, 2010 |
Much fun. big fan of the flag |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 16, 2010 |
Oh Blake, excellent job man! The explosions and missiles are great, the fort is fantastic, and the cutaway ship adds really nicely. Good job, and great congrats on The Brother's Brick posting. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 16, 2010 |
This maybe the most amazing thing I have seen in Lego. You tell a familiar story with Lego in a fresh, compelling and exciting way. History and Lego are a great combination and this may be the best example of two I have seen. This truly is top-notch work. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 16, 2010 |
I love the way you made the explosions and impacts. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 16, 2010 |
Great work! Saw this at Brickfair and was quite amazed by it. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 15, 2010 |
The cannon ball splash made me smile. Awesome work.~H |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 14, 2010 |
Great build! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 14, 2010 |
Love the scene, love the water, love the sense of real action. I always have instant respect for people that use angular walls, probably I've never successfully tried them myself ;) |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 14, 2010 |
Great creation! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 14, 2010 |
That is insanely brilliant! Great Job on the greebling and SNOT! The fort is a great shape and the way you built the ship on half is brilliant. Really nice job, keep it up! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 14, 2010 |
(Insert words here because I am speechless) Great work all around! I think I am going to have to go with Old Glory as the best part of the whole scene. I really like how you put rockets in and how you made a cannon ball splash in the water. Again, great work and thanks for all of the great info in the beginning! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
Sargeant Brick September 13, 2010 |
amazing detail and the intro is all correct most people when making creations on true events have a few things wrong but yours is all correct great job
|
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Wow! Too much greatness! The fort, scaffolding, ship, water, rocks, it's all great! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
It seems as though you really love American history.Great moc! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Brilliant. I just love this series, and each installment keeps getting better and better! Can't wait for the next one! ~T |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Wow! It must have been hard to get all the angles right, and I love the barracks you have! Great ship, and all the figures look really good. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Very cool, say was this at Brickworld? |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
OMGGRTSH>>>ZGE... My mind just collapsed from awesomeness. I like Francis Scott Key on the ship. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Very nice. I like how you built the fort. And the history lesson is nice a nice touch too. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Nice,saw it at Brickfair.How'd you like the expo center? alot better than the banquet hall from the previous years.I brought something to the Castle table but it was at the opposite end of the table. |
|
|
|
I made it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Quoting Mister Bones
Outstanding! I was recently in Baltimore and got to see the fort first hand, I must say you nailed the details!
Yeah actually I went to a LEGO store near there and thought about stopping but decided last minute against it. |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Outstanding! I was recently in Baltimore and got to see the fort first hand, I must say you nailed the details! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Great MOC... but that cutaway ship... is just freaking fantastic! You, my man, are amazing! Awesome build, Blake! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Wow! It's a great build! And many thanks for the fine history lesson. I'm looking forward to the rest of the tribute to America.
Greets,
Jelle |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
OK, on my first pass I missed the angling of the fort wall along the second dimension. And that was worth coming back for. There are probably other things I have yet to catch. This is a showcase for completeness and quality.
|
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Wow but there is a lot going on here. All the explosions, splashes, and firing smoke are surely a visual treat. The sharp angle in the fort works well (and kudos for even modeling the right geometry of the fort). One of my visual favorites is the wooden scaffolding. Yes you got a nice breeze blowing into the flag and sails. Of course, great details in the internals and history. The rock work is pleasing too. Masterpiece.
|
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Wow, impressive size, all sorts of detailed things going on, and great story to go along with it. Great job! |
|
|
|
I like it |
|
September 13, 2010 |
Awesome! Love the tattered flag and all the other details. -Drew |
|
|
More from Blake More across MOCpages
|
|
student teen kid toy play lego child video game hobby blocks construction toy legos fun games
|
