The Out of Your Comfort Zone contest second round MOC-off of DOOOOOOM presents.... Castle Ships of the Faerian Sea!
About this creation
This was built for my tie-breaker MOC-off with Paul Romano. The challenge was to build something in not one but TWO themes outside my comfort zone, in this case Pirate & Castle. The tricky thing was to come up with something true to both themes, but also distinctively different from either, so here goes:
A combination of unusually high salt content in the Faerian Sea and the ready availabiity of tough but light volcanic rock, means that uniquely in the multiverse, ships are built out of stone, not wood. The 'Brighton Roc' is one such floating fortress, transporting valuable treasures between the kingdoms of Faeria. However, not every voyage goes to plan....
"Heads up men! I don't like the look of those chaps. Clear that grappling hook and prepare for boarders!"
Guardsman Tanner tries to shift the grapple while Gunner Grames struggles to bring the siege crossbow to bear
It is popularly believed in Faeria that dipping ordinary steel weapons in boiling pitch makes them effective against the undead. These fellows are about to find out whether it's true.
Captain Heath is a fearless commander, but even he may have met his match this time:
Nogdred the Dreadful, necromancer extroardinaire, and his skeleton crewed siege galley! While Nogdred directs the attack, his mummified bosun drums out the beat for the rowers.
Life as a galley slave is brutal and short, and in this case there's no guarantee that death will end the slavery.
In a matter of moments the skeleton horde will be close enough to deploy the boarding plank!
Why bother with a skull and crossbones when you can strap an entire skeleton to your mast?
"Fight for your lives, men! And defend that cabin at all costs!
How will this engagement turn out? You control the action...
Some close-ups of the Brighton Roc without minifigures to finish
The binnacle tower opens to allow a crewman to hide inside
Some water barrels and a tool chest round out the detail on the main deck. The cabin door opens, and the door frame can be easily removed to allow people with large fingers to get at the treasure.
Fourth wall: well, this has been a really fun contest, once again I got to build something I would never have thought of doing otherwise. If I'd had the time (and enough blue bricks) I might have attempted a fully brick-built seascape, but as it is I decided to play to my strengths and focus on the ships; I'm really happy with how they both turned out. Inspiration credits for PotC and the late Oliver Postgate.
Many thanks to the judges and good luck to Paul!
Comments
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February 18, 2012 |
Very impressive! |
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I like it |
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Vladimir R. February 17, 2012 |
This is really something that you canīt see everyday... stone ship. I love whole concept plus little action. But I have only 5 points (or votes) to give. I give you 2. Your build is awesome but sorry, I like Pauls entry bit more. I hope you wonīt be angry on me :D. |
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I like it |
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February 16, 2012 |
Let me tell you it is tough to get a stone boat to float. lol.
I really liked how you added certain touches to the ship to give it that Castle feel, especially that turret, But I really liked Paul's concept and largeness of his build. So I am giving you 2 of my votes. Good luck with the rest of the judges. :) |
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February 16, 2012 |
Wow! this has an extraordinary storyline and two great builds to match! Great job! |
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Very nice job! Great ships and interesting storyline! |
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February 15, 2012 |
Nice ships. |
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February 15, 2012 |
Simply ingenius, Stuart! When I saw the category you got, I thought, "How on earth is he going to pull that off?" Well, not only did you pull it off, you did it with style! This is going to be a challeng to beat...is that sweat I feel forming on my brow? :) I'll have my own creation uploaded shortly... |
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February 15, 2012 |
Wow, those ships "rock"! Good luck! |
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February 15, 2012 |
Awesome idea and fantastic builds! Great work, and good luck! |
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February 15, 2012 |
They both look awesome. Well done! |
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February 15, 2012 |
I like it. You certainly took a challenging category and blended the themes well. The idea behind the stone ships was clever. Like you said, I would have appreciated a little more of a build than the two ships, but you still did a great job. I especially like the sails on the Roc. Congrats for making the final round! |
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