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These could make some unusual builds

They look like any other mainstream runaway IA fantasy dreamboats. I especially like the double foretop masts of the Ranger... Not much unusual or special about them.
 
They remind me of the inexpensive mid 20th century decorator models from Germany and other places.

These are comic book pictures from Chris Schweizer and obviously just for fun with no relationship with the actual ships and captains. A model might make a great toy for the little ones if they can be kept away from their cell phones and computers. :)

Ned Low was a well known pirate, but his most famous ship was supposedly the Fancy, not the Fawcet. Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) was captain of four or five ships named Royal Fortune, The 1724 engraving of Captain Roberts with the most famous Royal Fortune (40 guns) and Ranger is below.

The age of piracy is a great topic, fantasy ships or not.

Allan

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Model at the Science Museum of the slave ship Whydah captured by Black Sam Bellamy who made her his flagship. I believe the model is based on her wreck. This would make an interesting model.
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There were two "flavors" of pirates -
Psychopath thieves looking for sure thing victims.
Mercenary ex-navy or reserve navy using larger ships or sloops with enough guns to defeat smaller navy escorts and capture larger prey. They do the job for the government, supply their own ships at their own cost, and pay their own wages. Large ships cost more and are slow.

Bonhomme Richard would have been a poor choice for a French privateer -too tall too slow - just let Mikey have it.

Any sort of arty battle is the opposite of what the psychopaths wanted. They wanted relatively small - fast - carry enough crew to swam and overpower a merchantman. A sunk merchantman give no cargo or slaves to sell. Guns are heavy. Heavy is bad for speed. If the navy shows up run away - run away is the only logical option.

Compare the actual situational need with delusional modern illustrator imaginings.

I have plans for actual 18thC. cargo carrying vessels - most are closer to being a boat than they were to the Navy vessels that they supplied and were protected by. It would not take a very large pirate vessel to intimidate any merchantman into surrender if it could not flee.
 
The best way to escape from a heavily armed square rigged vessel interrupting your business of capturing poorly armed merchant vessel is to escape to windward. Pirates and especially privateers, therefore, prized vessels that could sail to windward better than the square rigged naval vessels of the day. Schooners can point higher than square riggers.

Roger
 
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