Black Swan - Black Swan custom VOC-pirate ship conversion / first wooden ship build

[AllanKP69]

which I knew where to get before I ordered mines lol ,

Just email the STL drawings to any local 3D printer. I used a small one man company in the US for 3D printed cannon and have been very happy with the price and quality.
Allan

 

[Naima]

Just email the STL drawings to any local 3D printer. I used a small one man company in the US for 3D printed cannon and have been very happy with the price and quality.
Allan

What Stl? are there Stl for different naval guns like VOC , spanish , portuguese, German , Italian , English , Spanish , Swedish and French? , btw I have a 3d printer , not for resin but general PLA or PETG 3d printer with 02 mm nozzle.

 

[AllanKP69]

Ciao Naima
I know of 7 different English patterns in various calibers, and one Spanish pattern in stereolithography (STL) format in various calibers that printers can read and I am sure there are others out there but I have not had a need so have not looked for Dutch East India Company, German, Italian, Swedish, or French 3D cannon drawings.

Sadly I have no idea how to operate a printer so I just email the drawings in STL format to the man that does the printing in resin for me and get the guns back in the mail.

Ciao ancora

Allan

 

[Naima]

Where do you find them ? I can make stl files too but hard part is to find historical patterns , then I can overprint with zbrush over plain model ... thats pretty easy , but resin printing is best for tiny details.

 

[AllanKP69]

PMing you.
Allan

 

[Naima]

Had to rebuild the hole I carved in the main deck entrance ... and I carved the door and the windows, opened parts of the interior area of the cabin , I am wondering now how to build the whole structure with a different stern from the provided one .
I also ordered some wood to redo the side panels to rearrange the cannon holes and also extrude more forward the coverings to add better stairs, also redoing the top rear roof and stern.

I feel I am making a frankenstein project for my first ship .

 

[AllanKP69]

I feel I am making a frankenstein project for my first ship

If you try to make these changes, and I think that is great idea, you are on your way to be a great kit basher and you are turning Frankenstein into a fine looking gentleman.
Allan

 

[Naima]

Hi everyone,


Here is an update on my Occre Black Swan conversion into a fantasy pirate VOC ship. Right now, I'm working on completely rebuilding the stern, as I really don't like the original fantasy one from the kit.


My inspiration is a mix: I'm aiming for a Dutch ship design with French-style ornamentation. According to my ship's background lore, she was built by Dutch master shipwrights in a French shipyard and then decorated by French sculptors.


However, I've hit a bit of a roadblock with the interior of the cabin and the structural framing, and I could really use some advice.


The Plan for the Interior:


I want the visible parts to be the Captain's cabin and the main entrance. I'm thinking of leaving the area around the mizzenmast closed off with bulkheads.


The Challenge:


My main issue right now is figuring out how to create the wooden sub-deck (the base plate that I will cover with floor planking).

• Attempt 1: I tried making a single large base plate that covered the interior and extended all the way to the outer edges (where the hull planking will go), doubling as the floor for the side galleries. However, this was incredibly difficult to slot into place.
• Attempt 2 (see photos): I made a new version where the sub-deck only passes inside the vertical frames/bulkheads.

Structural Concerns:


Because I changed the design, the new stern needs to be slightly curved/cambered and flow with the hull. The original Black Swan stern was basically just a box glued to the back, but I need this to be seamlessly integrated with both the inner and outer hull.


I was thinking of adding extra pieces to build the shape, but with all the cutting, regluing, and trimming, I'm afraid I'll destroy the structural stability of the skeleton before I even get to the hull planking.


On top of that, I want to cut away the vertical frame extensions that run right through the middle of the Captain's cabin because they completely ruin the interior space. I need to find a way to do this safely.

Does anyone have any advice, links, or deck plans on how to proceed with building a Captain's cabin that includes side galleries (even open ones) in a VOC style?
How can I safely cut away the central bulkheads inside the cabin while maintaining enough structural integrity for the planking phase?

Any tips, ideas, or reference materials would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

You can also see a small resin pirate I recently got scale 1/72 1/75.

 

[Namabiiru]

I’m also grappling with how to finish the great cabin on Fair American. We can learn from each other.

 

[Naima]

I’m also grappling with how to finish the great cabin on Fair American. We can learn from each other.

Coll thanks, have you decided on any approach?

 

[Namabiiru]

I have bunch of strips of walnut meant for second layer hull planking that I will likely do the walls with. The wing transom is such an odd shape on the interior that I’ll need to build some sort of bunk/desk/bookshelf arrangement.

 

[Naima]

I have bunch of strips of walnut meant for second layer hull planking that I will likely do the walls with. The wing transom is such an odd shape on the interior that I’ll need to build some sort of bunk/desk/bookshelf arrangement.

I was thinking instead to first draw , design and then cut out the rear stern that should be larger, and according to that shape the two decks in order to make it match and be inclined a bit , it also must be slightly curved, I am not going for anything specific because its a fantasy ship but I am takins inspiration from real ships , for to moment just without any fancy figures.

But I am yet to decide if to Cut or not the rear fin of the support lol , this is what is worrying me now because I am going totally free and out of the precisely designed curves of the model kit .

 

[Naima]

What you think ? Are proportions ok ?

 

[Namabiiru]

You’re more of a draftsman than I will ever be

 

[AllanKP69]

As and obvious fan of pirates, the following may be interesting to you and others that have similar interests.

From the Society of Nautical Research, there will be a talk on the following book. There is a free membership as well as paid as you may choose if interested

The Society For Nautical Research

The official home of The Society for Nautical Research and The Mariner's Mirror. The world’s oldest society dedicated to the study of maritime heritage.

snr.org.uk

THE REAL CAPTAIN HOOK?​

From Eton to Brazil: The Hidden Life of a Nineteenth-Century Pirate Book Launch
15 October 2026, 18:00 - 20:00

King's Building, Strand Campus, London

The Anglo-Brazilian Society is delighted to welcome Brazilian writer and historian Marcos Juliano Ofenbock for an evening devoted to one of the most remarkable episodes British – Brazilian history: the hunt for the largest documented pirate treasure in the world: Francis Hodder. Members of the SNR are cordially invited to attend this event, including the launch of the book 'The Pirate Treasure of Trinidad Island'.


Presented as a documented historical hypothesis – not a definitive literary identification – this illustrated talk follows archival records, newspapers, maps, British expeditions and surviving objects to explore whether the true story of Francis Hodder may have contributed to the cultural world from which Captain Hook emerged.

Attendees will discover how a life long dismissed as legend was reconstructed from archival fragments spanning Britain and Brazil, and can put their own questions to the researcher in the Q&A.

 

[Naima]

Da appassionato di pirati quale sono, le seguenti informazioni potrebbero interessare a te e ad altri che condividono la mia stessa passione.

La Society of Nautical Research terrà una presentazione sul seguente libro. È possibile scegliere tra l'iscrizione gratuita e quella a pagamento, se interessati.

The Society For Nautical Research

The official home of The Society for Nautical Research and The Mariner's Mirror. The world’s oldest society dedicated to the study of maritime heritage.

snr.org.uk

IL VERO CAPITAN UNCINO?​

Da Eton al Brasile: La vita segreta di un pirata del XIX secolo - Presentazione del libro
15 ottobre 2026, 18:00 - 20:00

King's Building, Strand Campus, Londra

La Società Anglo-Brasiliana è lieta di dare il benvenuto allo scrittore e storico brasiliano Marcos Juliano Ofenbock per una serata dedicata a uno degli episodi più straordinari della storia anglo-brasiliana: la caccia al più grande tesoro pirata documentato al mondo, quello di Francis Hodder. I membri della SNR sono cordialmente invitati a partecipare a questo evento, che include la presentazione del libro "Il tesoro pirata dell'isola di Trinidad".


Presentata come un'ipotesi storica documentata – non come un'identificazione letteraria definitiva – questa conferenza illustrata si basa su documenti d'archivio, giornali, mappe, spedizioni britanniche e oggetti sopravvissuti per esplorare se la vera storia di Francis Hodder possa aver contribuito al contesto culturale da cui è emerso Capitan Uncino.

I partecipanti scopriranno come una vita a lungo considerata leggenda sia stata ricostruita a partire da frammenti d'archivio provenienti da Gran Bretagna e Brasile, e potranno porre le proprie domande al ricercatore durante la sessione di domande e risposte.

Thank you so much, that's really fantastic! I wonder if, if they found pirate treasure, who would own it? Who found it? The country it was found in? Or the country it was subtracted to?

 

[Naima]

Che ne pensi? Le proporzioni vanno bene?

View attachment 631118

I think it was too big and would have turned out a bit oversized. I used a 12 mm dimension for the window openings—which become 14 mm including the frame, resulting in a 6 mm spacing—and a height of 20–25 mm; so I scaled it down to 15 mm, with a 5 mm center-to-center spacing and 12 mm wide openings (or 10 mm internally, if including an inner frame). Also the curvature is slightly higher in the second version ... not sure which one is better.




What you think of the differences? better the first or the second?

 

[AllanKP69]

Thank you so much, that's really fantastic! I wonder if, if they found pirate treasure, who would own it? Who found it? The country it was found in? Or the country it was subtracted to?

When we lived in New Jersey I did some study on pirates as William Kidd lived on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan and was thought to have buried treasure somewhere in Middlesex County in New Jersey. Some of Morgan's descendants supposedly came to New Jersey in the early 1700s but piracy probably was not part of their work load. The Raritan River was a bit of a hotbed for pirates at times. Both privateers Adam Hyler and William Marriner conducted raids during the American Revolution from Sandy Hook up to New Brunswick. Pirates of the Caribbean is more famous, but Pirates of New Jersey and New York would make an interesting TV series or movie.
Allan

 

[Naima]

I was brainstorming on the stern and yes I went overboard with photoshop, ai and some real stuff mixed together ... I would like to be able to do something like that , I am just wondering it its plausible as stern or if I did just too much ?

Oh and its not about realism but plausability , its still a Fantasy pirate themed ship .

My idea was about a pirate ship and themed with Classical themes, the Queen of the Seas sitting on her throne, surrounded by Tritons and Mermaids and other sea stuff .
I am also undecided on the two styles one with a tiny bit more elaborate sculputres for side sirens and sea monster and central details and one with a little bit more crude version.



The one I used as source of inspiration , its an AI reconstructed but from an original sketch .




Since I dunno what I am doing I am just brainstorming while I learn stuff, and the idea would be in theory to craft the most in wood and make the figures 3d printed .

 

[Naima]

Btw I was thinking to Use a 3 mm thick tilia wood for base for the Stern does someone knows if I can bend it like the small thin panels?