Completing a sizeable, yet visually stunning ship is a dream come true for any aspiring MOC designer. Not many builders however, decide to sail in the reverse direction and construct a petite, yet equally impressive vessel.
Enter Vanestream, a versatile builder who’s talent knows no bounds as he stealthily leaps from land-based builds to ships and back, all while typing an award winning screenplay and crafting the necessary props for his stop-and-go pirate animation series Being Pirates.
Today we shall investigate his small ‘custom hulled’ pirate fishing boat, “The Ol’ Pelican”, because to our surprise, even the most cutthroat pirates enjoy a stint of recreational fishing between their usual pillaging and plundering escapades. Yer know, even rotten scallywags must escape the stress and anxiety of being blown to smithereens by cannon fire, or skewered mercilessly on an Imperial Guard’s pike.
Vanestream writes:
Sturdy, rugged, fast – the Ol’ Pelican is an old fishing vessel the pirates Clint and Longsocks rely on for smaller expeditions as well as the odd fishing trip.
Being a pirate, Clint has equipped the boat with two swivel guns, leading to the Ol’ Pelican packing more of a punch than one might expect.
The Ol’ Build
While the Ol’ Pelican looks sturdy enough to withstand all kind of conditions on the open water, the rounded bow raises some questions about its “speed”
Nevertheless, it has fine lines and some special charm thanks to the clever use of colour
The cabin on the stern can easily accommodate several dissembled minifigures during the rough weather
Look at those powerful swivel guns… they haven’t been installed there for fishing, mind you
Clint, Longsocks and Little Tinku enjoying their family time together, with occasional sip of rum healthy and refreshing pineapple juice – cause yer have to set a good example to the junior
The Secret Technique
Vanestream continues:
The model is fairly complex, sturdy and compact. Some of the building steps are not for beginners.
The rigging and sails are not LEGO components, are optional and therefore not part of the parts list.
For those interested in this small but fairly complex design, building instructions are available on ReBrickable, for the low price of just three pieces of eight. C’mon, support starving MOC designers!
If you are only interested in the building technique, Vanestream (the Ol’ veteran of brickfilms) gives valuable insights inside this speed build video.
‘Being Pirates‘ What’s That?
Around March of 2021, Vanestream released the first episode of his brickfilm miniseries named Being Pirates. The episode proved to be a smashing hit within the brick community and many months later soon the remaining episodes followed. The complete miniseries, a total of 6 episodes, is now available for your viewing pleasure in one standalone movie.
Now, rumour has it that the sequel has been green lit by studio executives (mainly Vanestream’s friends and family) and production is well underway. You can take a sneak peak at the progress here.
Vanestream concludes:
The Ol’ Pelican – will be part of Being Pirates II. I built a slightly different version as well so as to have a number of vessels. Tinku is the baby, he’s a big part of Being Pirates II. The toucan will also keep appearing, I really love that toucan piece.
Season 1 – Synopsis:
After they find Vane’s mysterious message, the Captain, Longsocks and Flint set out on a swashbuckling, perilous and hilarious adventure…
About the Builder…
VaneStream is a veteran of the LEGO Pirates and Pirate MOC forums, in which he regularly (with interludes spanning several months between) shares valuable insights and Work In Progress updates about his ongoing brickfilm projects. Given the enormity of Being Pirates, he is actually a quite awesome personality within the community and an extremely prolific builder.
He is also active on various social networks, mainly Instagram and Flickr, where you can observe more of his amazing work captured in one motionless frame. For motion and animation be sure to subscribe to his YouTube Channel. As for the instructions check out his humble ReBrickable account.
Last but not least, Vanestream maintains his own fancy pirate-looking website, vanestream.wordpress.com.
What Do Yer Think?
Do you think Captain Redbeard would give his nod of approval to this old fine looking vessel? What about the speed? Is it faster than it looks like? Would you rather have this than the LEGO Ideas Sailboat Adventure? Share your thought with us in the LEGO Pirates forum, the Classic Pirates are waiting for you…
