Where did I begin with this? Well I thought to myself, I love sailing ships. There are plenty of Pirate ships sailing the Lego seas, and a fair number of Imperial ships to protect the seas from the Pirates. But who are they protecting? Who are the Pirates plundering? The Lego seas needed some merchant ships.

I didn't go overboard with this ship as I also wanted to create more of a budget friendly ship, one that many people would want, and not have to crack open your buried chest to acquire. My goal was to achieve under 2000 parts, and I did it on the first go! The final piece count was near enough to 1867, so I had to change a couple things to get to that exact number, which is the year my home country declared it's independence, so I thought it was fitting.

The overall design was chosen to mimic the prefabricated hull pieces that most of LEGO's sets have used, but with some modern flair. I hoe that people would chose to display this next to all their classic sets, and it would not look out of place. I also tried to keep the scale within the classic sets, and I feel I succeeded. I also didn't want to go overboard with minifigure selection. I could have added one more sailor if I wanted, but decided to keep it at just four. I didn't want the ship to look too defended, otherwise it might not be a tempting prize for the Pirates!

One specific detail I am proud of is the furled sails. I didn't want them looking too neat and navy like. Instead, I went with a more haphazard or rushed looking job.

I hope you find my design to your liking!