Hello everyone,
as I mentioned in my introduction post, I have decided to start my first wooden ship model with the OcCre Black Swan.
However, my intention is not to build her strictly as the “Black Swan” from the box, and not even to make an exact Black Pearl replica. I would like to use the kit as the base for my own custom pirate ship: something personal, more detailed, more plausible, and inspired by the general atmosphere of late 17th- and early 18th-century pirate/privateer vessels.
In true pirate fashion, I am not against “borrowing” inspiration from different sources: historical ships, East Indiaman / VOC-style armed merchantmen, the Black Pearl, the Walrus from Black Sails, and other fantasy or cinematic references. But the final model should feel like my own ship, not a direct copy of an existing one.
My preferred historical atmosphere would be roughly between 1680 and 1715, within the classic Golden Age of Piracy. I know the OcCre Black Swan is a fantasy pirate kit rather than a strict historical reconstruction, but visually it seems to have something of an armed merchantman or galleon-inspired vessel, possibly close to the kind of ship that could have been captured, modified, and “piratized.”
The kit is officially advertised as 1:75, with a total length of 613 mm, height of 585 mm, and width of 257 mm. However, I am not completely sure how to treat the practical scale of all the accessories and replacement parts. Some details may not read as a strict 1:75, and depending on what reference is used — total length, hull length, figures, gunports, cannons, ship’s boat, doors, stern windows, or deck furniture — the model could visually suggest slightly different scales.
At the moment, my provisional thinking is this:
So my current concern is not only “what is the official scale?”, but rather:
What scale should I use in practice when buying or 3D-printing replacement parts for this specific kit?
My main goals for the project are:
My first questions for the community are:
1. For this kit, would you recommend treating the scale strictly as 1:75, or choosing details case by case between 1:72, 1:75, and 1:80?
2. Are there any parts of the OcCre Black Swan that you would definitely replace completely rather than simply improve?
3. Are the kit cannons and gun carriages acceptable for a late 17th- / early 18th-century pirate vessel, or would better replacements make a noticeable difference?
4. Is it realistic to create partially visible lower decks or interior sections on this kind of plank-on-bulkhead kit, or would that create too many structural problems for a beginner?
5. If I want to modify the captain’s cabin and stern, what should I plan before starting the hull planking?
6. Do you know any build logs, suppliers, 3D-printing sources, or historical references that would be useful for a custom pirate ship based on this kit?
At this stage I am still studying the kit, the plans, and other build logs. I would prefer to make a clear plan before cutting, replacing, or gluing important parts.
Any advice, criticism, or suggestions will be very welcome.
Best regards,
Stefano
as I mentioned in my introduction post, I have decided to start my first wooden ship model with the OcCre Black Swan.
However, my intention is not to build her strictly as the “Black Swan” from the box, and not even to make an exact Black Pearl replica. I would like to use the kit as the base for my own custom pirate ship: something personal, more detailed, more plausible, and inspired by the general atmosphere of late 17th- and early 18th-century pirate/privateer vessels.
In true pirate fashion, I am not against “borrowing” inspiration from different sources: historical ships, East Indiaman / VOC-style armed merchantmen, the Black Pearl, the Walrus from Black Sails, and other fantasy or cinematic references. But the final model should feel like my own ship, not a direct copy of an existing one.
My preferred historical atmosphere would be roughly between 1680 and 1715, within the classic Golden Age of Piracy. I know the OcCre Black Swan is a fantasy pirate kit rather than a strict historical reconstruction, but visually it seems to have something of an armed merchantman or galleon-inspired vessel, possibly close to the kind of ship that could have been captured, modified, and “piratized.”
The kit is officially advertised as 1:75, with a total length of 613 mm, height of 585 mm, and width of 257 mm. However, I am not completely sure how to treat the practical scale of all the accessories and replacement parts. Some details may not read as a strict 1:75, and depending on what reference is used — total length, hull length, figures, gunports, cannons, ship’s boat, doors, stern windows, or deck furniture — the model could visually suggest slightly different scales.
At the moment, my provisional thinking is this:
| Reference | Possible interpretation | Consequence for the model |
|---|---|---|
| Official kit scale | 1:75 | This gives a total real-world length of about 46 m if the full 613 mm length is taken literally. That could place the ship in the range of a large armed merchantman or East Indiaman-style vessel. |
| If treated closer to 1:72 | 1:72 | The real-world length would be about 44 m. This is close enough to 1:75 that many 1:72 figures and accessories might still work, especially if selected carefully. |
| If treated closer to 1:80 | 1:80 | The real-world length would become about 49 m. This would make the vessel feel larger, closer to a substantial East Indiaman-type ship, but some 1:72 figures or fittings might start looking slightly oversized. |
| If some details read closer to 1:60 | 1:60 | The same 613 mm would represent only about 37 m. This might make sense for some oversized kit details or fantasy/cinematic elements, but using many 1:60 accessories could easily make the ship look too heavy or inconsistent. |
| Official width of 257 mm | Unclear | I am not sure this should be treated as true hull beam. If taken literally as hull width, it would produce a very broad real ship. It may represent the overall model envelope rather than the actual hull beam, so I need to measure the hull itself. |
| Crew figures | probably 1:72 / 1:75 / 1:80 range | I suspect 1:72 figures could work, but I need to check whether they look too tall or too “heroic” on deck. |
| Cannons and gun carriages | to be verified | I would like to know whether the kit cannons are acceptable, or whether replacing them with better 1:72 / 1:75 / 1:80 pieces would improve the realism. |
| Ship’s boat / launch | likely to replace | This is one of the parts I am least convinced by, so I would like to replace it with a more realistic boat, but I need to choose the right scale and size. |
| Stern and captain’s cabin | custom work planned | I would like to improve windows, lanterns, balcony, decorations, and perhaps make the captain’s cabin more believable or partially visible. |
What scale should I use in practice when buying or 3D-printing replacement parts for this specific kit?
My main goals for the project are:
- Improve the overall realism of the ship, while keeping a dark pirate character.
- Improve or rebuild the stern area, especially the windows, balcony, decorative carvings, lanterns, and possibly the name/cartouche area.
- Improve the captain’s cabin, perhaps making it partially visible or more believable from the outside.
- Add warm lighting, especially in the stern cabin, lanterns, and possibly some lower deck areas.
- Consider visible lower decks or interior sections, if this can be done without weakening the structure too much.
- Replace or improve some kit fittings, such as cannons, carriages, doors, gratings, ladders, barrels, crates, lanterns, decorations, and other deck details.
- Replace the ship’s boat/launch, which seems to be one of the weakest visual parts of the kit.
- Possibly use resin 3D-printed accessories, even though I do not own a 3D printer myself, so I would need to order prints from a service or from someone with a good resin printer.
- Keep the model historically plausible enough, even if it remains a fantasy/pirate interpretation.
My first questions for the community are:
1. For this kit, would you recommend treating the scale strictly as 1:75, or choosing details case by case between 1:72, 1:75, and 1:80?
2. Are there any parts of the OcCre Black Swan that you would definitely replace completely rather than simply improve?
3. Are the kit cannons and gun carriages acceptable for a late 17th- / early 18th-century pirate vessel, or would better replacements make a noticeable difference?
4. Is it realistic to create partially visible lower decks or interior sections on this kind of plank-on-bulkhead kit, or would that create too many structural problems for a beginner?
5. If I want to modify the captain’s cabin and stern, what should I plan before starting the hull planking?
6. Do you know any build logs, suppliers, 3D-printing sources, or historical references that would be useful for a custom pirate ship based on this kit?
At this stage I am still studying the kit, the plans, and other build logs. I would prefer to make a clear plan before cutting, replacing, or gluing important parts.
Any advice, criticism, or suggestions will be very welcome.
Best regards,
Stefano