The MAKING of THE BLACK PEARL....a work in progress....

[WarriorOfToys]

CUSTOM DECKING

The 3286 has fine lines and is a beautiful ship.  That being said, it does have a few aesthetic (and functional) shortcomings that, with some imagination (which Playmobil is very good at inspiring), can be overcome.

First and far-most, my biggest pet peeve of the 3286 is the huge gaping HOLE on the foredeck.  I assume Playmobil put that opening there to allow access to the forward cannons on the lower gundeck.  Sadly, not only is this gaping hole visually unappealing, but due to the curved nature of the deck, crew members tended to slide and fall into the hole.  This was so annoying to me.  Additionally, the hole was completely useless, save for being able to put your hands in there to access the forward guns.  You couldn’t really stow anything in there, and it didn’t even come with a grate cover, so no Klickies can even stand anywhere on the foredeck without falling in.  Basically, the bow of the ship was just there for looks, and had no function whatsoever.


(btw, this is a cropped pic of Macgayver’s Unicorn; I was too lazy to take a pic myself so I just borrowed his )

When I first transplanted the forecastle of the Megabloks Pearl, this did not really solve the problem.  All it did was add a non-functioning forecastle for looks, and it didn’t even cover up the hole in the stock deck (which was still there).   Furthermore, the “deck” of the forecastle was “lego-fied” with all the little lego/megabloks brick pegs everywhere.  The mast mounts from the Megablocks masts were still on the forecastle as well, so my Klickies couldn’t even stand on the forecastle, let alone the foredeck where there was still a huge gaping hole.

SO….. I took some sheet styrene with planked wood grooves already in it, and cut them to shape to form an actual forecastle deck and a foredeck (cover) for that hole on the main deck.

Here were the pieces pre-installation:

Cover/Decking for the 3286 hole (topside with wire loop for handling):

bottom side (two-layer, custom fit for are at foremast’s base):


Lego Decking replaced with styrene decking on the forecastle:



And the results (before paint):

 

New Forecastle Decking (replacing the lego deck):


And last but not least, the new foredecking in place to cover up that ugly hole Playmobil gave us:

(note, the foredeck cover can be removed and replaced to still gain access to the forward guns on the main deck.   Not only can Klickies stand there now without falling in, but now you can mount cannons on the main deck on the forward section!

Cannon pics and mods to come next…..

YESSS!!! THANK YOU!
SOMEONE REALIZED THE MAJOR FLAW OF THAT SHIP!!!
I have been debating for the longest time how I would get rid of that hole...
Unfortunately I don't have tie to read you whole posts right now,
But all in good time, I am so excited to!!!

I also love your idea for additional cannons on the main deck,
Simple, but excellent.

Thanks sooo much!

[Andy R]

¿Have you considered replacing the spars (part #3Ø 61 435Ø) for the spar (part #3Ø 28 578Ø) from Cannon Boat (set #4444)? I did that with my Flying Dutchman (Ghost Pirate Ship, set #48Ø6), made my own (sub-standard) sails, and as soon as I get around to it I’m going to draw in a jolly roger and blacken in the entire sail (except the skull and crossbones).

[Jimbo]

She is coming along mighty good, BlackPearl2006!  

[BlackPearl2006]

¿Have you considered replacing the spars (part #3Ø 61 435Ø) for the spar (part #3Ø 28 578Ø) from Cannon Boat (set #4444)? I did that with my Flying Dutchman (Ghost Pirate Ship, set #48Ø6), made my own (sub-standard) sails, and as soon as I get around to it I’m going to draw in a jolly roger and blacken in the entire sail (except the skull and crossbones).

Do you mean for the aft lateen sail?  Actually, I did purchase the 4444 SPECIFICALLY for the lateen sail, but when I opened the box I really didn't expect the boat nor the sail/spar to be so HUGE.... too big, IMO, for my purposes.  So I just gave the gunship to my son..... but that was before I realized it was a gunship, so now I want another so I can add 2 more cannons to give it one at the bow, and one on each port and starboard.  And get rid of that horrid sail.

If I end up making a trimaster ala the Unicorn, then I might use the 4444 spar for the lateen.  I also considered using the 4444 spar for the main sail yard, but, without extending the topmasts (which I didn't), it just looks too wide (though, in reality, it is actually more in proportion to the hull width, as a real tallship course sail yard would typically be wider than the hull, as is the 4444 yard.

So, yeah, you and me were thinking the same thing with that spar.  It just didn't fit the look this time 'round.....maybe for my next wish:  custom Victory.

Oh, I totally forgot to ask you about your custom ghost ship:  PICS PLEASE!!!!  So far MacGayver's UN-Ghostified Ghost ship custom is the only custom of that ship I've seen so far.   

[cachalote]

this a true saga bp2006. 
i wish you all the best in this adventure. 

[WarriorOfToys]

Hiya Black Pearl,
Could you take the measurements of the piece you fit into the hole for me?
I would love to copy it,
And was hoping to do so without taking my ship apart.

If you cant, that's fine.

[BlackPearl2006]

Hiya Black Pearl,
Could you take the measurements of the piece you fit into the hole for me?
I would love to copy it,
And was hoping to do so without taking my ship apart.

If you cant, that's fine.

i can scan it at 100% and email it to ya or post it, then you can just print it out and trace it onto styrene.  i have to make a new one for my 2nd 3286 anyway     would that work?

[WarriorOfToys]

i can scan it at 100% and email it to ya or post it, then you can just print it out and trace it onto styrene.  i have to make a new one for my 2nd 3286 anyway     would that work?

Ohmigawd! Thanks!
That would be BEYOND helpful!

[BlackPearl2006]

Decorated Stern

The 3286 actually has a pretty nice looking stern, but it’s not accurate to the Black Pearl’s uniquely-ornamented stern of course.  I thought about sculpting my own relief for the stern ornaments, but I ended up taking a liking to the pre-sculpted relief seen here on the stern of the Ultimate Black Pearl Playset from Zizzle (plus it would be less work for me):


The Ultimate Black Pearl by Zizzle can cost upwards of US$100-$200 on ebay, and while I would never pay that much for one, I wasn’t too crazy about hacking up my Zizzle Pearl JUST for the stern relief.   

SO…..I decided to make a mould of the relief by applying hot glue-gun glue directly to the Zizzle relief with the intention of peeling it off after it cured and using it as a mould to fill with plaster of paris. 


HOWEVER, lol, I underestimated just how well the glue would adhere to the highly-textured plastic, and it WOULD NOT COME OFF in one piece at first!  I ended up having to “chisel” it off in pieces and it took a lot of effort to peel the remnants of the glue out from in between the relief grooves L.  For all that was said and done, I didn’t produce a useable mould.

Once I had it all cleaned up, I decided to try it again.  THIS time, though, I sprayed PAM (non-stick cooking oil spray) onto the relief FIRST and then applied the glue.  This time was a success, and I was able to peel the negative glue mould off without any trouble (and my ship had the very wholesome odor of buttered toast afterwards, lol):


After washing off the mould, I kneaded some modeling clay (instead of plaster of paris) and used a rolling pin (covered with wax paper) to roll some modeling clay flat and thin.  Then I simply took the mould, face-down, and pressed it into the clay using my full weight (on my palms), making sure to squeeze out excess clay.  This was the result:


And after giving it a base coat of flat black, I glued it to the hull of the 3286 stern and painted it a sort of metallic grayish gunmetal silver (custom-mixed paint) and this was the result:


Next:  Stern Castle Edifice!

[WarriorOfToys]

Amazing work Black Pearl!
It looks great!